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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 accounts <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Vaiy!pal <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Vaiy are<br />

294<br />

thus basically identical, but <strong>the</strong> Vaiy provides more details<br />

regard<strong>in</strong>g some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> important colonists. It appears that <strong>the</strong><br />

author <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> latter work obta<strong>in</strong>ed this supplementary <strong>in</strong>formation<br />

from o<strong>the</strong>r traditions prevalent <strong>in</strong> his time. The problem now is<br />

to exam<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong> extent to which <strong>the</strong>se accounts can be relied upon<br />

for <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> our period. There is no doubt that <strong>the</strong>se are<br />

not wholly acceptable as <strong>in</strong>formation relat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> thirteenth<br />

century. We shall see later that <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong> ka or Vararca-cifik<br />

is an unfounded myth based on <strong>the</strong> Vijaya legend<br />

It has, <strong>the</strong>refore, no relevance to <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tamil settlement<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>Jaffna</strong>. The contention that Tamil settlers were <strong>in</strong>vited<br />

to <strong>the</strong> isl<strong>and</strong> by Vanni chiefta<strong>in</strong>s <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> Vicaya Kulet!ikai<br />

may not be wrong. It is <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> }gha that we hear for<br />

<strong>the</strong> first time about <strong>the</strong> rule <strong>of</strong> Varmi chiefta<strong>in</strong>s from <strong>the</strong> Pli<br />

<strong>and</strong> S<strong>in</strong>halese sources We have also noticed that <strong>the</strong> settlement<br />

<strong>of</strong> Tamils <strong>and</strong> Ker4as <strong>in</strong> a number <strong>of</strong> villages was actively<br />

pursued <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> }1gha, accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> P'jvaJ4y <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Ctflavqsa. It is possible that }gha himself was not directly<br />

responsible for this but that his subord<strong>in</strong>ates, probably<br />

1. See <strong>in</strong>fra, p. L1D7<br />

2. .,g:il ; Pv.,p.1°l

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