Point of view: Origins of the Hela race

Victor Marambage

With great interest, I read the article on the above heading written by Ranjith C. Dissanayaka (DN July 11). I fully agree with him about the Sinhala race and its origins.

I would like to fill a few blanks to complement his article. Swayam Bhoo Narayana is claimed as the first of the Manu clan. Descending from him Rishi Pulasthi had a son Visrawas or Viswas. Viswas married Keshani alias Kaikei and Ravana was their son.

Rishi Pulasthi is known to be a Buddhist in the era of Konagama Buddha. Rishi Pulasti lived in Tamankaduwa and Kaikei in Kataragama, Tamankaduwa or Polonnaruwa is still called Pulatishipura.

Lankapura was created by Malapawantha Sumali and Malan, ancestors of great King Ravana.

Ravana too was Buddhist, Kashyapa Buddha visited Sri Lanka on his invitation. During this period Jayantha was the local King in Anuradhapura.

There is no doubt that King Ravana was a Sinhala Buddhist. There is also no doubt as to the existence of Dandumonara an aircraft when modern air travel was unheard of. There are so many stone inscriptions pertaining to Dandumonara.

Most important of them are at Dimbulagala, Walahawiddawewa near Horowpothane, Kitulwewa near Rugama in Amparai, caves in Nagapabbathi Viharaya in Bambaragastalawa in Yala, Aluhena, Rajagala in Amparai, Pilikuttuwa, Warana and Mihintale.

Stone inscription by Shona son of Minister Makara in Narangolla Group. An airport was built near Ragala in Nuwara Eliya. Golden Palace and an air conditioned palace at the Wasgamuwa area are also known.

Underground Palace of Kapila the teacher of Ravana is at Deewela.

I would like to suggest to any interested reader to visit Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Pirivena and speak to the Chief Priest there. He will explain a lot about the history and existence of King Ravana and Dandumonara.

According to the Chief Priest there is a landing place for an aircraft on the plateau on which the Pirivena stands. The word Wariyapola also means ‘wa’ - air, ‘riyapola’ - the landing place for vehicles. This air-vehicle was really Dandumonara of great King Ravana. Even Hanuman the Wanara may be a nara, man from ‘Wa’ air. He may have used a balloon or a parachute in his travels to Sri Lanka.

A few years ago an English explorer came to Sri Lanka to verify the Rama Ravana ‘story’. He found lot of evidence yet he was not satisfied, as all explorers are. He toured all parts of the island and finally went to India to see the roots of Ramayana.

He searched in vain in India. Finally he came to the forest where Rama, Sita and Laksman were in self-exile. Even this proved useless and in his travels he came to a village near the river. It was named Paramagudi. Parama is dust and gudi is village as in Malgudi. He was a little excited about the name of the village. He made extensive inquiries and the history of the village emerged little by little.

The elders in the village revealed of ‘tales’ they heard from their ancestors. They did not know how but told that thousands of years ago a cloud of dust descended over the village totally enveloping it. That is how the word ‘Paramagudi’ came into existence.

The English explorer was overjoyed, thinking that he found an answer to his queries. He searched the village and the surrounding areas to find evidence to confirm his belief that Dandumonara existed. But it also proved fruitless.

He crossed the river and came to a low plateau and climbing the flat rock he was dumbfounded.

There he found tracks of a vehicle with wheels like the chain wheels of the modern day earth movers. On these tracks he found broken pieces of rock. He sent them to England for carbon-dating, the process by which the age of things are determined.

To his joy and surprise the rock samples were tested to be about 5,000 years old which coincided with the period of reign of King Ravana and Rama. He then published a report to show that King Ravana and Dandumonara were not just myth but true facts. They existed.

‘Ra’ in Egyptian is the Sun God. So Ravana may be ‘Ra’ van or sun-like or sun or Soorya Wansa.

Kuweni is Ku for land and Veni the owner. Consider Paraveni. Therefore Kuveni means the owner or ruler of the land. Compare Kuveni with the English term queen.

Now come back to Vijaya. He is a bandit exiled from India. He arrived in Sri Lanka or Tambapanni with a gang of 700. He got married to Kuweni and had two children, Jeevahatta and Disala. These two children are supposed to be the foreparents of Veddha claim in Sri Lanka.

Vijaya the bandit became a wife deserter and got down a princess from India. They had no children. So how can it be said that Vijaya is the father of Sinhala race?

Suppose we Sinhala are descendants of Vijaya, as the Mahavamsa says, what happened to the gang of 700 who arrived with Vijaya and did they die single? Vijaya fought and killed Rakshasa warriors who attacked him. Not all Rakshasas were killed. What about the Deva, Naga and Yakkha clans that lived in Sri Lanka then?

Are not we the descendants of them?

It is also said that Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevali had 32 children by 16 births. Just suppose 15 of them are males, should not there be 15 times the Sinhala population in Sri Lanka be in India?

Therefore I categorically say that Sinhala are not descendants of Vijaya but the four great clans of Yakkha, Deva, Naga and Raksha of yesteryear.

I am not a descendent of Vijaya and I am definite about it.