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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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31<br />

S<strong>in</strong>halese settlements that once covered <strong>the</strong>se regions. Proto-<br />

S<strong>in</strong>halese <strong>and</strong> S<strong>in</strong>halese <strong>in</strong>scriptions rang<strong>in</strong>g from about <strong>the</strong><br />

third century B.C. to <strong>the</strong> tenth century A.D. have been found<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se regions Almost <strong>the</strong> whole <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> area is spotted with<br />

ru<strong>in</strong>s <strong>of</strong> early Buddhist structures. The present Batticaloa<br />

district <strong>and</strong> parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tr<strong>in</strong>comalee district were <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>gdom <strong>of</strong> Rohaa <strong>and</strong> it is needless to say that <strong>the</strong>se<br />

were peopled by S<strong>in</strong>halese before Tamils settled <strong>the</strong>re. The <strong>in</strong>scriptions<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se districts preserve <strong>the</strong> S<strong>in</strong>halese names <strong>of</strong> many<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> places which now bear purely Tamil names or Tamilised.<br />

forms <strong>of</strong> earlier S<strong>in</strong>halese names Only a few S<strong>in</strong>halese <strong>in</strong>scriptions<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> eleventh <strong>and</strong> twelfth centuries have been found here<br />

<strong>and</strong> after <strong>the</strong> twelfth century we do not come across any. Tamil<br />

<strong>in</strong>scriptions occur <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se regions from <strong>the</strong> eleventh century.<br />

With <strong>the</strong> Ca occupation a slow <strong>and</strong> not too visible displacement<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> S<strong>in</strong>halese by <strong>the</strong> Tamils seems to have begun. Ca<br />

1. Cf., U.C.H.C., I, pt. 1, pigraphic map opposite p.l,<br />

A.S.C.A.R. for 1905, pp.k2-k3 ; A.S.C.A.R. for 19 7, p. 29;<br />

E.Z., V, pt.2, pp. 2k0 ff.; E.Z., I, p.70 ; A.S.C.A.R. for 1933,<br />

2. p. 1k; A.S.C.A.R. for 1935, p. 10 ; A.S.C.A.R. for 19k -4, p. 39;<br />

A.S.C.A.R. for 1953, pp. 21, 2 ; A.S.C.A.R. for 195k, pp. 29, 36.<br />

2. , GagataI (Kantay) , A.S.C.A.R. for 1937, p. 1 ;<br />

P.iagamu (Pak m), E.Z., I p. 39; C.W.Nicholas, p. 81.<br />

Velaka or Velagama (Velakmani), A.S.C.A.R. for 193k, p. 8.

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