There are 2 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils' Sovereignty -
From: "Muhammad Fazli" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2. Part 2-Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils Sovereignty
From: "Sritharan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 09:44:17 +0300
From: "Muhammad Fazli" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils' Sovereignty -
If this is true then why did so many hundreds of thousands of Tamil
Hinu's convert to Catholicism under the Portuguese?
We don't hear of any Muslims becoming Catholics during that time not
even under the Dutch or the British?
Any comments?
Fazli
-----Original Message-----
From: varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 12:56 AM
To: varalaaRu@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [varalaaRu] Digest Number 366
There is 1 message in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils' Sovereignty
- Part 1
From: "Sritharan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 20:22:29 +1000
From: "Sritharan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils' Sovereignty
- Part 1
Forwarded
http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=14939
2005-07-03
Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils' Sovereignty.
By: K. T. Rajasingham
Chapter 01
This episode depicts the heroism of the Tamils, as well as the barbarity
of the Portuguese, who enslaved the Tamils. Therefore, fighting against
oppression and suppression is not something new to the Tamils. However,
the Karava leader Sinna Meegampillai is no more with us, but his sprit
lives on with each Tamil, even today.
It must be pointed out that after 1560; the Portuguese began destroying
the ancient Hindu Temples and the Lord Buddha's sacred Tooth Relic.
Destruction and vandalism by the Portuguese gathered momentum,
immediately after the capture of the Tamil Kingdom in 1621.
Filipe de Oliveriya, the Portuguese Governor, who was acclaimed for
destroying more than 500 Hindu Temples. Brutal acts of vandalism and
destruction carried out by the ruthless Portuguese were, unfortunately
being compromised and tolerated even today, without any whimper by the
international community. Barbaric destruction by the Portuguese has to
be condemned, universally. Tamils today demands unconditional apology
and reparation for the damages.
The pink color Royal Standard, with recumbent bull, crescent and the
rising sun, given by Irama (Rama) to the first Arya Chakaravarthy,
fluttered high and aloft, in the proud land of the Tamils, for well over
2500 year long period, displaying loftily their sovereignty and
independence. At last, it was brought down forever, on 11 February 1621,
when the kingdom fell permanently in the hands of the Portuguese.
Nearly, 1200 heads of the Tanjore Nayakar's troops were lopped off, at
the last confrontation that ensued at Atchuvely. The fatalities included
Tamil rebels, who joined forces to retrieve the kingdom from the
Portuguese. Ultimately, Portuguese managed to hold on with their prized
possession, "the Tamil kingdom," until 21 June 1658, on which day; the
Dutch captured and brought the kingdom under their rule.
Filipe De Oliveriya
Earlier, when the Portuguese captured the last king Cankli Kumaran
(Sankli Kumaran), the kingdom was incorporated with the crown of
Portugal. Those Tamils, who were converts to Christianity, shifted their
allegiance towards the new colonial rulers. When the kingdom came under
the Portuguese possession, Christian Mudaliyars and the Christian Tamil
chieftains, without hesitation, gave their allegiance by oath, for the
subjugating the kingdom to the Portuguese overloadship.
Filipe De Oliverya, the commander of the Portuguese army, moved his base
to Nallur, on 2 February 1621, and proclaimed himself, the Captain Major
- the highest Portuguese army official in the region and the governor of
the Kingdom. On the same day, most of the Hindu shrines, including
Nallur Kandasamy Kovil were razed down on the explicit orders of the
fanatic - Oliveriya. Portuguese and the Lascarins (hired Sinhalese
mercenaries in the service of the Portuguese) from the South, looted
Nallur Kandasamy temple, burnt it down and removed even the stones from
the foundations, to build a Christian church at Nallur and a fort in
Jaffna.
Oliveriya was acclaimed by the Portuguese, as a greatest savior of
Christianity, for his feat of destroying more than 500 Hindu temples.
The Portuguese historian, Father Fernoa De Queyroz acclaimed him, "God
of the Sword."
