Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Silence denotes acceptance, I already assumed that you have no counter arguments for those.

Prof. K. Indrapala?s book, ?The evolution of an ethnic identity? is entirely based on the group of people called DEMADAS (the Tamils in Sri Lanka from C.300 BCE to C.1200 CE). He has provided a truck load of evidence.

Prof. Leslie Gunawardena says, Sinhala was a name adopted by a ruling linage group for whose origin the lion myth had been created. He says, contrary to popular belief, in ancient times the Sinhala identity was associated primarily with the dynasty which ruled Anuradapura. He goes even further by saying that, not only the Sinhala kingdom but also the Sinhala ethnic identity (race) in Sri Lanka emerged only after the 12CAD.

But the king Sihabähu, since he had slain the lion (was called) Sihala and, by reason of the ties between him and them, all those (followers of VIJAYA) were also (called) Sihala.

If you can read both Indrapala and Leslie Gunawardena?s latest writings, you will get to know the difference.

There is a truckload of new information that Indrapala has in his new book that contradicts some of his earlier statements. Copying it all would be a laborious task.

I know Lula has been quoting from it extensively, so why don't you just save time and read it for yourself.

The foregoing evidence points to the inevitable conclusion that in the Anuradhapura period, and possibly till about the twelfth century, there were Buddhists in the Jaffna peninsula. Although it may appear reasonable to presume that these Buddhists were Sinhalese like those in other parts of the island, some have tried to argue that they were Tamils. While it is true that there were Tamil Buddhists in South India and Ceylon before the twelfth century and possibly even later, there is evidence to show that the Buddhists who occupied the Jaffna peninsula in the Anuradhapura period were Sinhalese. We refer to the toponymic evidence which unmistakably points to the presence of Sinhala settlers in the peninsula before Tamils settled there. In an area of only about nine hundred square miles covered by this peninsula, there occur over a thousand Sinhalese place names which have survived in a Tamil garb. (page 273)

* About Multi-Ethnic Anuradhapura and Mono-Ethnic Kandyan and Jaffna Kingdoms:

Being a person who read both the persons, can you please give me a single point that made Anuradhapura, a Kingdom that was also ruled and lived by people other than Non Sinhalas, becomes Multi Ethnic when the Kandyan Kingdom that was again lived and ruled also by people other than Sinhalas, becomes a Mono-Ethnic.

Leslie Gunawardena says, contrary to popular belief, in ancient times the ** SINHALA IDENTITY ** was associated primarily with the ** DYNASTY WHICH RULED ** Anuradapura.

A person laughs when he wants to admit, but does not have guts to say, that he is wrong.

For those who do not know what is Lula, Kanaya and Mora.
Lula is a kind of fresh water fish or rather lives in the muddy water, its slimy and slippery, and always a pundit among other fish.
There is a saying in Sinhala that,
Lula nathi walata kanaya pandithaya meaning, Kanaya (another fish that lives in muddy water) becomes a pundit when Lula is not in the ditch. I selected my handle as LuLa due to these special reasons. Mora means a shark.
Sorry pals, I cannot remember the Tamil equivalent of Lula, a very slippery fish, the shape of an eel, mostly lives in muddy water.

there is evidence to show that the Buddhists who occupied the Jaffna peninsula in the Anuradhapura period were Sinhalese. We refer to the toponymic evidence which unmistakably points to the presence of Sinhala settlers in the peninsula before Tamils settled there. In an area of only about nine hundred square miles covered by this peninsula, there occur over a thousand Sinhalese place names which have survived in a Tamil garb.

For instance, we don't argue that 'Balangoda Manawaya' or 'Nagas' or 'Yaksha' were 'Sinhalese'