History of Eastern Tamils facts for kids
The history of the Eastern Tamils in Sri Lanka comes from old stories, local writings, and records from colonial times. Sri Lankan Tamils are grouped into Northern, Eastern, and Western types based on their culture, how they speak (dialects), and other traditions. Eastern Tamils live in a part of Sri Lanka that includes the Trincomalee District, Batticalo District, and Ampara District.
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First Settlements in Eastern Sri Lanka
Scientists have found signs of early settlements in Sri Lanka that are similar to those in the Tamil Nadu region of India. These include burial sites at Pomparippu on the west coast and Kathiraveli on the east coast. These sites, where people were buried in large stone structures called megalithic tombs, date back to between 200 BC and 200 AD.
We don't know exactly when ethnic Tamils first settled in Sri Lanka. However, many early settlements happened after repeated invasions from South India between the 1st and 13th centuries. During this time, Tamil kings supported the Tamil Saivite culture (a type of Hinduism) in the east. This helped the Tamil community grow in the area. By the 6th century, a special boat route was used to reach the Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee and the Thirukkovil temple in Batticaloa.
It wasn't until the 13th century that a strong Tamil Hindu kingdom clearly emerged in the Jaffna Peninsula. This kingdom had a Hindu king and a palace. This happened after the older Sinhala kingdoms in the Dry Zone collapsed. By the 11th and 12th centuries, the northern part of the eastern province already had a large Tamil community.
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Eastern Tamils had a system of local leaders. The Ur Podiyar led villages, and the Kudi system managed social interactions. They also had political leaders called Vannimai chiefs, who were loosely under the Kandyan kingdom. The most important social group was the Mukkuvar. They originally came from South India and invaded Sri Lanka many times. Old Sinhalese writings like the Kokila Sandeśa and the Mukkara Hatana mention these invasions. One local story about how people settled in eastern Sri Lanka is called Mattakallappu Manmiam.
Local Stories and History
The Mattakallappu Manmiyam is a story mainly from the Mukkuvar people's point of view about how they settled the Batticaloa District. It also explains the names of places from their perspective and mixes legends with historical facts. The language used in the Manmiam shows that it was written by many different authors over a long time.
According to the Manmiam, the Mukkuvars came from the Pandya Kingdom in what is now Tamil Nadu state in India. After arriving in the east, they set up seven main villages. Once they were settled, they had conflicts with another group of fishing people called the Thimilar. Thimilar are found in both the east and north of Sri Lanka. Their main settlement was called Thimilathivu, which the Manmiam says had a fort. They also lived in a good fishing village called Valaikattiravu, where the Thimilar caught many fish using nets. (Valai (வலை) means "net" in Tamil). The Manmiam tells how these fishing conflicts eventually led to a big fight for the Thimilar.
With help from another group from India called the Pattaniar, who are believed to be Muslim traders from South India, the Mukkuvars defeated the Thimilar. They chased them away to Verugal, a village on the border between the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.
Some village names seem to be reminders of this war. A village near modern Batticaloa town is called Sathurukondan, which in Tamil means "a place where enemies were killed." A place where the warriors who chased the Thimilar came back victorious and met together is called Santhiwelli. A place where warriors rested and celebrated their victory was called Vanthaarumoolai, where the Eastern University of Sri Lanka is located today.
The place where the Mukkuvar settled the Muslims who helped them prevent the Thimilar from returning is called Eravoor. This name comes from Erathu (meaning "prevent re-immigrant") and Oor (meaning "place or village"). Today, Eravoor is a town with a Muslim majority within the Batticaloa district.
Other social groups, like the Vellalar, have their own stories about how they came to settle in the east. Vellalar believe they are descendants of soldiers of Kalinga Magha, who ruled from 1215 to 1236 and invaded Sri Lanka. Interestingly, he is also thought to have helped create the Jaffna Kingdom in the North, according to the Yalpana Vaipava Malai and other experts. Magha was an invader from what is now Orissa state in India. He recruited his soldiers from South India. Sri Lankan writings say his invasion was a main reason why the older Sinhala kingdoms in the Dry Zone failed.
Another social group called Seerpadar has been a minority. However, their traditional way of thinking has influenced the Vellala and similar groups.
Different Origins of Eastern Tamils
From old stories and legends, we can see that the people who created the first Tamil settlements in Sri Lanka, especially in the east, came not only from the Tamil Nadu region of South India but also from the Kerala coast.
See also
- Batticaloa Territory
- Mattakallappu Manmiyam