When Filipe De Oliveriya became the Governor of Jaffna, he ruled the
Kingdom with a strong hand, ruthlessly and with arrogant resolve. He
proclaimed that people continuing with the practice of Hindu religion
and rites, are anti-Christians, an act punishable by law. Under his
hierarchy, the Society of Jesus -
the Roman Catholic missionary, constructed nearly thirty Catholic
churches by vandalizing and demolishing Hindu temples. He introduced
compulsory proselytizing. Franciscan Friars converted more 6000 Tamils
to Christianity.
The destruction of famous Hindu temples such as the Nallur Kandasamy
Kovil (Nallur), Kailasanathar Temple (Nallur), in 1575 Muneswaram
Temple, Chilapam (Chillaw), in 1588 Vishnu Temple in Devinuwera,
Tirukethieswaram Temple, Mathoddam (Matota) and in 1622 Tiru Konesar
Temple, Thirukonamalai (Trincomalee), caused great frustration,
dissension and restlessness in the hearts and minds of the Tamils.
Oliveriya also burnt down "Saraswathy Mahal," - the oldest museum and
the library, that housed precious and the most valuable historical
documents, depicting the origin, history, literature, arts, science,
medicine, culture, civilization and other details of the Tamils and of
their proud ancestry. Once this ancient museum cum library was burnt
down, up to date, the Tamils are left without any authentic records of
their antiquity.
The Portuguese conquest of the Kingdom became possible, when the Tamil
chiefs revolted against the traditional monarchs, due to their shift in
allegiance, after conversion to Christianity. Portuguese managed to
create a strong loyal group of Catholics, who provided them with the
intelligence reports and reconnaissance to counter the moves of the
kings. Portuguese also used the Sinhalese mercenaries for combat, as
well as to guard the Tamil Kingdom.
Kingdom of the Tamils
People inhabited the Jaffna a peninsula even before the Irama - Iravanan
(Ravanan) war. Before the arrival of Vijayan - the mythical, so called,
progenitor of the Sinhalese race; the peninsula has been formed
geographically, and populated. Anthropologists, geologists and other
scientists are of the view, that the landscape pattern of the peninsula
is a mixed quality of many physical features, with a marked
characteristic of a limestone region, with red-yellow latosols soil in
the central region of the peninsula and regosols (sandy) soil, along the
Northeastern coast, with very flat terrains. On the surface, it had
blown sandy tracks in the northeastern portion. In the absence of
natural forest, except for a few scattered thorny bush tracks within the
peninsula, it is difficult to estimate the terrestrial resources. There
are no natural fresh water resources, such as lakes or rivers in the
peninsula. The only possible source of water left for those inhabited on
the region is to sink deep into the earth crust for the ground water.
The peninsula is of Miocene and quaternary formation. The limestones in
the area are heavily faulted and segregate the aquifers into series of
isolated blocks forming a number of ground water basins. To obtain water
from the underground, technical knowledge, expertise and strong
implements were needed. As the people who lived in the peninsula
survived for ages, it became clear, that they had the expertise, skill
in rhabdomancy to divine the water located underground and strong
implements to sink in for water that lay beneath the limestone bed. A.M.
Hocart, former Archeological commissioner of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) writes,
"From the Eolithic Age, we jump straight to Iron Age. We do not know
when Iron was introduced into Ceylon."
According to historical research, people in the sub-continent began
using iron implements around 3000 BC. Therefore, those people who
inhabited the Northern portion of Sri Lanka, after it emerged a distinct
geographical entity, were fully aware with the usage of iron and used
iron implements to sink wells to draw fresh water from the underground
resources that lay beneath the limestone belts.
Portuguese historian Father Fernao de Queiroz, wrote about the Tamil
Kingdom as follows:
" This modest kingdom is not confined to the little district of
Jafnapatoa, because to it are also added the neighboring lands and those
of Vanni, which is said to be the name of the Lordship, which they held
before we obtain possession of them... and outside it there stretch the
lands of Vanni crosswise from the side of Mannar to that of Triquilemale
(Trincomalee) and - beyond."
