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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Moreover, it is not difficult to identify the monuments of the
Taniils in this period. The architectural style, the style of
the sculptural finds and the occurrence of Tamil inscriptions
are factors which help to reveal the identity of the temples
built by Tamila. As the archaeological exploration and discoveries
in the northern and eastern parts of the islan&, which are the
traditional Tamil areas in Ceylon, are by no means complete,
the material available to us is inevitably limited. To make
S
this position worse, the Saiva and Vaiava remains so far
unearthed have not been properly dated. But many of these can,
however, be dated on the basis of their architectural style
and the inscriptions found among their ruins. The ruins of no
less than thirty aiva-Vaiava temples, belonging to the period
between the beginning of the eleventh and the end of the thirteenth
century, have been discovered in the island and. all these are
in the northern and eastern parts. In the case of the well-preserved
temples, the architectural style serves as a guide to the dating.
The occurrence of inscriptions in some other foundations helps
to determine their age. A few are not sufficiently well preserved
or they yield no inscriptions and. cannot, therefore, be dated
with any certainty, although some of the remaining architectural
members provide a rough guide to their age.