A friend of mine had recently sent me an article appeared in Time news paper published in UK. The subject of discussion in the article is archeology in Sri Lanka and controversies around the subject. As widely known the UK has been a staunch supporter of the secessionist agenda of Eelamist in Sri Lanka and abroad. So it is highly unlikely that an article appeared in a news paper in UK would give a picture about Sri Lanka not tuning to the whims and fancies of Eelamists. As can obviously be expected it gives a distorted version of the true picture. Here the writer has made all his effort to support the bogus Tamil Ealam theory with his own imaginations, interpretations as well as "expert comments" from Eelamists. As has been the common knowledge to many so called "home land" theory of Tamils is a creation of power hungry elite Vel-lla Tamil politicians of Jaffna in order to meet their political aspirations.
With Sri Lankan forces liberating the entire north and east from fascist LTTE terrorists the new fear has emerged in the minds of Eelamists: the exposure of archeological sites especially in north to the Department of Archeology. (These sites had been out of bound for the Department for a long period of time). Whenever the Eelamists sense that signs are around to challenge their bogus history their well oiled propaganda machine is activated working at its top gear as can be witnessed this time around with a renewed vigor. They do their best to prevent the so called mythical "homeland" theory from being shattered.
The archeological remains have been one of the main sources of evidence to unearth the true history of Sri Lanka. These evidences are accurately corroborated by the descriptions mentioned in chronicles such as Mahavamsa, Deepawamsa and Chulawamsa etc. These sources amply prove the existence of a flouring Sinhala civilization in north and east of the country for more than two and half millennia with more than 2000 Buddhist archeological sites so far being identified in North and East. A vast number of them have been destroyed by Tamil chauvinists while a significant number of them have been turned into Hindu Kovils. In some places where the sites are so prominent due to their sheer size, making it impossible to destroy entirely, Tamil villages have been set up around the places with the support of Eelam supportive INGOs in order to claim that Tamil community lived there from "time immemorial". E.g. Thiriyaya in North of Trincomalee.
The decline of Sinhalese presence in the NE began with the invasions from South India and subsequently Sinhalese migration to the Southern part of the country in great numbers with the arrival of colonial powers who brought a large number of South Indians for agricultural purposes especially for the tobacco cultivation.
Apart from the archeological evidences, the original Sinhalese place names ( now Tamilinised) have also been one of the main sources to shatter the bogus Tamil history in Sri Lanka as claimed by the Tamil scholars themselves.
To name a few as examples: "Vavniya"-Vavnimava , "Thamplakamam"- Thmbalagamuwa, "Killinochchi" –Giraanikke or Kilinike," "Mullaitivu" -Mooladoova, "Velikamam" –Veligama, "Chunnakam" –Hunugama, "Kanthrodai"- Kadurugoda, "Kambrupiddi"- Kumburupitiya," Illupikavai" -Meepathota or "Madhupatheetha of the Mahavamsa, "Poonareen" -Punranna, "Elephant Pass" -Alimankada, "Paranthan" -Puranthaenna, "Iranamadu" -Ranamaduva, "Puthukudirippu" -Aluthkulissa, "Palaamattalan" -Palaamassla, "Aluthmassala" –Puthumattalan ," Vellamullivaikkal"- Vael-butu-gala and "Vellankulam"- Bellanvila. ( Aluth (new ) in Tamil is Puthu)
Even Tamil writers have contributed to the view that the Jaffna Peninsula was originally inhabited by the Sinhalese people from the 6th Century BC up to the Portuguese Period. Rev. S. Gnana Praksar, O.M.I., has said: "Mr. Horsburgh's article on Sinhalese Place Names in the Jaffna Peninsula [C.A. Vol. 11 Part 1, pp54-58] places beyond doubt the fact of "a Sinhalese occupation of the Jaffna Peninsula antecedent to the Tamil period". Mudaliyar C. Rasnayagam says "That Jaffna was occupied by the Sinhalese earlier than by the Tamils as is seen not only in the place names of Jaffna but also in the habits and customs of the people. The system of branding cattle with the communal brand by which not only the caste but also the position and family of the owner could be traced, was peculiarly Sinhalese. The very ancient way of wearing the hair in the form of a konde behind the head, was very common among the people of Jaffna till very recent times" (Ancient Jaffna, p. 384).
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