Excerpts from ‘Ancient Jaffna’ by Mudaliyar C. Rasanayagam

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Page 384
"That Jaffna was occupied by the Sinhalese earlier than by the Tamils is seen not only in the place names of Jaffna, but also in some of the habits and customs of the people. The system of branding cattle with the communal brand by which not only the caste but also the position and the family of the owner could be traced, was peculiarly Sinhalese. The very ancient way of wearing the hair in the form of a konde behind the head.....The women's fashion of dressing their cloth across their breasts and mens of wearing their tufts of hair on the side of the head, as was the custom in Jaffna, were introduced by the Malabar immigrants."

Page v (Foreward)
" Dr. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar of the Madras University writing on 29.8.1926 the Foreword to Ancient Jaffna by Mudaliyar C. Rasanayagam says: "The attempt of the author to derive the name Ilam does not appeal to us as quite successful; Ilam to us seems to be directly derived from the Pali word Sihalam, which in Tamil would be Singalam or even Singanam, but a strict Tamilising would make it Ilam...." Ancient Jaffna-Mudaliyar C Rasanayagam (Foreword p. v.).

Page 382
" After the massacre of the Christians, Sankili's ( king of Jaffna) insane fury longed for more victims and he fell upon the Buddhists of Jaffna who were all Sinhalese. He expelled them beyond the limits of the country and destroyed their numerous places of worship. Most of them betook themselves to the Vanni's and the Kandyan territories (as per Yalpana Vaipava Malai by Mailvagana Pulavar translated by C Brito.), and those who were unable to do so became the slaves of the Tamil chieftains and are now known as 'Kovia', a corruption of the Sinhalese word ' Goviya' or 'Goiya' and that their original status was equal to that of the Vellalas can be inferred from customs which are still in Vogue in Jaffna. The 'Tanakaras' and the 'Nalavas' of Jaffna should also be considered Sinhalese remnants in spite of the fanciful derivation of the word 'Nalava' given by the author of the Vaipava Malai. The Nalavas were perhaps originally the Sinhalese climbers and received the Tamil name on account of their peculiar way of climbing trees. They too became the slaves of the Tamil chieftains. The Tanakaras were the ancient elephant keepers and those who supplied the necessary fodder to the stables of the king. ( Sinhalese: Tana=grass). They perhaps on account of the service rendered by them were not expelled from the country and later became inseparably mixed with the Tamils among whom they had to remain.........the fact that the Kovias, Tanakaras and Nalavas were originally Sinhalese can be seen from the peculiar dress of their women who wear the inner end of their cloth over the shoulders in a manner quite strange to the genuine Tamils."

Page 179
" Upon the introduction of copious Pali and Sanskrit works, a new language ( Sinhalese) came into existence, with a ground work of Elu ( language spoken by Yakkha,Naga) and Tamil and the superstructure of Pali and Sanskrit....In a similar manner were formed Malayalam and Telugu; from their copious vocabulary of Sanskritic words it is now almost impossible to trace their origin to dravidian dialects. While the process of forming the Sinhalese nation was going on by the continual mixture of the Yakkhas, the Nagas, the Tamils and the Kalingas(Vijaya), the Sinhalese language too was growing and expanding.....Thus it will be seen that the mixed population from Point Pedro ( in the north) to Dondra Head (in the South) known by the name Sinhalam.........during the early centuries of the Christian era, spoken one language. This propersition is further supported by most of the place names in Jaffna which have an Elu or semi-Sinhalese origin. They became divided only when the Vannis came in and intervened between them. From that time the people in the North became estranged from their brethren in the centre and the south and progressed altogether on Tamil lines, whereas the Sinhalese grew into a new nation absorbing into themselves even the millions of pure Tamils who remained in Central and Southern Ceylon after the Chola (Tamil invaders) power had declined....a process which can be witnessed even today in the western coast. The difference must have accentuated after the downfall of Buddhism in Southern India, and after a large number of new Tamil colonists began to settle down in Northern Ceylon, for we find that even from the 10th to the 15th centuryAD the Sinhalese eliment was so strong in the North that there were constant troubles between the Sinhalese and the Tamils in Jaffna. (as per Yalpana Vaipava Malai by Mailvagana Pulavar translated by C Brito.) "

