Naga people of Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
The Nāka people were the aboriginal inhabitants of Sri Lanka
who ruled Nagadeepa or Nāka Nadu - the coastal districts of mostly Western and Northern Ceylon, particularly the Jaffna peninsula
from the 6th century BCE to 3rd century CE
. They also inhabited the coasts of the early Chola
and early Pandyan kingdoms
of Tamilakam.
Nāka people were snake-worshippers, a Dravidian custom, and spoke Tamil
based on Ptolemy's description of the Nāka people. They also likely spoke Prakrit
, a language of the school of Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
with which the early Tamils of Jaffna had strong cultural relations during the classical period. The Nākas were an offshoot of the Kerala
Nayar
community, at that time the Chera kingdom
of ancient Tamilakam
. The interchangeable names Nāyar and Nāka or Naga, meaning Cobra or Serpent were applied to and self described by these snake-worshiping people from classical antiquity. The word Nāka was sometimes written in early inscriptions as Nāya, as in Nāyanika - this occurs in the Nanaghat inscription of 150 BCE. Archaeological excavations and studies provide evidence of palaeolithic inhabitation in the Jaffna and Kerala region. The findings include Nāka idols and suggest that serpent worship
was widely practised in the Kerala region during the megalithic period.
The Nākas lived among the Yakkha, Raksha and Deva
in Ceylon according to the Manimekhalai and Mahavamsa. Cobra worship, Tamil speech and Keralan cuisine
extant in Sri Lankan Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Nāka's Tamil heritage. Most Sri Lankan Tamil people consider themselves to be descendants of the Nāka people.
Sangam literature
details how the ancient Tamil people were divided into five clans (Kudi) based on their profession during the Sangam period, where the Nāka clan, who were incharge of border security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the Coromandel Coast
- South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka. The name Nāka as either a corrupted version of the word Nayanar or may have been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities. The rulers and society of Nāka-Tivu and Nāka-Nadu, meaning Nāka island (Tivu) or country (Nadu) are described in the Vallipuram
gold plate inscriptions and the Manimekalai
for many centuries. H. Parker, a British historian and author of "Ancient Ceylon" considers the Nāka to be an offshoot of the Nayars
of Kerala Ancient Sri Lankan history book Mahavamsa
mentions a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka. The Manimekhalai and archaeological inscriptions refer to the Chola
-Naka alliance and intermarriange being the progenitor of the Pallava Dynasty of Tamilakam.
The ancient Nainativu Nagabhooshini Amman Kovil and the famous Naga Risa Nila Kovil of Tenavaram, Tevan Turai
were some of their greatest cultural and architectural contributions to the island.
, and was known as Eela-Mandalam
Thamiram porunai
- the land of gold near the river of copper coloured toddy trees. Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and early Sangam literature
from the 3rd century BCE-4th century CE illustrate that a section of the island, known as Nāka-Tivu or Nāka-Nadu at the time, was autonomously ruled by local kings (Ko) in the northern peninsula with capitals and emporiums at Mantai
, Kadiramalai and Vallipuram
. Among the chiefdoms of this land were inhabitants that proliferated serpent worship before the common era.
Early Tamil literary works such as Kaliththokai
mentions that many Tamil Naga tribes such as Maravar
, Eyinar, Oliar, Oviar, Aruvalur and Parathavar migrated to the Pandyan kingdom and started living there in the Third Tamil
Sangam period 2000 years ago. The Karaiyar
tribe of these Tamils were coast-residing sea faring people and the oldest settlers of the Coromandel Coast and the coasts of Sri Lanka. The Ketheeswaram temple
of Maanthai was built by this clan in the classical period. There is a reference to the town Naka Nakar in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions belonging to 200 BCE, which is believed to be denoting Kadiramalai. An early copper coin discovered at Uduththurai port carries the name Naka bumi in Tamil, referring to the Naka Dynasty of the North. Ptolemy in his first century map of Taprobane mentions Nagadiboi. By the time Buddhism had reached Tamilakam, the twin epics of ancient Tamil Nadu Silappatikaram (1st century CE) and Manimekalai
(3rd century CE) were written, speaking of Nāka Nadu across the sea from Kaveripoompuharpattinam
, and their civilization which was even more sumptuous than those of the Cheras
, the Cholas
and the Pandyas
. Manimekalai speaks of the great Nāka king Valai Vanan and his queen Vdcamayilai who ruled the prosperous Nāka Nadu with great splendour and a rich Tamil Buddhist
tradition. Their daughter, the princess Pilli Valai had a liaison at Nainativu islet with the early Chola king Killivalavan
; out of this union was born Prince Tondai Eelam Thiraiyar, who historians note was the early progenitor of the Pallava Dynasty. He went on to rule Tondai Nadu
from Kanchipuram
. Nainativu was referred to as Manipallavam in ancient Tamil literature following this union. Royals of the Chola-Nāka lineage would go onto rule other territory of the island, Nagapattinam
and Tondai Nadu of Tamilakam. The Talagunda
inscriptions of Kadamba Kakusthavarma
also refer to the coastal Thiraiyar tribe as forming from this Chola-Nāka alliance. The Oliyar, Parathavar, Maravar
and Eyinar are all Nāka tribes. Ptolemy mentions in 150 CE that King Sornagos, a descendant of this lineage, ruled from the early Chola capital of Uraiyur during this time. Kaveripoompuharpattinam received many adulatory comparisons to the Nāka capital Kanderodai (Kadiramalai) in the classical period.
