This is how it should be written This book isn’t another classical history book; it is an effort taken to correct the history that had been written in disorderly throughout for generations. According to many historical documents, Sri Lankan history begins with the arrival of Indo-Aryan people, who immigrate to Sri Lanka by time to time. However, the Veracity behind the origin of Sri lankans are different from what we had been already know. The origin of Sri Lankan history truly begins with a community that had been classify as ‘The Savage Natives’, by the history; we all known them as the Yaksha tribe of Sri Lanka. Yaksha tribe was belonged to a highly civilized society of their own. They had their own language, religion, customs and traditions; which later became an influence on creating the culture of Sri Lanka. The very aim of this book is not to rewrite the entire history about the Yaksha tribe, but to correct the mistakes had been made by the history it self.
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First print in Sri Lanka, October 2017
Copyright Š Chamodi Waidyathilaka 2017 No reproductions without permission. Written and Designed by Chamodi Waidyathilaka. Behance @ chamodi_w Instagram @ winter_hopes
For my parents
The Early history of Sri Lanka before the kingdom of Tambapanni in 543 B.C there were three local clans, as Yaksha, Naga and Deva: Among them, Yaksha clan was the strongest.
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In 328 B.C Sri Lanka was known as the Giri Desha or Minimahee Desha. During this period the dominance of Sri Lanka had been under control of Yaksha tribe. According to Mahavamsa*, Sri Lanka was the main trading center of Indian ocean due to its resources, facilities, knowledge, and connection: which helped to maintain a better international and external trade economical environment. However Among many trading centres, there was a one trading center called ‘Bundle Detach Center’ near Dhumaka kandhīra, present-day Kala River. This trading center was known for its international trading; which was under coordination of
Kaveelasha Aggi Pali, the wife of commander Giribhadra; the provincial ruler and a member of Yaksha clan of Rakun Giriya, present day Ritigala of Sri Lanka. Kaveelasha Aggi Pali was a talented woman, who also had been known as Muthu Latha; because of her favor for pearl necklaces. One day Muthu Latha met a merchant leader called Punna from India, who was a great follower of Buddhism. Through him she got to know about this new religion and Gautama Buddha of India: she was highly pleased. However Muthu Latha’s husband commander Giribhadra, was clearly against for his wife following this foreign religion while going against for Yaksha clan’s beliefs and customs about ancient astrology and meditation.
* The Mahavamsa (pail) is also known as the Great Chronicle written the Pali language of the ancient Kings of Sri Lanka. It relates the history of Sri Lanka from its legendary beginnings up to the reign of Mahasena of Anuradhapura (A.D. 302) covering the period between the arrivals of Prince Vijaya from India. It was composed by a Buddhist Bhikkhu Mahanama, at the Mahavihara temple in Anuradhapura era in the sixth century A.D. (Wilhelm Geiger. 2002).
Muthu Latha was a strong and an independent woman who could not subjugate by her husband’s will. From the knowledge she had been gain from merchant Punna, she came to self realization and meditate in an ancient forest belonged to the great king Ravana, who lived a millennium ago. A"er months of practice and meditation, Muthu Latha was able to archive the first step to the Nibbana*; which also known as the Sotapanna in Theravada Buddhism.
She was the first woman to self-taught and archived Sotapanna among the Buddhist follower’s history of Sri Lanka. When she met the Merchant Punna for the second time, she decides to send an invitation to Gautama Buddha, asking to visit Sri Lanka.
*Nibbana (Pali ) also refers as Nirvana (Sanskrit) is the earliest and most common term used to describe the goal of the Buddhist pathway to blowing out or quenching (Buswell and Lopez, 2013).
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Few months later Gautama Buddha arrived to Sri Lanka on a Poya day*, in the month of January. He came to the harbour of Makkamāma, present-day approximate river mouth of Kala river; which belongs to the Wilpattu wildlife conservation. This visit was Gautama Buddha’s first visit to a foreign country nine months a"er he attained enlightenment. Buddha’s first visit was for Rakun Giriya. In there, commander Giribhadra, his wife Muthu Latha and their people were given a sermon by Buddha. Muthu Latha and the general of Yaksha army called Vibheeshadhra came to Arhat*;
they became the first Bhikku* and Bhikkuni* in Yaksha Buddhist society of Sri Lanka.
