The Indian Connection
'The Indian Connection' is the title of a book by Nath Yogasundram
released by Vijitha Yapa Publications running to 312 pages. What is the
aim of the book? The author explains: "to trace the historical
connection between India and Sri Lanka through the ages by setting out
the main trends in the histories of both countries and exploring the
many links between them."
In the first place I would like to agree with the author that
'History, particularly ancient history, is dependent on the
interpretation by historians of archaeological material that is often
vague and fragmented These interpretations are opinions formed by the
historian and are not unassailable facts 'written in stone'.
Unfortunately these opinions are often influenced by the racial and
religious bias of the author'.
Political expediency
"The archaeological search for ethnic origins is notoriously prone to
manipulation in the attempt to satisfy political expediency. Some
writers have gone to great lengths to find the most tenuous arguments
that challenge even the existence of a particular race (or racial
origin) in a particular time and place merely to support the claims of
another...."
There are 10 chapters in the book: Prehistory Refinement of
Civilization, A Transfer of Emphasis, Expansionism in South India, The
Balance of Power in Peninsular India, Portuguese and Dutch Interludes,
British Rule, A New Perspective, The Politics of Conflict and Another
Dimension. Select Bibliography, Index, Maps System of Transliteration
and abbreviation are bonus additions.
It's not my intention to critically neither analyze the contents of
the book nor quote substantial material of the book for elucidation.
What I shall do is to show only those statements which I feel should be
known to prejudiced readers from all communities in the island.
Justifiably I am selecting those passages from the book that pleases
me from a Thamilian perspective. The veracity of 'truth' in those
statements have to be challenged by others
The term Dravidian, like the word Indo-Aryan, refers to a group of
languages rather than a specific ethnic group.
Distinct groups
Between 2000 and 1500 BC a southeasterly spread of Dravidians into
peninsular India occurred and by 1500 BC there were three distinct
dialect groups -proto-North. Dravidian, pronto-Central Dravidian and
proto-South Dravidian. From proto-South Indian Thamil, Malayalam and
Kannada were to evolve in the regions that now are Thamilnadu, Kerala
and Karnataka respectively.
The new migrants to Sri Lanka from Northern India not only brought a
new language, a Prakrit, but also their religion, Brahmanism, with its
caste system. From this culture a new ethnic group developed over the
centuries and the Prakrit that they spoke evolved into Sinhala. By the
third century BC they became converts to the teachings of the Buddha.
Meanwhile, in Southern India, perhaps stimulated by the threat of being
replaced by Prakrit Thamil in a rudimentary form had emerged as the
dominant language by about 500 BC.
Kingdoms in existence
It was patronized by the Pandyan kings whose kingdom was in existence
at least by 300 BC as reported by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to
the Mauryan court. Some scholars have dated the Tholkappiyam, a work in
Thamil grammar, as being written around 300 BC.
It is clear that whilst a new ethnic group was forming in Sri Lanka
another ethnic group, with Thamil as its language, was evolving in
southern India. It is also clear that until these two ethnic groups, one
speaking Sinhala and the other Thamil, had evolved it would be incorrect
to speak of either a Sinhalese or a Thamil ethnic identity.
Ethnic groups
The earliest records referring to a unique Sinhala Sinhalese group
occur in Thamil- Brahmi epigraphs in South India dated between the 2nd
century BC and the 4th century AD.
The term Ila appears and this Prakrit term, according to historic
linguists, is the name applied to the dominant ethnic group in Sri Lanka
at that time. Ilam was the name used in Early Thamil sources for the
land in which this ethnic group lived. In Old Sinhala, at a later period
the same group of people was referred to as Hela and Elu. The Sanskrit
name was Simhala and in the Pali of the early Buddhist chronicles the
name given was Sihala.
Up to 500 AD, there were five recorded invasions of the Anuradhapura
kingdom from South India. The Mahavamsa has labeled all these invader as
being of Thamil origin but recent archaeological evidence suggests that
this may not be correct.
I shall stop with those quotes. But you must read the whole book
because the focus of the book is on Lanka and India relationship. The
blurb clearly states: "this is a study of the close links between India
and Sri Lanka from prehistoric times to the present. T is a balanced and
unbiased overview providing the general reader with a lucid and readable
commentary on the historic development of the connection between the two
countries. His connection has undeniably moulded Sri Lanka's economic,
cultural and social evolution and is likely to continue to do so in the
foreseeable future" [email protected] |