Page 250
" Some others are of the opinion that 'Yalpanam' is the Tamil adaptation of the Sinhalese name 'Yapane', which like many other Sinhalese names of places in the district existed prior to the Tamil occupation......It is not at all surprising to see the name appearing in Sinhalese and Indian works earlier than in Tamil writings in Jaffna, for it appears that the application of the name for the whole district did not become popular among the inhabitants until the Portuguese period."

Page 37
"Now it is rather significant that Manarridal was the name given to Jaffna in the 'Yalpana Vaipava Malai', and that the name Veligama (sandy district), a Sinhalese name with the same meaning was given to a portion of Jaffna by the Sinhalese.(Valigama..Valigamam..Valikamam)"

Page 42
"The Mahabharatha, which mentions..........Vavravahan the son of Chitrangadai by Arjuna......It is also said that Vavravahan, while fighting against Arjuna, 'raised his standard which was decorated most beautifully, and which bore the device of a lion in gold' ..........This standard displaying a lion appears, therefore to have been the one used by the Naga kings of North Ceylon ( Naga and Yakkas...before arrival of Vijaya and later Tamils)......the standard of the lion, which appears to have been the emblem of the Nagas of North Ceylon, continued to be the flag of the Ceylon king till the Island was ceded to the British in 1815 AD."

Page 52
" But, according to a local tradition which still exists, and which has been embodied in the 'Yalpana Vaipava Malai', Vijaya landed on the northern coast of Jaffna and took up his residence at Kadiramalai....... It is said that Vijaya, who was undoubtedly a Hindu, built the temple called Tirutambalesvaram in the North of Ceylon. This temple must have been built near the present Kirimalai, as there are lands in the vicinity still going under the name of Tirutampalai. Tamba is the Sanskrit word for copper; and the Tambapanni of the Sinhalese chronicler can therefore quite conceivably be the 'Tirutambalesvaram' mentioned in the 'Yalpana Vaipava Malai' "

Page 5
"In the Mahabharatha the Nagas are frequently mentioned as living in various parts of India and Ceylon in a highly civilized state under their own kings.....Nagpur ( Nagapuram), Nagarjuna Kills, Nagarcoil, Nagarcot, Nargapattinum etc."

Page 59
"Waves of conquest and colonisation ....names of places translated into tongue of the invaders or settlers . Kadiramalai (Naga)... Kadiragoda(Sinhalese). ..Kandergoda.. ..Kandercudde.. ..Kantarrodai.. ..Odaikurichchi.. .Kantarodai (Tamil) ...The discovery of extensive Buddhistic archaelogical remains and large quantities of Indian and Roman coins affords ample testimony to its ancient greatness.......... The other Tamil name Katirkamam is the literal transformation of the Sinhalese name Kataragama and has no connection with the Tamil components ' Katir'(divine glory) and 'kamam' (love), a resemblance seen through religious fervor only. The tradition mentioned in the 'Yalpana Vaipava Malai' that Vijaya built a temple for 'Kadirai Andavar' might possibly have referred to the temple at Kataragama."

Page 332
" Bhuvaneka Bahu (Kotte) who caused the Jaffna Town and the Nalur temple to be built was known as Sri Sanghabodhi, a title borne by the Sinhalese kings....In the Kattiyam ( daily repeated at the Kandaswamy Temple) too he is referred to as Sri Sangabodhi Bhuvaneka Bahu."

