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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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91<br />

notices <strong>of</strong> this period. The former refers to <strong>the</strong> presence <strong>of</strong><br />

'<strong>the</strong> great multitude <strong>of</strong> Tamils <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> villages, market towns <strong>and</strong><br />

all over <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>gdom' ( gam niyafigam rjad<strong>in</strong>i pur un Dem4a maha<br />

senaga) 1 but it goes a step fur<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> Clavasa by stat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that all <strong>the</strong>se Tamils were destroyed by Vijayablhu. The reference<br />

to <strong>the</strong> presence <strong>of</strong> Tamils <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> market towns is notable, for<br />

we learn from <strong>the</strong> Tamil <strong>in</strong>scriptions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> period that <strong>the</strong>re<br />

were is (money-lenders) <strong>and</strong> traders <strong>of</strong> Tamil orig<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> some<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> places, presumably market towns, outside Polonnaruva<br />

The surpris<strong>in</strong>g brevity with which <strong>the</strong> S<strong>in</strong>halese chronicles deal<br />

with <strong>the</strong> C]a rule may be partly due to <strong>the</strong> paucity <strong>of</strong> records<br />

relat<strong>in</strong>g to that period.<br />

The above isolated <strong>and</strong> vague statements <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

literary sources provide no sure guidance to <strong>the</strong> nature <strong>and</strong><br />

extent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> migration <strong>and</strong> settlements <strong>of</strong> South Indians <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

isl<strong>and</strong>. These sources have omitted much that is want<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong>,<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> absehce <strong>of</strong> any valuable guidance from <strong>the</strong>m, we are<br />

thrown back upon <strong>the</strong> evidence <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r sources. The Tmi1-<br />

<strong>in</strong>scriptions <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> aiva <strong>and</strong> Vaiçava archaeelogical rema<strong>in</strong>s<br />

provide better <strong>and</strong> more reliable <strong>in</strong>formation, though it is by<br />

no means adequate for our purpose. For <strong>the</strong> first time an unusually<br />

1, p. 20.<br />

2. See <strong>in</strong>fra, p.1oc

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