දෙමල හැඩ ගත් පැරණි සිංහල ගම්-නම්  - මුල් පිට
Traditional Sinhala place names in Sri Lanka and their Tamilized forms.

Cologne-Sanskrit-Tamil-English dictionaries Pali dictionary Eng-Sin-Tamil 3lingual dictionary

Madura English-Sinhala Dictionary Sinhala Unicode keyboard Hindi-English Sabdakosh

Use Englsih keys to output sinhala unicode: ඉංග්‍රිසියෙන් සිංහල ලියන්න Madras Tamil Lexicon Hindi-English dictionary

Sri Lanka was called Lanka, ලංකා Tambapanni, Sinhalé etc., in ancient times. The Tamil name Cinkalam சிங்களம் is used in early Tamil literary works. The name Lanka, used in the Epic chronicles, was adopted in to Prakrit with the addition of a leading vowel which could be "a, e, (h)e, or i". Thus the form Lanka → Helanka හෙලංකා appears in Sinhala Prakrit (language of the common people) as the abbreviated form Hela, හෙල. Sinhala Prakrit itself became known as "Elu", or "Hela-basa" හෙලබස. Similarly, the name Lanka → Ilankai was adapted during the Cankam period into Dravidian languages, giving its Tamil form Ilankai, இலங்கை. This is further clarified by noting that eighteen countries are mentioned in early Tamil literature, clearly distinguishing "cinkalam" from "Tamlaak(h)am", viz., cimkaḷam, conaakam, cā vakam, cīṉam, tuḷuvam, kutakam, konkanam, kanna-tam, kollam, telin(g)kam, kalin(g)kam, vaṅkam, kaṅ- kam, makatam, kaṭāram, kavuṭam, koklam, tamilakam;   சிங்களம், சோனகம், சாவகம், சீனம், துளுவம், குடகம், கொங் ;கணம், கன்னடம், கொல்லம், தெலிங்கம், கலிங்கம், ;வ ங்கம், கங்கம், மகதம், கடாரம், கவுடம், கோசலம், தமிழகம்.   A detailed discussion of if "Tamilakam was a cohesive unit or not" may be found at Attempts to identify early DRavidian-Tamil kingdoms. Hawaii University, Asian Perspectives, Volume 42, Number 2, Fall 2003, pp. 207-223
Attempts The early Pali writings of Sri Lanka also mention similar names for kingdoms located in the subcontinent. The name Taprobana is attributed to Megasthenes in the 4th century BCE. Ptolemy's map used the name Taprobane, establishing that in the 1st-2nd century CE the country was known to the West as Taprobane. However, the name Salaka was also used in Greek, at the time. `Taprobane' is believed to be derived from `Tambapanni', a name allegedly given to the island by Founder-Prince, Vijaya, because of the golden brown sands of the coast near Mannar (Manthota) where he landed. The Romans used names like Salendiv (Cerendiv) closely related to the Greek name Salaka. Arab traders (circa 7th century) used the name Serendib. Subsequent names, e.g., 'Ceilao', "Ceilan", `Ceylam', Ceylan', Zeilon, and Ceylon are adapted from "Serendib". Fra Mauro's 1459 map uses the name `Ceylam'. The Frenchman Sier Sanson's 1652 map uses 'Ceylan'. The Dutch map of 1681 uses the name Ceylon and Conde Uda to refer to the kingdom of Kandy (Conde). The name "Sinhalé" was used when Kandasamy was crowned "Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe". The 1815 treaty between the English and the `Adigars' of the Kandyian kingdom use the name Sinhalé therein. `Andra- Tamil' (andara demala, Telegu) was a language of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe's court, and as many as 1/3 of the Adigars (Chiefs) signed in Andra-Tamil. Rajasinha himself is presented as a cruel `Malabar Ruler' in the treaty. In modern parlance, the English were brought in by the Kandyans to establish "human Rights"!