Arrival of the Portuguese
Portuguese arrival to Ceylon was merely an accident. Their arrival was a
rude quirk of destiny. In 1505, when Vira Parakrama Bahu VIII
(1484-1509) was the king of Kotte, Senasammata Vikramabahu (1469-1511)
was the king of the Hill country and Pararajasekaran (1478-1519) was the
Tamil king, in the Northeast; a Portuguese fleet, under the command of
Captain-major Don Lourenco de Almedia, forced by winds and waves was
tossed into Cali (Galle,) the harbor, located in the Southern coast. He
learnt that this was the famous island of Celio (Ceylon) and he sailed
on to Colombo, the port in the Kotte Kingdom.
News of the arrival of a strange fleet reached the king. Rajavaliya, a
Buddhist chronicle, describes the arrival of the Portuguese as follows:
"There is in our harbor of Colombo, a race of people, fair of skin and
comely withal. They don jackets and hats of iron: rest not a minute in
one place, but walk here and there. They eat hunks of stone (bread) and
drink blood (wine). They give two or three pieces of gold and silver for
one fish or one lime. The report of their cannon is louder than the
thunder when it bursts upon the rock of Yugandhra."
Hearing the news of the arrival of the strangers, the King decided to
receive them. Messengers were sent with gifts of fruits to receive the
aliens. Don Lourenco was pleased with the goodwill gesture of the King.
He dispatched Fernao Cutrim, one of his captains of the fleet, as his
envoy to Kotte. However, the Portuguese envoy did not meet the King or
had an opportunity to converse with him, but he was given the assurance
that the King would be pleased to form an alliance with the Portuguese.
Subsequently, Don Lourenco chose Payo de Souza as his envoy to meet the
King of Kotte and negotiate a treaty. At an audience with the King, de
Souza proposed a treaty. Accordingly, the King undertook to give tribute
of four hundred bahars of cinnamon every year. Portuguese agreed to
protect and defend the ports of the King. The treaty heralded the entry
of the alien forces in the political arena of the country. Portuguese
came to the East for the three-pronged purpose of "Commerce,"
"Conquest," and "Conversion." Entry of the Portuguese changed the
destiny of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), especially that if the Tamils, from being
an independent proud Nation, to the present State of chaos, dissension
and ethnic turmoil.
De Queyroz's version about the Beginning of the Tamil kingdom
Father Fernao De Queyroz is the author of "The Temporal and Spiritual
Conquest of Ceylon." He was a Portuguese Christian clergy born at
Amarante in Portugal in the Province of Entre Douro e Minho, in 1617.
He arrived in Goa, India in 1635. It appears that he began to write the
book by about in 1671 and completed in 1686. The written work consisted
of six books, but Father S.G.Perera, who translated the book from
Portuguese to English, compiled the books into three volumes. The
English translation was first published by the Ceylon Government Press,
in 1930.
Father Pererea in his preface declared that the book to be second only
to the Mahavamsa in its value for the history of Ceylon. The description
found in the book is the most despicable account about the Tamils and
warrants condemnation by the Tamils. Up to date, the Tamil historians
who wrote the History of Tamils for their doctoral appellations have
overlooked disparaging remarks, for reasons only known to them. It is
very unfortunate and warrants outright condemnations.
