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

51
anything definite on this matter. Since the sire is on the coastal
area not far from the ancient port of Gokya, it is not impossible
that the people who erected these were traders from the Cochin
area, the dolmenoid cists of which place bear the closest similarity
to our cists. Perhaps the Katirav4i area bad a small settlement
of Dravidians some time between the third century B.C. and the
first century A.D., the period normally assigned to most of the
South Indian megaliths. It is not impossible, however, that these
structures are independent of the South Indian complex. But this
is unlikely on account of their isolated character, which goes
agint their association with some other culture—complex.
Until the ninth century, with the exception of the
megalithic remains of Pomparippu and the possible exception
of those of Katirav4i, there is no definite evidence regarding
any Dravidian settlement in the island. The P].i chronicles,
South Indian literary works, and Cey].onese and South Indian
inscriptions attest to the continuous relations between Ceylon
and South India. Between the third and the ninth century, there
were two South Indian invasions of Ceylon. The first was in A.D.529
which resulted in the rule of six Tamils at Anurdhapura for
twenty-six years The second took place in the reigm of Sena I
(833-853). On this occasion, the Pya ruler ri Na Vallabha
1. Cv., 38:11 ff. ; W.M.LWijetunge, . cit.