Delegated rule and Colonial rule.
King Panduwas Dev (Pandukabhaya, 4 century BCE) had divided the country into three provinces, viz., Phiti rata or Raja rata, north of the Mahaweli Ganga and Daduru Oya, Rohana or Ruhuna being south of the Mahaweli and extending up to Kalu ganga, while Maya rata extended from the Kalu Ganga to Deduru oya. These kingdoms were governed by Yuvarajas (Viceroys) to whome power was delegated by the King. Th concept of "devolution" did not exist as there was no written constitution, as is the case even today in Britain. The vicedroys were subject to the King of the whole Island who also was gradually recognized as the protector of Buddhism, and guardian of the tooth relic of the Buddha. However, when ever the King of Lanka was weak, the three "kingdoms" functioned as quasi-independent units fighting each other for hegemony, often allying with Indian regional princes in the Chola, Pandyan or Northern India. The Hill country, or Malaya rata, and large parts of the wet zone effectively remained inaccessible to the ancients until steel implements became more common circa 10-12 century.
The Portuguese had captured most of the Western maritime provinces as well as areas near Gokanna, i.e., Trincomalee (named Triquillemele in De Queyroz) and Madakalapuwa, i.e., Batticaloa (Battacilow in William Broedelet's 1692 map). The Portuguese Captain Major Philippe de Oliveira had captured the Northern peninsula (Jaffnapatuna) and its ruler Sankili-II ( Cankili Kumaran) in 1619 CE. In this the Portuguese were supported by low-caste tamils who had been converted to Christianity already during the co-habitation of Sankili-I with the Portuguese. However, Mudliyar Attapattu who had been dispatched by the King of Kandy (Senerat) with an army of 10,000 defeated the the Portuguese soon after, as documented then by Joao Ribeiro and more recently by Tikiri Abeysinghe, (Jaffna under the Portuguese ISBN 955-1131-70-1). The Jaffna Peninsula was finally recaptured in 1621 from Sinhalese rule by the Portuguese General Constantino de Sa de Noronha.
Although Denmark had signed a treaty with the King of Kandy for building a fort in Batticaloa, the Dutch overcame them. The Dutch replaced the Portuguese as the Colonial power, due to events in Europe and as a consequence of treaties made by the Sinhalese king who hoped to use the Dutch to displace the Portuguese. The Dutch did not honour the treaties, tricked the king and in their hay day ruled most of the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka. With the rise of British power in the 18 to 19th century, the Dutch were replaced by the British as the colonial masters of the Dutch possessions, and finally the whole of Ceylon in 1815. The fall of the King of Kandy was due to intrigues among the ministers against a king who had become a harsh and suspicious ruler, as well as due to the actions of British envoys like O'Doyle who fanned the intrigues. The British signed a treaty with the Kandyan Adigars (minsters) handing over Sinhalé to the British in return for their guaranteeing various rights including the primacy of Buddhism. It soon became evident that the "Kandyan convention" was a sham which was not being respected by the British. The 1818 rebellion as well as other uprisings were brutally suppressed by the new British rulers using genocidal measures. The Kandyans were dispossessed of their land which was rapidly converted to coffee plantations, and subsequently to tea. Although the rulers did not introduce opium to control the subjects as they did in Burma and China, the British opened up taverns and introduced a culture of alcoholism in to a largely teetotal Buddhist and Hindu society. The British established five provinces in 1833, instead of the three kingdoms (Pihiti, Ruhuna and Maya) and a second-rung feudal hierarchy based on the Rata. The second rung of Aristocrats ("rate-maththayas") were supported against the upper rung (Adigars) by the British who wanted to split the Sinhalese ruling class. The ancient subdivisions known as Korales were largely retained. Later, these five provinces were extended to nine provinces.