Below the reader may read from, Book 1 Chapter 7: Description of the
Kingdom of Jafanapatam:
"Before treating of the Kingdom of Candea, I shall speak of the
Jaffnapatao, the whole which is also belong to the Crown of Portugal and
wholly Christian. Its head lies in the form of a peninsula at the
northern point of the island of Ceylon at 10 and two third degrees of
altitude. Its name without corruption is said to be Jafana-en-Putalam,
which means the 'Town of the Lord of Jafana;' and is the name of him who
first peopled it. Others say the name was Jafana-Patanaoture, which
means 'long harbor;' whence its appears that it was called by mockery
Napunay-Patanao, which translated means 'Land of bad people.' This land
was for long years without cultivation and subject to the Emperors of
Ceylon, and though it abounded in groves of trees, its inhabitants lived
more on fish and games than on other fruits of their labor. Its
government at the beginning was only that of Vidanas or stewards
(abegoes), afterwards industry increasing and with it profit, it came to
be governed by Araches and finally by Mudeliares. Under this (form of)
government it remained for many long years until, with the progress of
the natives and commerce of the foreigners, when the Court of Ceylon was
already in the Metropolis of Cota, in the Reign of Mha Pracura Mhabau
there came to that City a certain Panical, a foreigner, native of the
mountains of Malavar from a village called Tulunar, an expert Master in
arms, and for this reason he was welcomed by the King, and being by him
raised to the dignity of Modeliar, was call Panical Modeliar. There he
married and had two sons, who being educated in the Palace, were most
beloved by the king, who afterwards considering that on the side of
their Mother they had many kinsmen, that, as he had no heir, he had
sworn in a grandson as his successor, and fearing that two brothers,
being less well affected because if that what there was a foreigner in
them and very powerful because of their kindred, would disquiet his
Kingdom after his death, determined to kill them. He communicated this
intention to one of his favorites, who advised him not to kill them, but
to send with some titles of honor, the one who was more to be feared to
subdue Jafanapatao, because the Modeliar whom he has placed there had
seized the lands and had done many wrongs and violences (sic) to his
lieges."
"The King adopted this advice, and the Modeliar himself who had given it
to him went on his order to call the son of Panical who was called
Chamba-pera-Mali (Champaka-Perumal alias Sapumal Kumaraya). He gave him
men, wherewith he became master of those lands with the title of Prince,
ever acknowledging the King of Cota and paying him tribute faithfully.
He, they say was the first who ruled Jafanapatao as King. In course of
time there came some Bramanes, native of Guzarate, called Arus, who
claimed Royal descent: and with the favor of the Nayaque of Madure they
erected the pagode of Ramanacor, whence they began to have trade and
friendship with the King of Jafanapatao, with one of them married a
daughter of the King; and finally his descendents became heirs to that
Kingdom. Of these the first who tries to free himself from the
subjection of the King of Cota, was Ariaxac Varati, who being naturally
proud and not brooking the haughtiness of the officers of that King,
took the life of one who governed there, and the King of Ceylon
preparing to punish him, they say, he went, to meet him at Ceytavaca and
took him some verses whereon he so flattered him with praises of him and
his ancestors that he left him completely vainglorious and satisfied,
and the verse being helped by a goodly present, he not only made him
desist from war, but also obtained Olas from him (what we should call
Provisions) and the title of King of Jafanapatao, which his successors
preserved paying in acknowledgment only some tribute: because this was
the beginning of their greatness, his descendants from the name Aria,
were called Ariavance, which means the generation of Aria."
Father Queyroz of the Society of Jesus writes this account after the
departure of the Portuguese from the island of Ceylon. This is the worst
anachronistic heresy forthcoming from a Christian clergy, who
contributed in the conversation to Christianity, condemning the
religions of the natives as heathenism. He managed to interpret the
history of the Tamils to justify the Portuguese occupation and
proselytization. However, this account has been overlooked without
condemnation up to date, but it should not be allowed to pass, without
recording the protest, against such discriminatory account, forever.
http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=14939
________________________________________________________________________
____
Anpudan
Sritharan
http://kanaga_sritharan.tripod.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 18:25:35 +1000
From: "Sritharan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Part 2-Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils Sovereignty
Forwarded:
2005-07-03
Chapter 02: Portuguese: Religious conversion and ending Tamils Sovereignty.
By: K. T. Rajasingham
Origin of Sri Lanka The Country
We have lost all our records regarding the origin of the Tamil kings and of the
country. As it is, now we have to piece through various accounts to have a
clear picture. The history of the island of Ilankai (Ilanka) is never studied
with seriousness. Pali-Buddhist chronicles written with the view to promote
Buddhism in
the country vengefully isolated the Tamils and their history.
These chroniclers failed to go into the geographical history for fear of being
exposed to historical influence of the Tamils. Therefore, they simply discarded
or ignored it, by starting their discourse with the demise of Lord Buddha, as
the beginning.