Cīttalai Cāttanār
, the author of the Manimekalai reflected Tamilakam
's perception at the time that Nāka Nadu was an autonomous administrative entity, kingdom or nadu stretching across coastal districts, distinguished from the rest of the island also ruled intermittently by Tamil kings; Eela or Irattina Tivu-Nadu. Naka Nadu included Mantai
in the northwest, Thirukonamalai
in the northeast and Mahavillachi
in the middle of the island. The socioeconomic structure of this nation was built around its oceanic trade and agriculture, the inner trade and trade with the kingdoms of Tamilakam, Rome
, Greece
, Egypt
, Kalinga
and the far east
being the mainstay of its economy.
It was from the Naka people that the Aryans first learnt the art of writing; hence Sanskrit letters to this day are known as Deva-nagari
.
describe the Nagas as super natural beings whose natural form was a serpent, but they could assume any a form at will. The Mahavamsa also mentions that Buddha visited Sri Lanka on three occasions. On the second occasion Lord Buddha visited Nagadipa in 581 BCE to resolve a conflict between the Naga kings (Chulodara and Mahodara) in Kelaniya
(Near present day Colombo
) and Wadenawagallaf (formerly Seven
Korles) over a jem-set throne of gold. Eleven years in Ceylon. Comprising sketches of the field sports and natural history of that colony, and an account of its history and antiquities".
Buddhists, folklore
and superstition
. For example cobras are associated with the incarnation of dead people who guard Buddhist temples, bo trees, and hidden treasures It is considered bad karma among the Sinhalese to kill a cobra. Muchilinda, the serpent who protected Buddha
from the rain, and Naga statues are used as guardians in the portals of buddhist shrines.
Similarly, Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus since ancient times have regard the Cobra as a divine being by the passing down of Naga traditions and believes. Further cobra can be found entwining itself round the neck of the supreme Hindu god Shiva
as serpent king Vasuki
. Cobras can also be found in images of Lord Vishnu.
But Hindus do not worship cobras or have Cobra temples.
The Sri Lankan Tamils are the only Hindu population in the world to have Cobra Temples and worship Cobras to this day.
This shows that Cobra worship is a traditional practice specially practiced by the Sri Lankan Tamil population rather than a religious practice.
There are many Naga temples in India and many Hindu families are descended from Nagavanshis. The Nairs, Nayaks, Bunts are all snake worshipping people. Nair families have sarpa kavus in their tharavads(ancestral house),the same applies for Bunts and most of the royal families of Kerala and Tulunadu.
, Sri Lanka
is considered by some (Such as Author, Mudaliyar C. Rajanayagam) to have been built by the Nagas based on the extensive ruins and the presence of villages with surrounding the port with Naga name (e.g. Nagarkulam, Nagathazhvu and Sirunagarkulam).
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
who ruled Nagadeepa or Nāka Nadu - the coastal districts of mostly Western and Northern Ceylon, particularly the Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
from the 6th century BCE to 3rd century CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. They also inhabited the coasts of the early Chola
Early Cholas
The Early Cholas of the pre and post Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country. Their early capitals were Urayur and Kaveripattinam...
and early Pandyan kingdoms
Early Pandyan Kingdom
The Early Pandyas of the Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country, the other two being the Cholas and the Cheras. As with many other kingdoms around this period , most of the information about the Early Pandyas come to us mainly through literary sources and...
of Tamilakam.