Ethnicity and the North, East
Some relevant Literary works

In 1700 CE the population in te Jaffna Peninsula has been estimated to be about 30% Sinhalese, 40% Muslim and 30% Tamil by the English writer Captain Percival who lived in Jaffan at the begining of te 19th century. Captain Percival's account gives a detailed picture of the population in 1800 CE, with possibly a slight majority of Muslims. The demographic character of the Jaffna peninsula (JP, ancient Nagadeepa, Weligama of the `Sigiri Griffiti') changed dramatically since the 18th century, as recounted by Philip Baldeaus when some 10,000 slaves were initially brought in from Kerala, Malabar and Nagapattinam to set up the Tobacco plantations. The major land owners mentioned in the Dutch deeds (Tomes, or "thombu", nos: 3553-4404) in the mid 18th century are Vanigaratne Manamperi Mudliar, Seneviratne Kahanduwa Mudliar, Amarakone Mudliar, Ratnasinghe, Seeman Fernado and others. Their lands were taken over and ultimately fell into the hands of successful Malabar tobacco farmers some of whom had found favour with the colonial powers, as may be concluded from the Dutch Land deeds. The slaves (who were brought chained and with an iron ring - villa or Valayam- around their necks) had been freed of the ring (villa) and accepted as "free". An unsubstantiated claim asserts that they were known as "Villabhayas", "Villahala", and "Vellahalar". However, as they were already engaged in agriculture, it was easy to assimilate themselves to the Vellalar (வேளாளர்) caste, contributing to making this a majority caste, unlike what it is in Tamil Nadu where the vellalas are a minority. Many aspects of the rise of the landed Vellalar gentry of today can be gleaned from A genealogy of the residents of Manipey and related inhabitancies (re-edited by P. Tambimuttu, 1991). They became the leaders of the Tamil nationalist and separatist movement based on a land claim for an "Exclusive Tamil homeland" named Eelam in the North and Eastern provinces. Their place was usurped by the LTTE who assassinated the landed upper-caste Tamil political leaders. The historian K. M. de Silva has provided an excellent analysis of the false claims of the Tamil nationalists in The "traditional Homelands" of the Tamils: Separatist Ideology in Sri Lanka : a Historical Appraisal, ICES 1995. These land claims and a demand for maximum devolution continue to be the basis of the confrontaional poltics of Tamil nationalists while the Sinhala nationalists deman total hegemony even after the elimination of the LTTE in 2009.
The work of the British civil servant J. P. Lewis, A manual of the Vanni District, Ceylon states, Ceylon Civil Service also explains how the demographic character of JP changed, and how the Vanni population of Muslims and Sinhalese decreased dramatically in the 19th and early 20th century in favour of a Tamil speaking population. The ethnic cleansing of JP by the LTTE in the 1990s is well documented.

The 1948 declaration of Independence from the British was signed only in English, by the Duke of Gloucester and D. S. Senanayaka. In 1972 the name Ceylon was changed to `Sri Lanka' (English and Sinhala) and Ilankai (இலங்கை) in Tamil. The Tamil form `Thiru Ilankai' is not used.
Text of the 1815 Kandyan Convention, U-tube by Bandara.   Kandyan convention of 1815 by Wimalaratne, 2015

Origins of the Sinhala Language.
The origins of the Sinhala language are probably linked to the Magadhi of the Asokan (northern) Parkrit ( written in early-Brahmi script), and Pali, while Tamil is linked to a southern prakrit (with a very similar Brahmi script). However, the two forms of Brahmi, and their Prakrit forms are themselves close. Even the word "Dameda", or "Damila" (Dravidian) probably signified a geographic location (southern), i.e., south of the Vindyah mountains, as viewed by the northern Sanskrit writers. This was also the usage of Pali writers, and the first mention of tamils (as dameda), be it in India or Sri lanka, is in fact found in the Mahawamsa in its reference to Senaka and Guttika, two horse traders who became powerful enough to rule in the 3rd century BCE for a whole decade. The Sinhala ethnic identity probably did not evolve until the war between Dutu-Gamunu and Elara (circa 1st to 2nd century BCE). The Tamil ethnic identity did not arise until the early sangam period (this view seems to be held by I. Mahadevan). The existence of place-names like Nagarjuna konda (i,e., kanda, කන්ද, hill) in South India, and Sinhala-prakrit artifacts in South India imply that there was considerable cultural exchange across the Palk straits (Seth-Samudra yaaya මූදු යාව see discussion under Palk Strait). Nevertheless, the Palk straits shielded the Island sufficiently to create unique biological species, a unique "Sinhala language" (see James W. Gair and others) as possibly a local Tamil culture. Jayakumar, and also Mahadevan have discussed 2nd BCE Sinhala influences extending into South India itself. Prof. Karthigesu Indrapala's book (The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity , Chennai 2006) discusses the rise of ethnic identity among Tamils and suggests that there were small but significant Tamil settlements in ancient Lanka, especially at a number of maritime port cities or "patunas" (Pattanam).

