karthika
2003-08-08 10:29:47 UTC
NEWS HEADLINE
Is Prabahakaran a Tamil?
[By D.B. Perera, Panadura - web posted on 17 April 2003]
Reading Carl Muller's article "A hearty lunch and final solution - but was
Hitler a Jew?" in the Saturday Magazine of 7th December 2002, in 'The
Island' newspaper, my curiosity was aroused by whether Prabahakaran is a
Tamil, Jaffna or otherwise?
Several articles have appeared in our newspapers from time to time regarding
the purity of ethnic Sinhala, Tamil and other groups, while some others call
all Sri Lankans a HOTCHPOTCH of all groups.
Let me start here with the Epic Maha Bharatha to show that Prabahakaran is
not a Sri Lankan Tamil, but is only a Tamil speaking Kaurava (Karaiar) of
Sri Lanka. The Epic Maha Bharatha chronicles the story of the bloody war
between two Aryan cousins of the ruling races; the Kauravas and the Pandavas
about 1100 B.C. at Kurukshetra in Nothern India. The Kauravas were badly
defeated by their Pandava cousins. After their defeat some settled under the
yoke of the Pandavas while most of them migrated to various other parts of
India, Bengal, South India, Curumandel (Coromendel Coast) and even came to
Lanka (Ceylon). According to a manuscript found in the Hugh Neville
collection of the British Museum, OR 6606 (53) recording, "The Mukkara
Hatana" (Kurukshetra vol. 11. fol. 52), during the reign of Sri Parakrama
Bahu VI of Kotte, (1412 - 1467 A.D) at the request of the king about 7740
Kaurava warriors under the command of their own chieftains came from
Kanchipuram, Kaveripattanam and Kilakarai, to fight against the Mukkuvas who
had occupied parts of Puttalam. These warriors after losing 1500 men of
their own, captured two forts and restored Puttalam to the king after
annihilating the Mukkuvas. The king was so pleased with this deed that in
gratitude he bestowed them land along the sea coast from Puttalam up to
Negombo as their hereditary lands. In due course, these Kauravas or Karawas,
(Tamil Karaiars), engaged in various occupations like joining the king's
army, cultivation trade and fishing by those closest to the sea. It is due
to the last mentioned occupation that interested parties termed all Kauravas
as fishers.
As time went on these people assimiliated with the indigenous population,
some speaking the Sinhala language and becoming Buddhists and Christians,
while some others speaking the Tamil language and becoming Hindus and
Christians. Those who were Sinhala speaking went further south along the sea
coast to places like Moratuwa, Panadura, Kalutara, Maggona, Ambalangoda,
Galle, Matara, Devundara, Tangalle, Hambantota, Tissamaharama and Kataragama
and also inland to places like Matale and Mawanella. Others who were Tamil
speaking expanded to the north along the sea coast to places like
Munneswaran, Chilaw, Puttalam, Mannar, Jaffna, Velvatiturai, Point Pedro and
inland to Manampitiya. A few names of some Sinhala speaking who went south
are the Kurukulasuriyas, Warnakulasuriyas, Arasakularatnes,
Mihindukulasuriya, Lindamulages, Weerasuriyas, Peirises, de Mels,
Patabendiges, Baduges, Waduges, Daluwatte, Marakkalages, etc. Some of those
who went north were the Kuru-Kula Talaivans, Puvirajasinghes,
Tisavirasinhes, Edirimanasinghes, Katiragamas, Warnakulasuriars,
Vinasitambys, Xaviers, Martynxs' Gnanaprakasas etc. The ancestors of the
present day Prabahakaran whom the Vellalas call a fisher, is also supposed
to be of the same stock and a Tamil speaking Karaiar, whose ancestors were
warriors and skilled navigators, as the Sinhala speaking Marakkalages were.
The above details show that Prabahakaran from Velvetiturai is not a Tamil
and his homeland is not Jaffna. He is a Tamil speaking Karaiar whose
ancestors' original home was in Kurukshetra. His ancestoss may have been
those mercenaries who came to help King Parakrama Bahu VI of Kotte, from
either Kanchipuram, Kaveripattanam or Kilakari in south India just as much
as the Sinhala speaking Kaurava ancestors would have come from one of these
same places.
This shows that most of the people in this country are now one and related
to one another be they be Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, etc. What
happened to the Tamils after King Elara was defeated at Anuradhapura by King
Dutugemunu? Most of them were assimilated into the Sinhala communities at
the time and are now Sinhala speaking Buddhists or Christians in the North
Central Province.