Today, the name of the country has been changed into 'Sri' + Lanka, with a
Sanskrit honorific Sri to denote, diffusing radiance, beauty and grace
conjoined, prosperity, sacred, holy, etc., anyhow, Lanka, the name applied to
the country, the very name does not have any remotest connection with its
people, or the languages they speak. The name "Lanka," as called in the
Sanskrit version of Iramayana, came into existence as the kingdom of the Asura
(Sura means those alcoholics and Asura means teetotaler in Tamil and therefore
honorific Asura denotes a teetotaler and vegetarian) King Iravana, a Tamil
king. His kingdom was known as "Ilankai" (means - as it radiates, when you
pronounce the name in Tamil, there is no need to adopt any honorific, because
the name itself depicts the holiness of the land it indicates), but before 22
May 1972, it was Ceylon and during the prehistoric period was called Elam, (the
eternal country), Ilam (Ilam is the Tamil word for gold and toddy) and
presently Eelam. The pronunciation of the proper name depends on the proclivity
of one's tongue.
Kautliyas Arthasastra, indicated the country Parasamudra (Para + Samudra) (the
land beyond the Ocean), but several other chronologists called the country with
variety of names, such as Palaesimoundoun (Palaiya+Sila+Mandalam - Palaiya
-old; Sila - virtuous; Mandalam region/ country; the old virtuous country),
Simoundou (Sila + Mandalam - the Virtuous country) etc., are few of those such
names.
Subsequently, the Greek Geographer Eratosthenes, in his map of the world (200
BC) called the country, "the southern limit of the known world" by the Greek
word Taprobane. Our historians followed it up to call the country with the
proper name Taprobane, whereas the word denoted an 'appropriated name' to the
Greeks. "That this island was the celebrated Tapobrana seems manifest, for this
word in Greek means 'unknown dwelling,' or 'hidden land,' known only for its
fertility and it is not a proper name, but appropriated as (in the case of)
Sicily and Cyprus, to which also they give this name-." The Temporal and
Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon by Father Fernao De Queyroz, Translated by Father
S.G.Perera, Vol. 1 Bk. 1, p. 3. This indicates the ignorance of our historians,
to call the country with the proper name of Taprobane that was earlier an
appropriated name by which; the Greeks indicated not only our country, but also
Sicily, Cyprus and several other unknown countries.
In the "Ancient Jaffna," Mudaliyar C.Rasanayagam, pp. 293-298, translated
verses, 1 to 7, from the special preface of Segarajasekaram, the reputed Tamil
astrological work, to explain the origin the Arya Chakaravarties (Arya
Emperors) of the Tamil kingdom. Initially, Irama established a temple for the
worship of Lord Shiva and involuntarily gave the God and the sacred place, his
own name, Irama + Eeswaram = Irameswaram, and colonized the place with 512
Brahmins of the Pasupata sect, (a sect of Brahmins from Banares), well versed
in the Vedic studies and worldly knowledge. Irama directed those Brahmins to
officiate at the temple and invested two of them with the authority of
sovereignty.
Irama instructed Ilakshmanan to crown Vibishnan, as the King of Southern Lanka,
the Assura Kingdom, and ordered him to return to Ilanka. He ruled Southern
Ilanka from Ilankapuri, the royal city planned and constructed by the divine
architect Visvakarma, which was later identified as Kalyani, the ancient name
for Kelaniya. Kubera, the estranged brother of Iravana, the first king, who
made Ilankapuri, the capital of his Southern Lankan kingdom.
Irama, in recognition of the independent nature of the Tamils and their
kingdom, sovereignty, and the distinct indigenous national trait, invested a
Brahmin to rule the Tamil kingdom, that stretched far to the north and east,
along the Island's littoral regions. In sublimate to the Tamils' antiquity,
Irama granted the Tamil King, garland made out of the sweet smelling Tulasi
(Holy Basil), the title of the spotless Vedic Aryan-emperor, the beautiful
white parasol, the victorious flag symbolizing a single conch, recumbent bull,
crescent and the sun. The kings who reigned the Tamil kingdom up to it's fall
to the first Western colonialists - Portuguese in 1621, claimed that they were
the descendants of the Brahman kings of Irameswaram, initially enthroned by
Irama - the Arya Chakkaravrthies and later Singhai Arya
Chakkaravrthies- Arya emperors of the Tamil kingdom and Setu Kavalar (the
Protectors of Setu - Rameswaram).