Brahmi and Sinhala scripts, click below

Early Brahmi scripts: 3rd cen BCE to 1st cent CE/ Later Brahmi scripts: 2nd cent BCE to 4th cent CE/ Transitional Brahmi: 5th cent to 7th cent/ Medieval Sinhala Script: 8th cent to 13th cent/ 10-13th Cent. Magha Invasions,Oriya,Malayalam. Modern Sinhala: 12-14th cent and after, influence of Tamil, Telegu, and Western Languages. Tamil, Malayalam and an older Sinhala Na (න)are shown on the bottom right of the figure. (Figure, Courtesy of Prof. Anand M. Sharan, Memorial University, NFd, Canada)

Story of Brahmi Script. A presentation from Manipal University, India ;  : Nothern Brahmi ;   Southern Brahmi.
The early scripts with linear strokes were used on stone or pottery. As writing on palm leaves (Ola leaves) became prevalent the script form was modified to curves as palm leaves were easily torn by straight cuts. Sanskrit books ("grantha") were written in such curved letters and the script form became known also as the "grantha script". It was adopted into Dravidian languages as well, when ola-leaf books came into use.

Modification of place names on contact with a neighbouring language.
see J.Royal Asiatic Soc. (Sri Lanka) article, 2023 entitled: Interactions of the Sinhala language with Dravidian languages, considered within the "linguistic Area" (Sprachbund) concept.
M. B. Emeneau. (1953). Dravidian Kinship Terms. Language, 29(3), 339–353

The modification of place names, viz., sinhalization of Tamil names, or tamilization of Sinhala place names is to be expected. However, this concept has become a politcal burden to nationalist groups who make the claim of "exclusive traditonal homelands" that have existed since antiquity. However, the examination of such modification of placenames in another geographic location other than one's own may mitigate some of these nationalist misgivings. For instance, we may examine the interaction of Telugu and Tamil in the area of Madras (original name: 'Muthraasa patinam') in the context of 'Chennai', a tamilized Telugu name. Here we quote the Telugu scholar Subrahmaniyam Maripudi:

" Chennai has no meaning in Tamil except sounding similar to another Tamil word 'Chen'. This name of the erstwhile Madras city is eponymous with the name of a local Telugu chieftain called 'Daamera Chennappa Naayakudu' under whose rule the area fell and who ceded the area to the British. 'Chennappa' means Lord Chennakesava Swamy who is widely worshipped in the Southern Andhra Pradesh. Likewise, the family of the said Chennappa Naayakudu must have been devotees of the god.
It was for this reason that the city was referred to as 'Chennappa Puri' (చెన్నప్పపురి) or Chennapuri (చెన్నపురి) or Chennapatnam (చెన్నపట్నం) in old Telugu literature. and used to have a huge Telugu population so much that - at one point the Tamils are said to have toyed with the idea of making Madurai their capital. Even now Chennai boasts of a Telugu population of respectable size though they amicably mingle with the Tamils.
The words with the terminal 'a' in Telugu end in 'ai' in Tamil. The suffix 'appa' was removed from the name 'Chennappa' and the remaining 'Chenna' was given a new morphological avatar as 'Chennai’. It is just one of the several Tamilized Telugu names in Madras like 'Nageswara Rao' Street which was subsequently changed into 'Nageswaran' Street. Other Telugu place names in Chennai include 'Washermanpet' which was originally known as 'Chaakalipeta' (చాకలిపేట). Similarly the locality called ‘Veyyi Dheepaala’ (వెయ్యి దీపాల) which is now known a s 'Thousand Lights'. Also 'Sowcarpet' which the Telugus used to call ‘Shaavukaaru Peta’. (షావుకారుపేట)
As for the name of the metropolis, as an old-timer, I personally prefer neither 'Chennapuri' nor 'Chennai' but love to go with the sweet old name of Madras. Any name other than this fails to faithfully capture the sophistication and cosmopolitanism of this great city. Besides I do not consider the name Madras alien, for the word is purely of native origin despite its seemingly European getup, having been derived from ‘Muttharaaja Patnam’ (ముత్తరాజ పట్నం) or Muthraasa Patnam (ముత్రాస పట్నం)."