They have not been treated as inferior or low caste, but what has happened
to the long ago Sinhala population in Jaffna? They too, have assimilated
into the Tamil community at that time, but are treated as inferior and low
caste. After the wars with the Portuguese, Dutch and the British, how many
of these foreigners would have married Sinhalese, or Tamils? Their offspring
today are either Sinhala or Tamil speaking and Buddhists. Christians or
Hindus. How about the Muslims? Did their Arab ancestors bring, Arab women ?
No! They too, married Sinhala or Tamil women and their offspring are either
Sinhala or Tamil speaking, though all of them are Muslims and followers of
the Islamic faith. As regards the Kandyan convention signed between the
Kandyan chieftains and the British, Ratwatte Dissawa and some others had
signed in Tamil. Were they Tamil or not proficient in the Sinhala Language?
Their generations today Sinhala speaking Buddhists or Chsistians. Coming
down to more recent times prominent names some Bandaranaikes have
Neelaperumal among other names, it may be they, too, had Tamil connections.
Some Jayawardenes' ancestors are supposed to have come from the Muslim
Coromendel coast, they are all now Sinhala speaking and are either Buddhists
or Christians. Ananda Coomaraswamy was a Eurasian, but went as a Sri Lankan
Tamil. If you take Anton Balasingham who is married to an Australian and if
they have any offspring he or she would be an Austro - Asian either Tamil or
English speaking Hindu or Christian.
Some scholars are of the opinion that the real Buhumiputras of this island
are neither Sinhalese nor Tamils. This land belonged to Kuveni's people, the
Nagas, Yakshas and Veddhas. It is their lands that Vijaya's people
(Sinhalese) and Tamils have grabbed and are fiting to possess. As shown
above we are a hotchpotch of people, practically and are related to are
another. How many of our Sri Lankan people have died been killed, massacred
in vain due to not understanding who we are? Prabahakaran is only a Tamil
speaking Karaiar and now a Sri Lankan, as much as all his people and other
Sinhala speaking people are. So what are we fighting for?
Hitler had his roots in Austria not Germany, but he brought a bad name on
the Germans after the Jewish holocaust. Prabahakaran is not Sri Lankan Tamil
but he has brought bloodbath, destruction, devastation, genocide, massacre
on all Sri Lankan people. Any similarity?
Is Prabahakaran a Tamil?
[By D.B. Perera, Panadura - web posted on 17 April 2003]
Reading Carl Muller's article "A hearty lunch and final solution - but was
Hitler a Jew?" in the Saturday Magazine of 7th December 2002, in 'The
Island' newspaper, my curiosity was aroused by whether Prabahakaran is a
Tamil, Jaffna or otherwise?
Several articles have appeared in our newspapers from time to time regarding
the purity of ethnic Sinhala, Tamil and other groups, while some others call
all Sri Lankans a HOTCHPOTCH of all groups.
Let me start here with the Epic Maha Bharatha to show that Prabahakaran is
not a Sri Lankan Tamil, but is only a Tamil speaking Kaurava (Karaiar) of
Sri Lanka. The Epic Maha Bharatha chronicles the story of the bloody war
between two Aryan cousins of the ruling races; the Kauravas and the Pandavas
about 1100 B.C. at Kurukshetra in Nothern India. The Kauravas were badly
defeated by their Pandava cousins. After their defeat some settled under the
yoke of the Pandavas while most of them migrated to various other parts of
India, Bengal, South India, Curumandel (Coromendel Coast) and even came to
Lanka (Ceylon). According to a manuscript found in the Hugh Neville
collection of the British Museum, OR 6606 (53) recording, "The Mukkara
Hatana" (Kurukshetra vol. 11. fol. 52), during the reign of Sri Parakrama
Bahu VI of Kotte, (1412 - 1467 A.D) at the request of the king about 7740
Kaurava warriors under the command of their own chieftains came from
Kanchipuram, Kaveripattanam and Kilakarai, to fight against the Mukkuvas who
had occupied parts of Puttalam. These warriors after losing 1500 men of
their own, captured two forts and restored Puttalam to the king after
annihilating the Mukkuvas. The king was so pleased with this deed that in
gratitude he bestowed them land along the sea coast from Puttalam up to
Negombo as their hereditary lands. In due course, these Kauravas or Karawas,
(Tamil Karaiars), engaged in various occupations like joining the king's
army, cultivation trade and fishing by those closest to the sea. It is due
to the last mentioned occupation that interested parties termed all Kauravas
as fishers.