Page 62
" Jambukola ( now Sambu turai in Jaffna) was the port of disembarkation of the Buddhist emigrants from Magadha during the time of Devanampiya Tissa. A great trunk road seem to have been in existence, leading from Jambukola and passing through Kantarodai and running parallel to the present central road to the northern gate of Anuradhapura. The remains of two stone bridges, one over the Malvatu oya......... The Ambassadors sent by Devanampiya Tissa to king Asoka of Magadha embarked at Jumbukola and reached Pataliputra in 14 days; and Asoka's ambassadors, sent to Ceylon landed at Jambukola and reached Anuradhapura in 12 days ( Mahavamsa).......Sangamitta and the Bo tree landed at Jambukola...of the first eight plants (Bo) raised out of the seed of the tree planted at Anuradhapura, one was planted at Jambukola Patuna on the spot where the Bo tree was deposited at disembarkation. The very old Bo tree standing by the side of the Paralay Kandaswamy temple at Chulipuram, about half a mile from the Port was perhaps the plant here referred to..... Devanampiya Tissa erected a vihare at the port of Jambukola in Nagadipa; likewise the Tissa maha vihare and the Pacina Vihare. The ruins of a dagoba and a vihare can still be seen close to the port; and the place called Tissa maluva about a hundred yards opposite to the Kandaswamy temple above mentioned, perhaps marks the site of Tissa maha vihare. The ancient broad road from Jambukola to Tissa maha vihare still exists but serves no useful purpose."

Page 117
" Anoubingara (on Ptolomy's map) can be traced to Singai Nagar (in Jaffna) or Sinhapura, a town built and occupied by Kalinga colonists who accompanied Vijaya and who are said to have landed at Mahisadipa. It came into prominence and fame during the time of the later Jaffna kings called Arya Chakravartis and its extensive ruins can still be seen at Vallipuram near Point Pedro.( Singa Nagar was trans formed to Ana Singara and then Anubingara by foreign merchants.)"

Page 190
" In the early days when buddhism flourished in North Ceylon, the outlying islands off the coast of Jaffna contained important monasteries and viharas... "

Page 309
"Kings of Jaffna belonged to, claimed connection with or imitated the Eastern gangas ( Ganges) who went from Gangavadi and settled at Kalinga. If the earliest kings of Jaffna came from amongst them, it must have been Ugra Singan, for it was after this time that the kings ruling in the north were called Kalingas. Whether Ugra Singan was a member of the Eastern Gangas or not, he came down with a large army of Kalingas to secure the throne of Kadiramalai for himself. As it is said in the Vaipava Malai that he was 'a prince of a dynasty founded by King Vijaya's brother' it may be surmised that he was a member of one of the Kalinga families that came with Vijaya and settled at Singai Nagar (Sinhapura) near Vallipuram.

Page 370
The following is a list of kings who reigned at Singai Nagar (Sinhapura) Jaffna from the 13th to the middle of the 15 th century is adapted from the Vaipava Malai giving probable dates.

Vijaya Kulankai (Kalinga Magha)Segarajasekeran - c 1210 AD
Kulasekara Pararajasekeran - c 1246 AD
Kulottunga Segarajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Vikrama Pararajasekeran - c 1279 AD
Varotaya Segarajasekeran - c 1302 AD
Martanda Pararajasekeran - c 1325 AD
Gunapushana Segarajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Virotaya Pararajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Jayavira Segarajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Gunavira Pararajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Kanagasuriya Segarajasekeran - c 1256 AD
Bhuvaneka Bahu (of Kotte) - c 1256 AD

Jaffna kings used alternate names such as Pararajasekaran, Segarajasekaran etc... look at their real names ( first column).

History of Jaffna

Jaffna is apart of Northern Sri Lanka. The word Jaffna a word derived from Yapanaya by Portuguese. The Northern Province which has Jaffna district is but creation by the Colonial British two centuries ago, to assist their administration. One of the biggest and highly controversial issues concerning this district is that, was it ever a separate Kingdom or a Tamil Kingdom.

