by Wimal Patabandige – Academician, Lawyer, Retired Solicitor translated by Shenali D Waduge

There is no difference in not knowing one’s mother tongue or history or choosing to forget one’s history or ridiculing one’s heritage & not wishing to know one’s parents & their ancestor’s history & heritage. So says, Wimal Patabandige. This aptly fits the cap to a rising number of youth & adults who shy from even speaking in their mother tongue.  History was dropped from the school syllabus in 1965. The students who studied Ceylon history, Indian history and European history as three broad subjects, from then on had one subject called Ceylon history and Indian history or Ceylon history and European history. After 1970, history became plugged into social studies”. From the time, Sri Lanka’s politicians began to declare ‘can we eat history’, the country’s history began to be eaten! 

The plan to create a separate state based on communal divide has been happening since 1948. Both North-East face claims for mono-ethnic territory. A fake history is being created because the citizens are unaware of the true history of the island & in particular the 2 provinces.

There is little doubt & historians too admit that there was no permanent Tamil settlement in the island before the 13th century when Tamil Dravidians arrived from South India to settle down in Sri Lanka. These facts are well known and taught by scholars & history professors.

Historical data reveals how & when Dravidian/Tamils settled in Eastern province. Students of history must examine historical facts & their opinions must be based on facts. If an opinion is not based on facts it is only a figment of one’s imagination. 

The facts needed are:

1.    Whether a permanent Tamil settlement existed  

2.    That the majority of the people living in the North East were ethnic Tamils. 

3.    That there was a Tamil polity which united these regions

4.    Whether Northern and Eastern provinces were united as a prominent Tamil land as some are trying to project  - did such a situation exist since the 13th century.

Since no specific area is named, first we have to identify what is the "area very close to the north".

The Northern Province, was created in 1833 by including the Nuwarakalavia District of the Sinhalese Kingdom (present-day Anuradhapura District* and the present-day Mullaitivu District, which included a large portion of land belonging to the Kurundugamurata District between the eastern boundary of the Vanni District and the coastal boundary). An area that belonged to the Kurundugamuruta District in the North-East and the Tamankaduwa District (currently Polonnaru District*) were included in the Eastern Province.

Accordingly, the British created southern boundary of the northern province remained until 1873 and part of northern boundary of the present Matale District and the northern boundary of the Eastern Province.

Also, Tamankaduwa District (present-day Polonnaru District* belonged to the Eastern Province.

In 1873, Anuradhapura District (Nuwarakalavia*) was removed from the Northern Province and the boundaries were changed and the Northern Province was re-created.

Polonnaru District (Tamankaduwa*) was removed from the Eastern Province and Anuradhapura District (Nuwarakalavia*) was added to form the North Central Province.

After 1873, the southern boundary of the Northern Province became the southern boundary of the Vanni region. That is the northern limit of the North Central Province and the northern limit of the Eastern Province. What is important to note is that there was no such provincial division in the island before the British partition in 1833.

According to the provincial boundaries created by the British, it is not possible to conclude precisely what is the "area very close to the north" referred to as homeland”!

The idea given was about 5 centuries before the creation of the provinces, i.e. 13th century, "North" probably refered to the northern boundary of the Vanniyya adjacent to Yapapatuna (the Jaffna Peninsula* and Kilali Lagoon).

The British colonial rulers created the Northern and Eastern Provinces in 1873, though not "predominant", but at least the area between Yapapatuna (Jaffna Peninsula* southern border, the southern border of the Kilali Lagoon and the northern border of the present Eastern Province (Kurundugamurata) to have been connected as a common Dravidian region Permanent settlement of Dravidian/Tamil people in the district* and the southern border of the Eastern Province (up to Kumbuk Oya*).

Historical information and archaeological evidence relating to these areas from the beginning of the 13th century (1201-1300 AD*) will certainly reveal this.

The idea presented that the Dravidian/Tamil people left their homeland, the Dravidian land of South India, with the specific aim of settling permanently in the area which was a constant battlefield until the last few decades of the 13th century, cannot be one that has carefully considered the historical facts.

Since the 13th century, only the native Sinhalese Buddhists stood up against the foreign and foreign threats to this area. There is no mention of a section of Tamil people who stood up against the invaders.

There is plenty of archaeological evidence to confirm this area was under control of the Sinhalese during the Anuradhapura, Polonnaru, Dambadeni, Gampola, Seethawaka, Kotte and Sengkadagala kingdom era until 1815 and was the birthplace of traditional Sinhala Buddhists. The official records and reports of the British themselves admit to colonizing these areas with Tamils from South India. After the Sinhalese rebelled against the British in 1848, British Governor Torrington wrote just as the Malabar Dravidians were settled in Jaffna, they are ready to settle the Malabar Dravidians in the Eastern Province”.

Let it not be forgotten that the North-East territory and a large part of the South-East* territory was also the territory of the Eastern Province. (We cannot look at present demarcation to envisage the historical territory in the past) Eastern Province included a large area from the ancient Kurundugamurata District (a large area belonging to present-day Mullaitivu District*), the Tamankaduwa District (Pollonnaru District*) and the Kumbuk Oya (Kumbukkan Aru*) which included the ancient Digamadulla. This area including Mullaitivu area was under the control of the Sinhalese state before 1833.

The British colonialists created the provinces and administrative districts we currently use, not based on historical, geographical or sociological factors. 

This is why, it is essential to consider the land between Yapapatune (Jaffna Peninsula* southern boundary and the northern boundary of the present Eastern Province) which existed until 1833.

a small strip of land in the north-east  is connected to  the mainland of the southern border of the Jaffna Peninsula by the Kilali Lagoon. The area adjacent to the southern boundary is the Vanni area.

Mullaitivu District (Kurudugamurata District*), which is located in the north-eastern part of the island, was included in the Vanni area during the division of the provinces.

That area is adjacent to the Tirikunamala district of the Eastern Province. The terrain of this area. Prior to the year 1833, the nearest land between Yapapatuna (Jaffna Peninsula*) and the Eastern Province was the land belonging to Kurundugamurata District (Mulathivu District*). The historical information and archeological factors related to this idea should also be considered.

https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2023/08/08/උතුර-සහ-නැගෙනහිර-බැඳීම-1/ 

Part 1 – translated by Shenali D Waduge