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

in the area which point in the same direction. The major
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difficulty in the way of using this toponymic evidence for our
purposes is one of establishing the date of their origin.
Unfortunately early records of these toponyms are not available
to us. However, the presence of a number of Tamil place names
or Sinhalese place names indicating Tamil settlement in an
area now largely occupied by Sinhalese speakers suggests that
the names are not of recent origin. It is by no means justifiable
to assign the origin of all these names to this period. But
it may not be wrong to assume that some of them at least
originated at this time. any of the Sinhalese place names with
the element dem4a may have originated in this period for they
occur close to the places where Tarn!]. inscriptions have been
found or where the C1as had established their strongholds.
Dem4a-divullva, for instance, is about three miles east of
Jahananneriya and about six miles north-west of Eriyva, places
where Tamil inscriptions of the elventh and twelfth centuries
have been found. Dema.a-srakku.ama is about eight miles west
of Mahakirinda and. udumuttva, where, too, Tamil inscriptions
were discovered. Similarly, Dema.a-dora is about six miles
south-west of Nuhunnaru and about eight miles south-west of
Pauvasnuvara. Dema4a-nina is about ten miles south of
VihrThinna and Demaussa is about six miles north of Vpinagara,