*Poya day is the name given to the lunar monthly and also a Buddhist holiday of observance in Sri Lanka (Buswell and Lopez, 2013). *Arhat is someone who has attained the goal of the religious life in Buddhism and Jainism (warder 2000, pp 277). *Bhikku and Bhikkuni (Pali) is an honorific term for Buddhist monastic order also appearing in stem-form as thero, feminine therī; (Ranga Kalansooriya. 2015).
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Buddha’s second visit was to Vantapura, present-day Mahiyangana of Sri Lanka. A Yaksha chie"ain called Saman (according to the legend he is now considered as a deity) of Samantakūttha mountains ( present-day Adam’s peak ), who has attained Sotapanna a"er listening to Buddha’s discourse. Then when he asked for a token from Buddha which he and his people could worship in buddha’s absence. In there Buddha had given them a handful of hair from his head, whichSaman enshrined in a small Stupa* of 10 feet in height.
!is was the first Stupa* to be built in Sri Lanka. In late 543 B.C, an Arhat named Bhikku Sarabahu brought the Buddha’s le" collarbone, which had been recovered from buddha’s funeral pyre and placed it in this stupa; which later enlarged up to 18 feet. The present the day this Stupa’s height remains to 12 feet.
*Stupa or Chaitya a mound like or hemispherical structure containing relics, typically the remains of Buddha or Buddhist monks (Ratanasinghe, Aryadasa, 2002).
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Sinhalese also was known as Helaya, is an ethnic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They constitute 75% of the Sri Lankan population. The Identity of Sinhalese is based on their language and religion. The origination of Sinhalese is deeply intertwined with the early legends and history; which the word Sinhalese is a Sanskrit word was created after combining the two words Sinha (lion ) + La (blood).
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Mahavamsa tell a story about the origin of Sinhalese; which clearly traced with Indo-Aryans. However the history is in reality, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka was not anyone from India but the local people who belonged to Yaksha, Naga and Deva clans. Among the many legends, the tale of Vijaya and Kuveni is well known. In the lowlands along the bottom valleys of India. There lived a king by the name Sinhabahu, the ruler of the city called Sinhapura; in the lands of Vanga, present-day approximately Bengal and Odisha of India. The king Sinhabahu and his queen Sinhaseevalee had many children, among them, the eldest called Vijaya. The young prince Vijaya was strong and combative. Because of his talents, the king made him as the prince regent of Sinhapura. In the beginning, he used his knowledge to turn swamps into reservoirs and turn desertes into green villages. Soon he became popular among the people all over the India. With the new gain popularity, Vijaya was able to successfully deal with many trading and agricultural matters of Sinhapura. By the time being responsible as a prince regent, Vijaya began to get bored with his daily lifestyle; he became a person with mischievous and arbitrary attitude. Then he and his followers started to bully innocent people while mistreating woman and children for their own entertainment.
The citizens of Sinhapura could not handle Vijaya’s wild behaviour any longer; they demanded that Vijaya should be put to death. In the end, King Sinhabahu had to expel his own son Vijaya and his 700 followers from Sinhapura Kingdom. King ordered to shave half of their heads in order to show the crimes that they have done. Vijaya and his followers were put on a ship while the wives and children of the followers were put on a separate ship and sent forth to the sea. Vijaya and his followers landed at a place called Supparaka, present-day approximately near Nalasopara of India. But a"er people of Supparaka expel them. A"er that they started to sail again to the south. The wives of the followers landed at a place called Mahiladipaka and their children landed at a place called Naggadeepa.
Vijaya and his followers were worn out a"er traveling in the sea for days without fresh water and food. According to Wimalaratne thero a"er months of traveling on the day of 13th May in the year of 544 B.C, Vijaya reached to an unknown island; they were thrilled.
Vijaya named this island as Tambapann카. In present-day Tambapann카 is known as Sri Lanka or Ceylon. The reason for named as Tambapann카 is due to the copper colour in the soil and the dense by a tree called Tammana (Mischodon Zeylonicus Thwaites) in the area where Vijaya landed. The location of Vijaya arrived is called Mah훮tittha, present day as Mannar. According to Mahavamsa the day Vijaya arrived to Sri Lanka was also the day Gautama Buddha of India passed away (Wimalaratne thero, M. 2016).