As time went on these people assimiliated with the indigenous population,
some speaking the Sinhala language and becoming Buddhists and Christians,
while some others speaking the Tamil language and becoming Hindus and
Christians. Those who were Sinhala speaking went further south along the sea
coast to places like Moratuwa, Panadura, Kalutara, Maggona, Ambalangoda,
Galle, Matara, Devundara, Tangalle, Hambantota, Tissamaharama and Kataragama
and also inland to places like Matale and Mawanella. Others who were Tamil
speaking expanded to the north along the sea coast to places like
Munneswaran, Chilaw, Puttalam, Mannar, Jaffna, Velvatiturai, Point Pedro and
inland to Manampitiya. A few names of some Sinhala speaking who went south
are the Kurukulasuriyas, Warnakulasuriyas, Arasakularatnes,
Mihindukulasuriya, Lindamulages, Weerasuriyas, Peirises, de Mels,
Patabendiges, Baduges, Waduges, Daluwatte, Marakkalages, etc. Some of those
who went north were the Kuru-Kula Talaivans, Puvirajasinghes,
Tisavirasinhes, Edirimanasinghes, Katiragamas, Warnakulasuriars,
Vinasitambys, Xaviers, Martynxs' Gnanaprakasas etc. The ancestors of the
present day Prabahakaran whom the Vellalas call a fisher, is also supposed
to be of the same stock and a Tamil speaking Karaiar, whose ancestors were
warriors and skilled navigators, as the Sinhala speaking Marakkalages were.
The above details show that Prabahakaran from Velvetiturai is not a Tamil
and his homeland is not Jaffna. He is a Tamil speaking Karaiar whose
ancestors' original home was in Kurukshetra. His ancestoss may have been
those mercenaries who came to help King Parakrama Bahu VI of Kotte, from
either Kanchipuram, Kaveripattanam or Kilakari in south India just as much
as the Sinhala speaking Kaurava ancestors would have come from one of these
same places.
This shows that most of the people in this country are now one and related
to one another be they be Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, etc. What
happened to the Tamils after King Elara was defeated at Anuradhapura by King
Dutugemunu? Most of them were assimilated into the Sinhala communities at
the time and are now Sinhala speaking Buddhists or Christians in the North
Central Province.
They have not been treated as inferior or low caste, but what has happened
to the long ago Sinhala population in Jaffna? They too, have assimilated
into the Tamil community at that time, but are treated as inferior and low
caste. After the wars with the Portuguese, Dutch and the British, how many
of these foreigners would have married Sinhalese, or Tamils? Their offspring
today are either Sinhala or Tamil speaking and Buddhists. Christians or
Hindus. How about the Muslims? Did their Arab ancestors bring, Arab women ?
No! They too, married Sinhala or Tamil women and their offspring are either
Sinhala or Tamil speaking, though all of them are Muslims and followers of
the Islamic faith. As regards the Kandyan convention signed between the
Kandyan chieftains and the British, Ratwatte Dissawa and some others had
signed in Tamil. Were they Tamil or not proficient in the Sinhala Language?
Their generations today Sinhala speaking Buddhists or Chsistians. Coming
down to more recent times prominent names some Bandaranaikes have
Neelaperumal among other names, it may be they, too, had Tamil connections.
Some Jayawardenes' ancestors are supposed to have come from the Muslim
Coromendel coast, they are all now Sinhala speaking and are either Buddhists
or Christians. Ananda Coomaraswamy was a Eurasian, but went as a Sri Lankan
Tamil. If you take Anton Balasingham who is married to an Australian and if
they have any offspring he or she would be an Austro - Asian either Tamil or
English speaking Hindu or Christian.
Some scholars are of the opinion that the real Buhumiputras of this island
are neither Sinhalese nor Tamils. This land belonged to Kuveni's people, the
Nagas, Yakshas and Veddhas. It is their lands that Vijaya's people
(Sinhalese) and Tamils have grabbed and are fiting to possess. As shown
above we are a hotchpotch of people, practically and are related to are
another. How many of our Sri Lankan people have died been killed, massacred
in vain due to not understanding who we are? Prabahakaran is only a Tamil
speaking Karaiar and now a Sri Lankan, as much as all his people and other
Sinhala speaking people are. So what are we fighting for?
Hitler had his roots in Austria not Germany, but he brought a bad name on
the Germans after the Jewish holocaust. Prabahakaran is not Sri Lankan Tamil
but he has brought bloodbath, destruction, devastation, genocide, massacre
on all Sri Lankan people. Any similarity?