Nāka people were snake-worshippers, a Dravidian custom, and spoke Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
based on Ptolemy's description of the Nāka people. They also likely spoke Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
, a language of the school of Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh
Amaravathi is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for its Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the famous Pancharamas. Amaravati, also known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota was the site of a...
with which the early Tamils of Jaffna had strong cultural relations during the classical period. The Nākas were an offshoot of the Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
Nayar
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
community, at that time the Chera kingdom
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
of ancient Tamilakam
Tamilakam
' refers to the classical era territory of old South Indian royalties covering modern Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Tamil Eelam and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka.; In an academic context, Tamilakam is used to refer to these territories as a single cultural area, where Tamil was the natural...
. The interchangeable names Nāyar and Nāka or Naga, meaning Cobra or Serpent were applied to and self described by these snake-worshiping people from classical antiquity. The word Nāka was sometimes written in early inscriptions as Nāya, as in Nāyanika - this occurs in the Nanaghat inscription of 150 BCE. Archaeological excavations and studies provide evidence of palaeolithic inhabitation in the Jaffna and Kerala region. The findings include Nāka idols and suggest that serpent worship
Snake worship
The worship of serpent deities is present in several old cultures, particularly in religion and mythology, where snakes were seen as entities of strength and renewal.-Hindu mythology:...
was widely practised in the Kerala region during the megalithic period.
The Nākas lived among the Yakkha, Raksha and Deva
Deva people of Sri Lanka
The Dewa are a mythical people of Sri Lanka according to the Sanskrit epics.According to the Mahavamsa and Ramayana they lived among the Naga, Yakkha and Raskha.They ousted their arch enemies the Raskha from Sri Lanka, with the help of Lord Vishnu....
in Ceylon according to the Manimekhalai and Mahavamsa. Cobra worship, Tamil speech and Keralan cuisine
Cuisine of Kerala
The cuisine of Kerala is linked in all its richness to the history, geography, demography and culture of the land. Kerala cuisine has a multitude of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish, poultry and meat.-Ingredients:...
extant in Sri Lankan Tamil culture from the classical period attests to the Nāka's Tamil heritage. Most Sri Lankan Tamil people consider themselves to be descendants of the Nāka people.
Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
details how the ancient Tamil people were divided into five clans (Kudi) based on their profession during the Sangam period, where the Nāka clan, who were incharge of border security guarding the city wall and distant fortresses, inhabited the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
- South Tamil Nadu, East Tamil Nadu and North Sri Lanka. The name Nāka as either a corrupted version of the word Nayanar or may have been applied to this community due to their head covering being the shape of a hydra-headed cobra in reverence to their serpentine deities. The rulers and society of Nāka-Tivu and Nāka-Nadu, meaning Nāka island (Tivu) or country (Nadu) are described in the Vallipuram
Vallipuram
Vallipuram was an ancient capital of Northern Kingdoms of Sri Lanka. Point Pedro is the nearest town. Vallipuram is a part of Thunnalai.This place is settled by migrants from a town called Vallipuram near Namakkal which is near Coimbatore. Naga names are found in India. Nagpur, Nagar Kovil,...
gold plate inscriptions and the Manimekalai
Manimekalai
Manimekalai or Maṇimekalai , written by the Tamil Buddhist poet Seethalai Saathanar is one of the masterpieces of Tamil literature. It is considered to be one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. Manimekalai is a poem in 30 cantos...
for many centuries. H. Parker, a British historian and author of "Ancient Ceylon" considers the Nāka to be an offshoot of the Nayars
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
of Kerala Ancient Sri Lankan history book Mahavamsa
Mahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
mentions a dispute between two Naga kings in northern Sri Lanka. The Manimekhalai and archaeological inscriptions refer to the Chola
Early Cholas
The Early Cholas of the pre and post Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country. Their early capitals were Urayur and Kaveripattinam...
-Naka alliance and intermarriange being the progenitor of the Pallava Dynasty of Tamilakam.
The ancient Nainativu Nagabhooshini Amman Kovil and the famous Naga Risa Nila Kovil of Tenavaram, Tevan Turai
Dondra Head
Dondra Head is a cape on the extreme southern tip of Sri Lanka, in the Indian Ocean, near the small town of Dondra near Galle, Southern Province, Sri Lanka...
were some of their greatest cultural and architectural contributions to the island.