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In the first few days, Vijaya and his people made temporary shelters on the beach while taking fish and coconuts as food. Then they have decides to walk inside the island. While traveling in the forest they met a brown dog. It greeted Vijaya in a very friendly, there he realized that there must be abhabitats nearby and they must be friendly people. Vijaya suggests to follow the dog in order to find it’s habitats. The dog took vijaya and his men to someone they did not expect to see; a young beautifulwoman sitting under a tree, dressed up as a religious ascetic while spinning a cotton wheel. First, she mistook Vijaya and his men as bandits, but a"er Vijaya told their story she quickly apologized to him.
She introduced her self as Padmapali of Rakun Giriya Yaksha clan. Padmapali was an administrator of MahÄ tittha harbour and Rakun Giriya, present-day Ritigala. Because of this she had been very familiar with the Kshatriya language; which helped her to communicate with Vijaya easily. According to Kohomba-kankaariya*, Padmapali was the daughter of a provincial leader Bimba and his wife Chandrika.
*Kohomba-kankariya is a traditional dance ritual in Sri Lanka, hold to invoke the blessing of twelve deities. It is also known as a traditional art of healing (Nilu Rajapaksa, 2014).
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Vijaya introduced himself as the son of King Sinhabahu, who’s the ruler of Vanga lands of India; He said he came in peace in order to explore new lands. Padmapali believed Vijaya’s words, she escorted him and his followers to the Rakun Giriya city. In there she provided them a residence with all facilities. However, By the time Vijaya realized the political power Padmapali have to herself.
With the idea in his mind to build a new kingdom and become the only king to rule Tambapannī, Vijaya began to show his affection towards Padmapali. The legend says Vijaya had a striking appearance; which made Padmapali insanely fall in love with him. He slowly poisoned her mind with thoughts to become the queen of all Yaksha clans. In the same time, Padmapali had her own issues with her clan, which gave the opportunity for Vijaya to get closer by another step to his goal. Time passed, Padmapali is now entirely under control of Vijaya, while being blind by his fake love. She had a very powerful armed force of ten different skilled troops and a community who also wanted to see Padmapali as their leader.
Vijaya and his followers secretly planned to assassinate all the Yaksha leaders. A"er patiently waiting for months finally the right time has arrived. In the Yaksha city called Sirivattupura, there was a grand celebration; which held for seven days to celebrate the marriage of Kaalasena; the Yaksha leader at Sirivattupura. For this grand celebration, a Yaksha clan leaders from all over the country has participated. On the seventh day of the celebration, everyone were exhausted and did not give much attention to the safety of the city. This gave the opportunity for Vijaya to turn his plans into action. With the help of Padmapali, Vijaya and his followers massacre the Yaksha leaders in one night.
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Padmapali became the queen of all yaksha clans in Tambapannī. Then a"er she decides get married to Vijaya, the man she loves. However, the elders of Rakun Giriya Yaksha clan was clearly against for this marriage, due to Vijaya not born from a Yaksha clan’s blood. However, Padmapali did not obey to anyone and got married with Vijaya. According to the legend, she took seven vows from Vijaya to become a trust worthy member to the Yaksha clan and to her. In the beginning, Padmapali’s brothers warn her not to trust Vijaya, because he might have intentions to overthrow her and take over the Yaksha clan’s throne. But, the stubbornness of Padmapali could not be stopped by anyone. A few years later Padmapali had two children from Vijaya, Jeewahaththa and Disaalaa (Deepela). By this time ministers of Vijaya had founded their own cities, such as minister Anuradha founded Anuradhagama; present-day Anuradhapura. Vijaya became the chie"ain of all the cities founded by his ministers.
Time passed away Padmapali trusted Vijaya and handover all her authorities as a queen in to Vijaya’s hands; He became head of the state. In the same time, Vijaya’s ministers requested him to coronate as real Kshatriya king, but he couldn’t due to not having a Kshatriya royal consort. In the beginning, Vijaya was against for the idea of taking a Kshatriya princess as his consort, but soon his mind got changed. His ministers secretly send invitations for king Paandawa of Madurapura asking the hand of his daughter; princess Vijayai.
