113992242-Dravidian-Settlements-in-Ceylon-and-the-Beginnings-of-the-Kingdom-of-Jaffna-By-Karthigesu-Indrapala-Complete-Phd-Thesis-University-of-London-1965

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The fragmentary nature of moat of the inscriptions
from this site deprives them of much value. The little that is
recoverable front them, however, seems to indicate the presence
of Tamil settlers of Buddhist faith in the Periyak4am region.
The conversion of the old vihra into a Tamil pfli apparently
took place in the reign of Rjarja I (985-101k) or immediately
after that, for the has been named after this monarch.
The Zinhalese origin of the vihra is clearly indicated by the
use of the Sinhalese name along with the Tamil name in the
inscriptions. The absence of Tamil inscriptions of a date prior
to the eleventh century and the occurrence of Sinhalese inscriptions
oZ the tenth century at this site strehgthen the argument that
the conversion of the vihra into a took place early in
the period of Ca ru1e Almost all the Tamil epigrapha from
this place belong to the Ca period. But there is a slab
inscription buried in the foundation of one of the image-houses
which contains the name of Jayab-tva,, inscribed in the T2mil
2
scrpt of about the twelfth century. This Jayaba-tevaa is
presumably JayabThu I (1110-1111). This may mean that Tamil
patronage of this continued even after the C2a period,
which is to be expected if there were Tamil Buddhists living
1. A.S.C.A.R. for 1953, p. 9.
2. Unpublished.