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

501
rTraAgam All these ryae of the South Indian inscriptions,
belonging to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, cannot
be identified as Rljpute on the ground that the Iryas mentioned
in the C!lavasa were Rljpute. It is clear from the evidence of
the South Indian inscriptions that there were several groups
of people who were known as Iryas. The Mhvara &ryas, for
instance, were a. class of Brhms$aa. In the CV2a inscriptions
we get several references to these 1Qivaraa in connection with
the administration of temples and Brhm
a s.ttlenients We do not
know the identity of the army of Iriyar mentioned in the inscription
from Cidambaram and of the riyar who were temple guards at
rTrañgam. Judging from their occupation, the last two groups
may very well have been Rjput mercenaries. The foregoing
evidence, shows that it is not easy to trace the origin of
the element Irya in the name Iryacakravartin to Rljputa.
An analysis of the little evidence that we have
shows that there are several ways in which the origin of the
ryacakravartina can be exL4ined. The first possibility is
the Iryacakravartins belonged to a commirnity of people called
the lriyar who lived in the southern parts of the PIya country.
1. kLR. for 1938/39, No. 84 of 1938/39.
2. M.E.R. for 1923, No537 of 1922; M.E.R. for 1926, No.9 k of 1926;
M.E.R. for 1927, No.279 of 1927; X.A.Nilnta Sastri, The Cas,
pp. 11.27, k91.