Bertolacci, a historian of the early nineteenth century, says that, Matota was
the capital of a kingdom founded by the Brahmins, who had almost all the
northern part of Ceylon including Jaffna Patam. This was the first introduction
of the Aryan culture and customs in the midst of the Tamils who inhabited the
entire country, during the pre-Vijaya period.
According to historians, Irama - Iravana war took place during the southward
thrust of the Aryans towards the Southern Indian peninsula. They calculated
that, this thrust happened somewhere between the years 1,100 BC to 800 BC.
Ramayana, a chronicle deals with the Aryanisation of the South of India and
Ceylon, also provides lucidly, the hoary past and the contemporary prehistory
of Ceylon. The episode narrated in the Irama - Iravana legendary war, confirmed
the pioneering effort to Aryanise Ceylon by the North Indians. Iramayana
clearly indicates that Iravana, the Tamil king ruled the Southern Lanka and
there existed another kingdom for the Tamils with Mantai as its capital city.
One cannot simply dismiss the prehistory of Lanka, to suit the whims and
fancies of the politicians.
History has to begin from somewhere? Everybody poses the question "When history
did begin?" Easiest reply could be "in the beginning" and Moses who wrote
"Genesis," means 'origin' or 'beginning' and it explains that, in the
beginning, God created the universe and the man. The book describes the divine
theory of the beginning of the human history.
Holy Bible relates about "Elam." According to Genesis 10; 'The Descendants of
Noah;' line 1, "These are the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth, who were the
three sons of Noah, for sons were born to them after the flood." In the line 5,
"Their descendants became the maritime nations in various lands, each with a
separate language." It further states in line 20, "These then, were the
descendants of Ham, spread abroad in many lands and nations, with many
languages. In the line 21, the Bible speaks of Elam as follows: "Eber descended
Shem, the oldest brother of Japeth." In the line 22, "Here is a list of Shem's
other descendants: Elam, Asshur, Arpachsad, Lud, Aram." Line 32 concludes with,
"All of the men listed above descended from Noah, through many generations,
living in the various nations that developed after the flood."
The Holy Bible speaks of new nations that emerged after the Great Flood.
According to the Bible, the Great Flood occurred in the year 2370 BC, as
indicated by its detailed chronology. It was one of the greatest cataclysms in
the human history, even down to the present time. Bible describes the horror of
the flood, as "all the tall mountains that were under the whole heavens came to
be covered." (Genesis 7:19). Bible, states that numerous new nations emerged
after the Great Flood and one such new nation is Elam. The country was named
after one of the descendant of Noah, namely Elam. From this account, it becomes
clear that Elam emerged as one of the maritime nations after the Great Flood
that occurred in the year 2370 BC.
At this opportune time, it is appropriate to remind that, the Megalithic
culture of South India has close similarities with the Megalithic culture of
the Mediterranean region, which might have arrived in South India from the
Western Asia, through migration from those regions and through subsequent
contacts. The same Megalithic culture prevailed in Ceylon in the early period,
before the Irama-Iravana war.
S.U.Deraniyagala, in his Prehistory of Sri Lanka, Vol. II, p 482, refers about
the formation of the new geographical entity as follows: "According to Cooray,
(1967: 242), during the Miocene, at ca. 20 my (million years), an arm of the
Tethys Sea extended down along India's west coast, while a long narrow tongue
gradually encroached on the land surface bridging India and Lanka. The gulf
apparently severed the extreme portion of the mainland and turned Lanka,
probably for the first time, into an island." Also, P.E.P. Deraniyagala,
describes about the emergence of the new geographical entity, Ceylon, "The
presence of Jurassic deposits both in the North-western Ceylon and in the
Ramnad district of India (Roy 1964) shows that the two were once connected, but
since this Island lacks many of the consecutive deposits, it appears to have
broken off from the mainland during this period. The countries became
reattached by early Miocene times, but shortly afterwards they broke away
again, and several such unions and separations have occurred." (in his lecture
delivered at the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, on 28th May 1965,
subsequently reproduced in the Society's journal of 1965, New Series, Vol. IX,
Part 2,)
Many other geological surveys go to proof that, earlier Ceylon was a
constituent part of mainland India and it became an isolated landmass after
'geological movements, such as faulting, tilting, and dislocations, that
occurred during the last few geological periods, are among the more important
factors that have influenced the evolution.'