The evidences of this is so scarce, that not a pottery shard belonging to this so Kingdom as
thus far been discovered.

The main source for this bogus ‘Kingdom’ is the Yalapana Vaipava Malai written in 1736 at the request of the Dutch governor. Dr. Pathmanathan says that this document is defective in Chronology and Genealogy eg No specific contributions any king is recorded in it. Of the ten kings who are said to have ruled till 1450, only 4 are known in sources other than in Yalpana Vaipava Malai but not as kings but as 'Perumal' or 'Sub-Ordinates. This is clearly seen from the Medavala inscription dated 1359, which describes Martanda Mudalis' of Jaffna as a 'Perumal' or 'Sub-Ordinate' ruler, while the Sinhala king at Gampola is described as 'Vikramabahu Chakravarti Svamin'. Thus ''THE DE JURE RIGHT OF VIKRAMABAHU TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE WHOLE ISLAND IS RECOGNIZED BY THE TREATY''.

Evidences

Thus far the oldest Tamil inscription found in Jaffna, is in Nagadipa by the Sinhala king Parakramabahu Raja, regarding ship wrecks and taxes on Urathota(Kayts). According to Dr. Karthigesu Indrapala, the editor of this inscription and the Professor of History of the University of Jaffna, "the fact that this edict was issued not by any subordinate official, but by the king himself shows that the monarch was in supreme control of the northern most region of the island".

The most detailed account of Jaffna during the periods of 1505-1636 by all historians is considered to be the eye witness accounts by the Portuguese Franciscan Friar Fernao De Queyroz, whose English translation according to the British Civil Servant W.Codrington, is second only to the Mahawamsa in importance.

List of the rulers according to certain Tamil historians.

However, the available historic evidences are not supportive of the list of rulers. “Yapa Patuna”, or the “Port of Yapanaya” (Port of Jaffna) in the extreme north of the country had been recorded as a port used by the Sinhala kings for thousands of years to conduct business with the countries located north of Sri Lanka, along with the other two prominent ports, namely, Mathota (Mannar) in north-west and Gokanna (Trincomalee) in north-east.

De Queyroz states that their are no populations in Jaffna and thus no agriculture, only a small population is found at Nallur. Until 1450, the Jaffna port area had been governed by the Vidanas and Mudalis (subordinate lower officers) of the Sinhala Kings. Some of these officers who later became powerful ignored the authority of Kotte Kingdom, and attempted to establish a separate rule over Jaffna. Subsequent to this unrest in the area, prince Sapumal, an adopted son and a general of King Parakramabahu VI of Kotte, conquered the entire Northern region in 1447-1450 and was later appointed by Kotte as the governor of the Jaffna region. Later, once Prince Sapumal ascended to the throne of Kotte as King Buvanekabahu VI, he appointed Arya Chkrawathi a nobleman of Gujarat origin as the ruler of Jaffna C1468-70.

List of rulers from Portuguese records.

Special notes

* Rajavaliya states that King Sri Parakrama Bahu of Kotte (father to Prince Sapumal), had in fact ruled over seven villages called "Makudam Kotta" in Soli country (Tamil Nadu).

* The Portuguese state quite clearly that Jaffna was under the rule of King Rajasinhe I - 1593.

* Also it is of interest, that when Sankili and Portuguese signed a peace treaty, this was written in Portuguese and Sinhala. If Jaffna was in fact a Tamil Kingdom, then why write such an important document in Sinhala??

* The Dutch National Archives, state that the boundary between their territory of Jaffna and the Sinhala kings, was Alimankada(Elephant Pass).

* The most famous of all these so called Jaffna rulers, is considered as Sankili. The Portuguese, who gives the accurate historical account of this period, state that his wife was a Buddhist. Could she have been a Sinhala?

* The emblem of the royal house of Jaffna was a lion, which is certainly not a Dravidian symbol but of an Aryan.

