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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includes Karas and. Choas among the mercenaries employed by
the Pla riler in the twelfth century It is, therefore, possible
that M.gba(s £er4a and Damia mercenaries went to Ceylon from
Kaliga itself. But if we are to belive the Sinhalese and Pli
chronicles that the army of ?gha was very large, then it is
unlikely that all the soldiers came from far-off Kali!xga and
we may have to accept the first possibility, namely that }gha
recruited them, or at least most of them, in South India. The
confusion between Dam4as and Kera3as also could be resolved
without much difficulty. It has been suggested that the 'Damia
Ker4a' of the C!flavaisa, translated as Dand3as and Ker4as,
should be rendered as Ker4a Dami4as, like So]! Dema.un in
Sinhalese meaning C1a Tamils The implication is that like the
Cas and the Pyas the Kera3as were also treated as Damias
and, therefore, there is actually no discrepancy in the
C].avaisa account regarding the identity of Mgha's soldiers.
Though this is a plausible explantion, it appears that 1gha's
army did not consist of only Kera4as but also Dami3as. Perhaps
at the beginning there were many Ker4as but once }TAgha had
1. D.C.Sircar, 'Karas outside Kara', J.N.Banerjea Volume, p.2].l.
2. A.Liyanagamage, . cit.