Dipavamsa, - an ancient Buddhist historical record, (Hermann Oldenberg, who
translated it "places the closing date of the Dipavamsa in its extant form
between the beginning of the fourth and the first third of the fifth century
AD. - On the Chronicles of Ceylon by B.C.Law, pp.1-2) and Mahavamsa or The
Great Chronicle of Ceylon, "compiled for the serene joy and emotion of the
pious," ( When fixing the time of the writing of Mahavamsa, Wilhelm Geiger
concludes, 'at the beginning of the sixth century after Christ, about this time
the Mahavamsa was composed.'
Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Ceylon, Translated by Wilhelm Geiger, in
his introduction to his translation, p. xii) the two important Buddhist
chronicles failed to record anything about the origin of the Island. "The
chronicles of Ceylon have nothing to say about the Uttarapatha background of
the ancient history of Ceylon," On the chronicles of Ceylon, by B.C.Law, p. 49.
In the Rajavaliya or A historical narratives of the Sinhalese kings from Vijaya
to Vimala Dharma Surya II, (This is the latest known traditional history of the
kings of ancient India and Ceylon which as a whole may be treated as the work
of a single individual. The fact that its account closes with the reign of
Vimala Dharma Surya (A.D. 1697-1701) has led Wilhelm Geiger to take it to be a
compilation of the beginning of the eighteenth century On the Chronicles by
B.C.Law, pp. 27-28) deals with the subsequent floods that affected the country.
But unfortunately in p 27, "In the Dvapara age of the world, on account of the
wickedness of Irvana, his fortress, 25 palaces, and 400,000 streets situated
between Mannar and Tuttukudiya were submerged by the sea," Rajavaliya edited by
B.Gunasekera. Earlier, in p 16, Rajavaliya states, "After the war of Ravana,
and before the attainment of Buddhahood by our Buddha, the teacher of the three
worlds, Lanka had been the abode of the demons for the space of 1,884 years."
(Siddhartha Gautama - 563-483 BC, Lord Buddha - attained Buddha-hood, while
meditating under a Bodhi or Pipal tree (Ficus Religiosa) at Gaya, in what is
now the Indian state of Bihar in 528 BC," - New Age Encyclopedia. )
According to the statement in Rajavaliya, page 27, we could conclude that,
Irama-Iravana war occurred in the Dvapara Yuga or Duvapara Yuga. This is an
anachronism. The Irama-Iravana war must have occurred in the Kali Yuga and the
Yugas are calculated as follows:-
In the Hindu scriptures, the age of the world is called Kalpa and now the world
is in its eighth Kalpa. It is subdivided into Yugas. The Yugas are four in
numbers and their duration is first computed as the 'years of the God,'
subsequently calculated that, a year of the God is 360 years of that of men.
Therefore, the ages of the world, according to the years of the men, are as
follows:
1. Krita Yuga
= 4,800 X 360
= 1,728,000 years.
2. Treta Yuga
= 3,600 X 360
= 1,296,000 years.
3. Dwapara Yuga
= 2,400 X 360
= 864,000 years.
4. Kali Yuga
= 1,200 X 360
= 432,000 years.
Total Years of men in the 8th Kalpa
= 4,320,000 years.
According to the Hinduttuva books, already five thousand and odd years had
elapsed in the Kali Yuga - which is said to be the period of degeneration of
virtues, and by the end of the Kali Yuga, according to Hinduttuva
eschatologists, the world would be doomed for ever," i.e. , all living beings
would perish. Therefore, Rajavaliya's contention of Irama-Iravana war happening
in the Dwapara Yuga is not in conformity with the Hinduttuva calendar and
historical analysis.