* The so called flag of the Jaffna Kingdom(As seen here), is fake. This has been produced by taking the artwork as represented by a bronze seal found in Padaviya belonging to the Nanadesis Traders, who arrived via the Cola invasion. This seal of the 13th Century and inscribed in Sanskrit grantha, is the only one of its kind found in Lanka.

The Bronze seal

These traders not only stayed after the expulsion of the Cola but integrated to the Sinhala society and this shown by inscriptions Vijaya Bahu, Gajabau and Queen Lilavati. During Gajabhu time South Indian Mercenaries known as the Velakkaras who spoke Malayalam arrived, again it can be assumed as their is no record of women arriving, that these peoples integrated and had in many cases become Buddhist, as a Vihara was built by a Velakkaras Commander, during the reign Queen Lilavati and most importantly was even given the honor of protecting the Tooth Relic.

Evidences-Cont...

With the establishment of archeology in Ceylon in late 1880's by H.C.P Bell, searching for lost cities and treasures of old began. It can be said that all parts of this isle have been scrutinized as much as Egypt or Greece. With more than 100years of archeology, yet NO proof of either a Tamil Kingdom nor the existence of Tamil populations in the North or East of Lanka, as envisaged by the Eelamists have been found.

Historically speaking about Jaffna, it was at the ancient port of Jambukola, the present Sambiliturai, in the Jaffna peninsula that the envoys of King Devanampiya Tissa embarked/disembarked to and from Ceylon on their mission to the court of Asoka. It was also at this port that the Theri Sanghamitta and her retinue had disembarked when they came from India with a branch of the Bodhi tree at Buddhagaya during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa. The Theri and her retinue were received by Devanampiya Tissa, who had come to Jambukola from Anuradhapura. King Devanampiya Tissa built three Buddhist shrines, namely the
Jambukola Vihara, the Tissamaha Vihara and the Pacina Vihara and planted a Bo sapling in the Jaffna peninsula. A gold plate inscription discovered at Vallipuram near point Pedro reveals that during the reign of Vasabha, Jaffna peninsula was governed by a minister of that king and that a Buddhist Vihara named Piyaguka Tissa had been built there by that Minister.

According to the Mahavamsa, Kanittha Tissa(167-186AD) during his reign at Anuradhapura repaired the cetiyaghara of the Tissamaha Vihara in the Jaffna peninsula and king Voharaka Tissa (209-231AD) during his reign effected improvements to that Vihara. The Culavamsa records that king Aggabodhi II(571-604) built a Relic House and a dwelling place named Unhaloma for the monks of the Rajayatana Vihara in Nagadipa and granted a village there for the provision of rice gruel to the monks living there.

Although, as said not even a single Tamil inscription belonging to any of those so-called Tamil rulers of Jaffna in and around the Jaffna District have been found, a few Sinhala, Tamil and Sanskrit inscriptions belonging to some Kings of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have been discovered from some sites in and around the Jaffna District indicating that the region was under their control and it was part of their kingdom as late as the 13th century. In addition to these two inscriptions found in the Jaffna District, two other Sinhala inscriptions of Dappula IV who ruled at Anuradhapura during the 10th century A.D. have come to light from that District; of these two, one was discovered at Kandarodai, the ancient Kadurugoda Vihara, a Buddhist
Temple in Uduvil and the other at Tunukai in the D.R.O.s, division of Punakar. A few more inscriptions belonging to some Sinhala kings have also been found at various places around the District of Jaffna; we may mention among them, the Tiriyaya Sanskrit inscription of Aggabodhi VI(733-772), the Tiruketisvaram Pillar inscription of Sena II(853-887), the Mannar Kacceri pillar inscription of Kassapa IV (898-914), a tenth century slab inscription at Kurundanmalai near Mulaitivu dated in the reign of a Sinhala king named Abhasalamevan, the Palmottai slab inscription of Vijayabahu (1055-1110) and the Kantalai stone seat inscription of
Nissankamalla (1187-1196).