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

legendary material, some of which are based partly on popular
etymology and partly on Sinhalese legends. The chronology is
hopelessly arranged and one has to exercise great caution in
using these chronicles as source materials. Their value for the
period prior to the twelfth century is almost nil. Hence, we
have to rely almost entirely on the more trustworthy Linhalese
and Pli works and on the meagre archaeological material for
any satisfactory reconstruction of what happened in the Jaffna
peninsula before the thirteenth century.
Although our purpose in this chapter is to deal
with the Dravidian settlements of the thirteenth century, it
is necessary to analyse briefly the history of the Jaffna
peninsula before our period in order to clear certain common
but important misconceptions. By way of this analysis we will
be able to show how unfounded many of the arguments of popular
writers are. We have already shown that there is no case for
arguing that Jaffna was settled by Tamils in the pre-Christian
1
centuries or even in the early Christian centuries. On the
contrary, there is some evidence in our sources which points
261
to the occupation of Sinhalese in the area in the eetty ivs OP
centuries. The meagre evidence in the Mahvaisa regarding the
1. See supra,