When commenting about the Ceylon chronicles, B.C. Law, in his On the Chronicles
of Ceylon writes that "The chronology must begin from a certain definite date,
which, in the case of Ceylon chronicles, is the year of Buddha's demise, making
the starting point of the Buddha Era (Buddhavassa)"
"A happy coincidence is imagined and availed of to build a systematic
chronology of the kings of Ceylon, the coincidence of the of the day of
Buddha's demise with that of the landing of the exiled prince Vijaya on the
island of Lanka. A prediction is put into the mouth of the Buddha to raise the
importance of his appearance on the Island as the founder of the first Aryan
race," p. 47.
It is unfortunate that, up to now, no efforts taken, regarding the study of the
prehistorical geography of the country, which would have discerned the
geographical pattern at a particular past period. When the island became a
distinct geographical entity, those survivors of the cataclysm that forced the
separation, must have been the original inhabitants of the new country. That is
how, during the Ramayana period, there were in existence two kingdoms.
Ramayana allegorically represented the first attempt by the Aryans to conquer
the Southern peninsula of India and Ceylon, but Irama was not described
anywhere, as founding the Aryan race and regime, either in the South India, or
in Ceylon. King Iravana and his clan strongly resisted the Aryanisation of the
country. Iravana, a strong Saivaite, believed in monotheism according to the
edict of the religion, therefore resisted the introduction of Hinduism, a new
brand of polytheistic religion, by the Aryan invaders. This goes to prove that
the Aryanisation in the country started in the first millennium BC, and not as
described by Deranaiyagala, recorded in his Prehistory of Ceylon, Vol. II, pp.
739-749. Manimekhalai, A Tamil classical work, written by the Tamil poet
Satthanar in the second century AD, deals with the conflict over the gem-set
throne and how Lord Buddha visited Nagadipa to settle the growing strife
between the two warring Naga princes.
The name Nagadipais only found in the Pali chronicles and not in any Tamil
ones, but Nagadipa is identified as Manipallavam in this particular classical
work, a large island in the northern sea.
It must be remembered that, earlier a major section of the Tamils in Ceylon,
also in the South India, embraced Buddhism. During that period, Kanchipuram in
the Tamil Nadu, was the great center of Buddhism. Cilapathikaram, Manimekhalai,
the Tamil poetical works, expounded the cause of the Theravada Buddhism, Dharma
and Buddhist philosophy. During the existence of the Buddhist center at
Kanchipuram, Tamil Buddhist clergies propagated the doctrine far as China,
Korea and Japan. A few clergies to mention are:
1. Buddha-datta Maha Thero, lived in the fifth century, a Tamil from the Chola
country.
2. Dinaga, a distinguish disciple of Vasubanda, a celeberated Buddhist
logician, a student at Nalanda and later, lived at Kanchi Bodhirama, a Tamil
Brahmin, later he went to China to preach the Doctrine.
3. According to Hiuen Tsang, Acariya Dhammapala, authored Sasna Vamsa, son of a
high official of the king of Kanchi, a Tamil.
4. Acariya Buddhagosa, "the voice of Lord Buddha," from Kanchi, a Tamil.
Unfortunately the early Buddhist chronolists of Lanka had an axe to grind about
the Tamils of the country. As said earlier "A happy coincidence is imagined and
availed of to build a systematic chronology of the
kings of Ceylon, the coincidence of the Buddha's demise with that of the
landing of the exiled prince Vijaya on the island of Lanka. A prediction is put
into the mouth of the Buddha to raise the importance of his appearance on the
Island as the founder of the first Aryan race, On the Chronicles of Ceylon by
B.C.Law, p. 47.
However on a different occasion Mahavamsa which made killing a virtue in
defense of Buddhism and in its panegyric of victories of the Sinahalese prince
Dutagemunu has recorded that he defeated Damila kings. Thus the author of the
Mahavanasa acknowledges that Dutagamunu (Dutthagamini) became the sovereign
ruler of Sri Lanka after defeating 32 Tamil kings during the 2nd century BC.
http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=14946
_______________________________
Anpudan
Sritharan
http://kanaga_sritharan.tripod.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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