When Padmapali heard about this she was furious, but was already powerless to take any action. According to Mahavamsa, it says she was thrown out of the palace brutally. However the legend says a"er got decived by Vijaya, she was heartbroken and le" the palace along with her two children. When she went back to her hometown, but was seized by her clan members and put into the prison; for the disgrace and humiliation, she had done to all the Yaksha clans.
However, With the help of her brothers, she and her children were able to escape from the prison. They ran into the forest, but the furious members of Yaksha clan send troops a"er them. In order to protect her children, Padmapali took a different road to distract the troops. While Her Brothers took the children to Vantapura, present day Mahiyanganaya; where a native community called ‘Veddha’ lived.
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Mahavamsa and many literary texts had mentioned about Padmapali’s last moment. First she got killed by her own people. Second, she died from a heart failure due to the trauma of losing both her children and the man she loved. However, the history written the legend tell another story; which
Padmapali went to a Buddhist forest monastery and became a Bhikkuni. When the time passes away history became the legend and the name Padmapali was changed into Kuveni or Kuvanna; the name we all know in the present day. The reason she got that name is because of the humiliation she had done to her own kind. (Wimalaratne thero, M., 2016).
A"er Padmapali le" Vijaya got married to the Kshatriya princess Vijayai of Madurapura and became the king; he was the first king to be coronate according to Kshatriya traditions in Sri Lanka Vijaya region the TambapannÄŤ, the first kingdom of Sri Lanka for 38 years (543 B.C- 505 B.C), until his nephew prince Panduwasadeva took a"er him.
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The history does not speak about a brave and a strong woman like her; who risked her life to save Sri Lanka from the enemies, while carrying a child within her. Was it because she’s a descendant of Yaksha clan; a caste which was slowly diminishing?
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In Anuradhapura kingdom; there was an army general called Jayendra Rakka, who was a decedent member of Yaksha clan. He had three children; Nakkha Damma the eldest son, Uththarapali the eldest daughter and Rathnapali the youngest daughter. When Rathnapali was a baby her mother passed away from a deadly illness; soon her siblings went to Buddha Sasana* at a very young age to become monks, leavening Rathnapali as the only child of the family who got everyone’s attention. By the time when Rathnapali grew up she got the kind of a beauty that makes someone look twice. When she smiled and laugh no one could resist but smile along too. She had a sharp and temptless clear eyes.
It was her raven black hair and the flawless golden skin, that given her the name Rathnapali.
*Śāsana (Sanskrit, Pali) is a term used by Buddhists and Shaivites to refer to their religion or non religion. It has a range of possible translations, including teaching, practice, and doctrine (Keown, Damien,10 July 2003).
She received her education from her sister Uththarapali Theri at NÄŤlagiri monastery, present-day Maanaa-Kanda mountain monastery of Sri Lanka. Rathnapali was a very clever young woman with great heart of a warrior.
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The year was 406 B.C, the ruler of Sri Lanka was a young king named Mahanama; the second son of King Buddhadasa (337 B.C- 365 B.C). In one day the young king Mahanama went to visit the Nīlagiri monastery, on his way he saw the beautiful Maanaawa reservoir and decided to stop by. While enjoying the scenery he saw a beautiful young maiden on the other side of the reservoir; he instantly fell in love with her. The young king Mahanama sends one of his palace maid to find information about this beautiful woman who captured his heart. Soon he got to know from his maid that this beautiful woman is none other than Rathnapali; the youngest daughter of general Jayendra Rakka. King Mahanama used every possible method to win Rathnapali’s heart, but every time he got nothing but rejected from her.
A"er losing every chance young king Mahanama decide to take this matter to general Jayendra Rakka himself. He proposed his idea to get married with Rathnapali to her father Jayendra Rakka and said if general agreed, he would give him a minister position in the royal court. General agreed to the king’s proposal very much and request from his daughter Rathnapali for agree to this marriage. Rathnapali got very disappointed with her father for trying to marry her off inorder to get a minister position in the royal court.
A"er Rathnapali reject the marriage proposal her father spend his days worrying. No matter how stubborn she could be she couldn’t stand against seeing her father’s worrying face. For the sake of her father’s happiness she decides to accept the marriage proposal from the king, but only under three conditions; First to renovate both Nīlagiri monastery and Vishakumbha Stupa. Second to build a monastic college for Buddhist monks. Third to reconstruct the Maanaawa reservoir.