History
Sri Lanka was an extension of the Indian subcontinent for at least 800,000 years of the last one million years, when the sea level was lower than it is at present. Sri Lanka and India were part of one (land) mass, linked by a land bridge. It was estimated that the sea level could have dropped on at least 17 occasions in the last 700,000 years, resulting in the creation of a land connection. The last separation from India would have occurred about 7,000 years ago. It was, therefore, possible that humans were present in Sri Lanka at least as early as one million years ago.Origins
Early sources indicate that Ceylon was an extension of the Early Pandyan KingdomEarly Pandyan Kingdom
The Early Pandyas of the Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country, the other two being the Cholas and the Cheras. As with many other kingdoms around this period , most of the information about the Early Pandyas come to us mainly through literary sources and...
, and was known as Eela-Mandalam
Eelam
Eelam also spelled Eezham, Ilam or Izham in English is the native Tamil name for the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Eelam is also a name for the spurge , toddy and gold. The exact etymology and the original meaning of the word are not clearly known, although there are number of...
Thamiram porunai
Thamirabarani River
The Thamirabarani River originates from the famous Agastyarkoodam peak in the hills of the Western Ghats above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk and flows through Tirunelveli & Tuticorin districts of the Tamil Nadu state of southern India...
- the land of gold near the river of copper coloured toddy trees. Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and early Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
from the 3rd century BCE-4th century CE illustrate that a section of the island, known as Nāka-Tivu or Nāka-Nadu at the time, was autonomously ruled by local kings (Ko) in the northern peninsula with capitals and emporiums at Mantai
Mannar
Mannar may refer to:* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India* Mannar, Kaduthuruthy,a town in Kottayam district, Kerala, India* Mannar, Sri Lanka, a town in northern Sri Lanka* Mannar District, a district in Sri Lanka...
, Kadiramalai and Vallipuram
Vallipuram
Vallipuram was an ancient capital of Northern Kingdoms of Sri Lanka. Point Pedro is the nearest town. Vallipuram is a part of Thunnalai.This place is settled by migrants from a town called Vallipuram near Namakkal which is near Coimbatore. Naga names are found in India. Nagpur, Nagar Kovil,...
. Among the chiefdoms of this land were inhabitants that proliferated serpent worship before the common era.
Early Tamil literary works such as Kaliththokai
Kaliththokai
Kalithogai ,a classical Tamil poetic work,is the sixth book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Kalithogai contains one hundred and fifty poems and were written by various authors. Nachinarkiniyar, a Tamil scholar living during the sixth or the seventh century C.E...
mentions that many Tamil Naga tribes such as Maravar
Maravar
Maravar are a Tamil community of the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India, and are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy.Maravars are found predominantly in the Southern districts of Tamilnadu viz., Madurai, Theni, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli,...
, Eyinar, Oliar, Oviar, Aruvalur and Parathavar migrated to the Pandyan kingdom and started living there in the Third Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Sangam period 2000 years ago. The Karaiyar
Karaiyar
Karaiyar, also known as Karayar, Karaiar or Kurukulam, is traditionally both a seafaring and warrior caste found in the Tamil Nadu state of India, coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora.-Origins:...
tribe of these Tamils were coast-residing sea faring people and the oldest settlers of the Coromandel Coast and the coasts of Sri Lanka. The Ketheeswaram temple
Ketheeswaram temple
Ketheeswaram temple is an ancient Hindu temple in Mannar, Northern Province Sri Lanka. Overlooking the ancient period Tamil port towns of Manthai and Kudiramalai, the temple has lay in ruins, been restored, renovated and enlarged by various royals and devotees throughout its history...
of Maanthai was built by this clan in the classical period. There is a reference to the town Naka Nakar in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions belonging to 200 BCE, which is believed to be denoting Kadiramalai. An early copper coin discovered at Uduththurai port carries the name Naka bumi in Tamil, referring to the Naka Dynasty of the North. Ptolemy in his first century map of Taprobane mentions Nagadiboi. By the time Buddhism had reached Tamilakam, the twin epics of ancient Tamil Nadu Silappatikaram (1st century CE) and Manimekalai
Manimekalai
Manimekalai or Maṇimekalai , written by the Tamil Buddhist poet Seethalai Saathanar is one of the masterpieces of Tamil literature. It is considered to be one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. Manimekalai is a poem in 30 cantos...
(3rd century CE) were written, speaking of Nāka Nadu across the sea from Kaveripoompuharpattinam
Puhar
Puhar is a town in the Nagapattinam district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri puhum pattinam, which for a while served as the capital of the early Chola kings in Tamilakkam.It is located near the end point of the Kaveri river,...