Caste, race and ethnicity
It should be noted that race or ethnicity , as understood today was of little consequence in ancient times, when it was the caste that was most important. The Brahma was believed to have created "castes" and not ethnicities. Thus kings always married other "Kshatriyas", irrespective of ethnicity. The Vijaya legend says that he sent off Kuveni, his first Lankan queen and got himself a Kshathriya queen from Madura. The name "Ku-veni", or "koo-varni" means "dark-coloured". Instead, Vijaya got himself a "fair-skinned" north Indian princes from Madura. This may confuse some since Madura became a part of the Chola kingdom, and that Vijaya called for a Chola princess after rejecting Kuveni. In reality, many south Indian kings sought North Indian brides as they were fair-skinned. The females of the court of Madura were most likely to be from North India. The story of Pandukabhaya suggests that the lineage of the queens of Vijaya and Pandukabhaya were related to the Sakyas clan, i.e., the same clan a s that of Prince Gauthama. Furthermore, the ruling class in Madurai in the 5th century to 1st BCE were more likely North Indian Rajas linked to the Mauryas. The Sakya clan was also close to the Kirat people.

Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist ancient Lanka
The pre-Buddhist people of Lanka may have been even North Indian Kirat-Yakkas, or other unknown groups. Yakka place-names like Alavakkaisirukkulam attest to this. Totemistic tribes who worshiped the image of the serpent, the Nagas have left their history in many place names like Nallur, i.e., "Nak-(p)ur", and in "God Natha", absorbed in to Buddhism and Hinduism as well. The various Dravidian peoples who lived just across the Palk straits, as well as many other peoples who sailed on the silk route must have become residents in the Island, largely in the Manthota area, the Northern sea route, and ports on the maritime regions right round the Island. The name Ra-vana, usually attributed to a specific legendary king who appears as the Villain in the Ramayana, surely is a generic name meaning Raj of the Vana or "king of the forest" equivalent to the Elu form Raa-vanaa", or Ravana. Hence the "Ravana" of the Ramayana is simply a forest king who resided in the Vanni. If he were a Dravidian ethnic, his name would have been Kattukolan, KattuRajan or some such equivalent old-Tamil form rather than a name typical of Asokan prakrit.

Asokan Brahmi (closest to what may be called Sinhala Prakrit) script has been found in the 3rd century BCE stone inscriptions of Sri Lanka. The study of toponyms also shows the cultural closeness of these two language groups (Tamil prakrit and Sinhala prakrit), immensely influenced by Sanskrit (in this document we use the name 'Sanskrit' to include all proto-forms related to the language of the Rig Veda, and not just the systematized form dating after Panini). The North and East of Sri Lanka were populated by people who were largely Sinhala-speaking Buddhists till about the 12th century. The place names in the whole country were mostly Sinhala names. South Indian invasions led to a gradual modification of the original place names which acquired a Tamil garb, as stated by many scholars like Paul E. Peries, Horsburg, J. P. Lewis, S. Paranavitana, Dr. K. Inthirapala, Ven. E. Medhananda and others. K. Velu Pillai Yalpana Vaibhava Kaumudi Britto-edition gives a discussion of Sinhala place names in Jaffna.

Buddhism flourished in South India during the time of Buddhagosha (author of Visuddhi-magga); and Lanka too had Buddhist Tamils as a small but important minority, with many of them resident in Anuradhapura.   Read also Tamil Buddhists in Ancient Jaffna?

A rich tapestry of place names.
Here we focus on the old Sinhala names of the tamilized Place names in the North and East. The existence of multiple place-names for a given location testifies to the rich cultural tapestry of the nation. This centralized list and maps would make it convenient for writers, artists, scientists, engineers, politicians - anyone- to use the Sinhala names when ever this is appropriate, in an entirely voluntary manner, thus helping to maintain and revive the increasingly forgotten cultural heritage of the country.
Read more details.

The existence of place names in both languages attests to the easy co-existence and close cultural affinity of these two communities which lived in peace. This can be true of the whole country, even today, when ethnically biased programs and racist politics are defeated.

The claim of an exclusively Tamil, "Traditional Homeland", or a "Tamil Kingdom ", initiated officially by the 1949 Maradana resolution of the Ilankai Arasu Kadchi has been the most serious threat to this. See
• Michael Roberts: Tamil nationalism: Journal of South Asian Studies, n.s., Vol.XXVII, no.1, April 2004
• G. Iriyagolla: Tamil claims to Land, Fact and Fiction
• Document Issued by the Embassy of Sri Lanka, Washington, D. C. 2008
• A journalistic compendium on the "Mythical Jaffna Kingdom" - by an unknown Sinhalese author.
• "Right to reclaim" articles by Lt. Cmdr. Hemachandra Part I   Part II   Part III   part IV   part V  
• How did the tiny Jaffna kingdom evolve into a larger Tamil homeland? by Johnpulle