Sri Lanka: Chronicle of the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ (Part II)

Sri Lanka, treasure of the tropics and most coveted of tourist destinations, is an island not only enriched with natural beauty and resources, but also with over two thousand years of wondrous, incredible and significant history. Sri Lanka’s wealth of literature and art, architecture and music, and succession of famous writers, musicians, and scientists, not to mention beautiful models and beauty queens, is amazing and has greatly impacted the world.

Both the Tamils and Sinhalese, who are the majority ethnic group and represent approximately 75 percent of Sri Lankan population, have contributed greatly to this history, though both peoples safeguard and protect their histories and accomplishments separately and jealously. It is sad and discouraging, when two cultures different certainly, yet also similar, have so much to share and offer the world, such as the wisdoms of the past, immortalizing two of the most ancient of cultures in the world, are at constant odds leading to brutal violence and death.

At some earlier point during all those centuries of sharing the island, they actually respected one another and were at peace, but it must have been an overall brief time, because conflict and volatility have been the controlling factors of Sri Lanka for a long, long time.

The Mahavamsa, the “Great Chronicle” of the Sinhalese was a record kept by Theravada Buddhist monks during different historical periods, and details the arrival of Prince Vijaya and his entourage on the island approximately twenty-five hundred years ago. According to legend, he was the first king of Sri Lanka, once known as Ceylon, who reigned from 543 BC - 505 BC.

Recorded in the ancient Pali language, the Mahavamsa began around 3^rd or 4^th century BC and is the oldest historical composed account of a people in the world. Scientists and archeologists, however, do not find this chronicle as conclusive evidence of the history of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. The chronicle was obviously spread over centuries and therefore changed hands throughout millennia. Effectively the passage of thousands of years increases the inclusion of fables and myths in any historical record.

The saga of the Sinhala, which means “lion people”, claims they are descendant of Prince Vijaya, founder of the Sinhalese people. According to the Mahavamsa, Vijaya and his followers were said to have arrived in Sri Lanka after being exiled from the city of Sinhapura in Bengal, North East India. The Sinhalese are followers of Theravada Buddhism, as the oldest surviving form of Buddhism, which evidently was introduced around the 3^rdcentury BC.

The Tamils who settled in Sri Lanka around the 2^nd century BC are descendants of the Dravidian language-speaking tribal people of South India, as were the indigenous Wanniyalaeto or Vedda who are physically related to Dravidian language-speaking tribal people in South India and early populations of Southeast Asia. The Sri Lankan Tamils, or Ceylon Tamils, are descendants of the Tamils of the old Jaffna Kingdom and east coast chieftaincies called Vannimais. The “Ceylon Tamils” are followers of the Hindu religion, and Nataraja, Hindu God Shiva as the cosmic dancer performing Ananda natanam, is the Tamils’ universal symbol of Hinduism.

Archeological excavations discovered potsherds with early Tamil writing from 2^nd century BC in Poonagari, Jaffna. These potsherds had several inscriptions including a clan name “vela” , a name related to “velir” from ancient Tamil country, which was the Sangam period and was the earliest historical period in Tamil Nadu history. Evidence suggests that Tamils existed in Tamil Nadu as far back as 1500 BC.

Sri Lanka also has a population of Indian Tamils, or “Hill Country Tamils”, who are descendants of bonded laborers sent from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka in the 19^th century to work on tea plantations. The considerable Tamil-speaking Muslim population in Sri Lanka; in contrast to Tamil Muslims from India, are not ethnic Tamils and are therefore listed as a separate ethnic group in official statistics.

The Tamils superior music, temple architecture and stylized sculptures favored in their ancient nation are still studied and practiced today. Hence, Tamils have been referred to as the last surviving classical civilization on earth.

The richly diverse, colorful ancient histories of the Sinhala and Tamil people are extensive and truly complex. Further details can be found by clicking on the links below.