, and their civilization which was even more sumptuous than those of the Cheras
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
, the Cholas
Early Cholas
The Early Cholas of the pre and post Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country. Their early capitals were Urayur and Kaveripattinam...
and the Pandyas
Early Pandyan Kingdom
The Early Pandyas of the Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country, the other two being the Cholas and the Cheras. As with many other kingdoms around this period , most of the information about the Early Pandyas come to us mainly through literary sources and...
. Manimekalai speaks of the great Nāka king Valai Vanan and his queen Vdcamayilai who ruled the prosperous Nāka Nadu with great splendour and a rich Tamil Buddhist
Tamil Buddhism
Tamil Buddhism refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that flourished in the ancient Tamil country which is corresponding roughly to the territories of the present-day Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Laccadives, parts of Andhra Pradesh and some parts of Karnataka, as well as...
tradition. Their daughter, the princess Pilli Valai had a liaison at Nainativu islet with the early Chola king Killivalavan
Killivalavan
Killivalavan was a Tamil king of the Early Cholas mentioned in Sangam Literature, and of a period close to that of Nedunkilli and Nalankilli. We have no definite details about this Chola or his reign. The only information we have is from the fragmentary poems of Sangam in the Purananuru.- Sources...
; out of this union was born Prince Tondai Eelam Thiraiyar, who historians note was the early progenitor of the Pallava Dynasty. He went on to rule Tondai Nadu
Tondai Nadu
Tondai Nadu is a historical region located in the northernmost part of Tamil Nadu. The region comprises the districts which formed a part of the traditional Pallava kingdom...
from Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
. Nainativu was referred to as Manipallavam in ancient Tamil literature following this union. Royals of the Chola-Nāka lineage would go onto rule other territory of the island, Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. It is a prominent seaport on the east coast of India and an important centre of trade and commerce.The town of Nagapattinam dates back to the Sangam period...
and Tondai Nadu of Tamilakam. The Talagunda
Talagunda
Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk of Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Many inscriptions found here have provided insights into the rise of the Kadamba Dynasty.-History:...
inscriptions of Kadamba Kakusthavarma
Kakusthavarma
Kakusthavarma was a ruler of the Kadamba Dynasty of Banavasi in Southern India during the 4th century. Under his rule, the dynasty attained the height of its greatness. Talagunda and Halmidi inscriptions praise him as a formidable Kadamba warrior. He was able to maintain a good relationship with...
also refer to the coastal Thiraiyar tribe as forming from this Chola-Nāka alliance. The Oliyar, Parathavar, Maravar
Maravar
Maravar are a Tamil community of the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India, and are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy.Maravars are found predominantly in the Southern districts of Tamilnadu viz., Madurai, Theni, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli,...
and Eyinar are all Nāka tribes. Ptolemy mentions in 150 CE that King Sornagos, a descendant of this lineage, ruled from the early Chola capital of Uraiyur during this time. Kaveripoompuharpattinam received many adulatory comparisons to the Nāka capital Kanderodai (Kadiramalai) in the classical period.
Cīttalai Cāttanār
Sattanar
Sattanar is the Tamil Buddhist poet who composed the epic called Manimekalai. He lived in the period of Ilango Adigal. He was also known as Seethalai Sattanar or Sīthalai Sāttanār....
, the author of the Manimekalai reflected Tamilakam
Tamilakam
' refers to the classical era territory of old South Indian royalties covering modern Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Tamil Eelam and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka.; In an academic context, Tamilakam is used to refer to these territories as a single cultural area, where Tamil was the natural...
's perception at the time that Nāka Nadu was an autonomous administrative entity, kingdom or nadu stretching across coastal districts, distinguished from the rest of the island also ruled intermittently by Tamil kings; Eela or Irattina Tivu-Nadu. Naka Nadu included Mantai
Mannar
Mannar may refer to:* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India* Mannar, Kaduthuruthy,a town in Kottayam district, Kerala, India* Mannar, Sri Lanka, a town in northern Sri Lanka* Mannar District, a district in Sri Lanka...
in the northwest, Thirukonamalai
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
in the northeast and Mahavillachi
Medawachchiya
Medawachchiya is a town in the Anuradhapura District, North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Situated 27km from Anuradhapura, on the A9 Jaffna - Kandy main road, it is 229km from the capital Colombo. Medawachchiya is also the point from which the A14 main road to mannar and Talaimannar starts...
in the middle of the island. The socioeconomic structure of this nation was built around its oceanic trade and agriculture, the inner trade and trade with the kingdoms of Tamilakam, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
and the far east
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
being the mainstay of its economy.
It was from the Naka people that the Aryans first learnt the art of writing; hence Sanskrit letters to this day are known as Deva-nagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
.
Nagas legends
The MahavamsaMahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
describe the Nagas as super natural beings whose natural form was a serpent, but they could assume any a form at will. The Mahavamsa also mentions that Buddha visited Sri Lanka on three occasions. On the second occasion Lord Buddha visited Nagadipa in 581 BCE to resolve a conflict between the Naga kings (Chulodara and Mahodara) in Kelaniya
Kelaniya
Kelaniya is a small town near Colombo, Sri Lanka in the Gampaha District. It is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River, which runs through the town...
(Near present day Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
) and Wadenawagallaf (formerly Seven
Korles) over a jem-set throne of gold. Eleven years in Ceylon. Comprising sketches of the field sports and natural history of that colony, and an account of its history and antiquities".
Decline of Naga identity and assimilation
The Nagas are likely to have lost their identity over time, due to their loss of power and the formation of alliances with the new settlers of Sri Lanka. It is believed the original populations control over the island declined and they moved to their stronghold in the North of Sri Lanka. Jaffna being called Naga depa since ancient time explains this. But elements of their cobra beliefs were incorporated into the newly arrived SinhaleseSinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
Buddhists, folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
. For example cobras are associated with the incarnation of dead people who guard Buddhist temples, bo trees, and hidden treasures It is considered bad karma among the Sinhalese to kill a cobra. Muchilinda, the serpent who protected Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
from the rain, and Naga statues are used as guardians in the portals of buddhist shrines.
Similarly, Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus since ancient times have regard the Cobra as a divine being by the passing down of Naga traditions and believes. Further cobra can be found entwining itself round the neck of the supreme Hindu god Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
as serpent king Vasuki
Vasuki
Vasuki is a Sanskrit name for a naga, one of the serpents of Buddhist and Hindu mythology. He is a great King of the nagas and has a gem on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister...
. Cobras can also be found in images of Lord Vishnu.
But Hindus do not worship cobras or have Cobra temples.
The Sri Lankan Tamils are the only Hindu population in the world to have Cobra Temples and worship Cobras to this day.
This shows that Cobra worship is a traditional practice specially practiced by the Sri Lankan Tamil population rather than a religious practice.
There are many Naga temples in India and many Hindu families are descended from Nagavanshis. The Nairs, Nayaks, Bunts are all snake worshipping people. Nair families have sarpa kavus in their tharavads(ancestral house),the same applies for Bunts and most of the royal families of Kerala and Tulunadu.
Naga Kings of Anuradhapura
- Mahallaka Naga (135-141 CE)
- Bhatika Tissa (141-165 CE)
- Kanittha Tissa (165-193 CE)
- Cula Naga (193-195 CE)
- Kuda Naga (195-196 CE)
- Siri Naga (196-215 CE)
- Voharika Tissa (215-237 CE)
- Abhaya Naga (237-245 CE)
- Siri Naga II (245-247 CE)
- Vijaya Kumara (247-248 CE)
Architecture
The Naga used to have kingdoms and temples in Sri Lanka. The Nagas built a temple in Medawattha, Mathara called Nagavila today. It used to hold a statue of Lord Buddha sitting on the Muchalinda, the Cobra. Naga maidens used to perform dances there.Irrigation
It is also believed they were great irrigation engineers who built water storages. The Yoda Wewa dam and reservoir system in MannarMannar, Sri Lanka
Mannar , formerly spelled Manar, is the capital of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is located on Mannar Island.Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
is considered by some (Such as Author, Mudaliyar C. Rajanayagam) to have been built by the Nagas based on the extensive ruins and the presence of villages with surrounding the port with Naga name (e.g. Nagarkulam, Nagathazhvu and Sirunagarkulam).
See also
- Yakkha people of Sri Lanka
- Raksha people of Sri Lanka
- Deva people of Sri LankaDeva people of Sri LankaThe Dewa are a mythical people of Sri Lanka according to the Sanskrit epics.According to the Mahavamsa and Ramayana they lived among the Naga, Yakkha and Raskha.They ousted their arch enemies the Raskha from Sri Lanka, with the help of Lord Vishnu....
- Sri Lankan Tamil people
- Sinhalese peopleSinhalese peopleThe Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
- Balangoda Man
- Dravidian peoplesDravidian peoplesDravidian peoples is a term used to refer to the diverse groups of people who natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. Populations of speakers of around 220 million are found mostly in Southern India. Other Dravidian people are found in parts of central India, Sri Lanka,...