If the king failed to complete any of these tasks, she would break the engagement off. However for someone like king Mahanama, these tasks were simple to accomplish. A"er he successfully completed all the tasks, Rathnapali accepted the king’s proposal. In the month of November on a Thursday which had full moon; their wedding ceremony took place at the palace. The ceremony was arranged according to Yaksha clan’s customs and rituals. (Wimalaratne thero, M., 2016).
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By this time the young king Mahanama already had a queen consort from the coronation of royal customs. Because of that Rathnapali was taken as a first ranked concubine. A"er the marriage, Rathnapali had to go through a lot of trouble and got bullied by King’s other concubines, due to the special favour she received from the king. However, Rathnapali was a strong willed woman who couldn’t hurt easily.
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Young king Mahanama saw that it would be a waste to keep someone like Rathnapali inside the palace. With her knowledge and leadership skills she could be a great help for him not only in the battle but also in politics. He gave her a special position that no one in the royal harem could ever had; A general of king’s army. A"er receiving the new position Rathnapali work hard day and night to bring peace to the kingdom, while fighting side by side with the King during the battles.
An year later the young king Mahanama suddenly passed away from a natural disease. By this time Rathnapali was carrying the king’s child within her. Few months later king’s death a provincial ruler called Upattissa was crowned as the new king. It was then the enemies began to raise their power against the kingdom. But Princess Rathnapali managed to fought against the enemies and protect the kingdom.
The enemy army lost thousands of their soldiers. The leader of the enemy army wanted to seek ravage from Rathnapali; it was then he decided to attack the Nīlagiri monastery. In one night they attack the Nīlagiri monastery. During the attack to the cave library of the monastery, The chief monk passed away by caught to the fire and Rathnapali’s sister Uththarapali too who passed away with a fourth-degree burn wounds.
A"er hearing about this Rathnapali was furious, she brought her troops instantly and surrounded the Nīlagiri monastery where the enemies were still attacking. Without thinking twice she massacres the enemy army, but the enemy king was manage to escape for Anuradhapura. When Rathnapali decides to go a"er the enemy king, her brother Bhikku Nakkah Damma advised her,
“Do not fight in range while carrying a child within you. You must quit being an army general and go back to the life which you lived before”. Rathnapali took her brother’s advice and went to Habarana. In there she got protection from a local Vaddha tribe leader called Maheeshamalaa. A few weeks later she gave birth to a healthy boy, she named him as Swarna Subodhi. Years later Rathnapali and her son Swarna Subodhi came back to their hometown and took over the authority of their lands.
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Every society, community, and family has traditions and customs that are common to them. A custom is a way of behaving or a belief, which had been establishes for a long time. A tradition is a principle or a way of acting which people in a particular society or community continued to follow through for generation.
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The name Yaksha gives us an impression of a terrifying image of a demon or a goblin, which comes in fantasy stories. When we talk about Yaksha of Sri Lanka, many historical documents portrait them as a group of savage creatures. However, there is an argument that the reason for this is because there are not much historical records about them to be found before the era of Mahinda Thero*, oďŹƒcially brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka. However, there is another historical document called
Vargapurnikava one of the only remaining documents written by Yaksha clans.
It was probably written by Bhikkus and Bhikkunis of Yaksha clan. This document is a clear evidence that there had been a Buddha Sasana before the arrival of Arhant Mahinda Thero, which could also be referred as the Hela Buddhism or as Yaksha Buddhism. According to Vargapurnikava, Yaksha caste of Sri Lanka belonged to a high civilized society. It also said that even before the first visit of Buddha to Sri Lanka, these Yaksha clans had their own civilized culture and a religion based on astrology.
*Thero (Pali) also appearing in stem-form as the era, feminine TherÄŤ; is an honorific term for Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis the Buddhist monastic order (Ranga Kalansooriya, 2015).
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Accoridng to Wimalaratne thero if there’s a person among Yaksha clan’s who passed away a"er living a good life, there’s a ritual to do using a flower called Kalaneela. There is also a custom for marriage couples to spend four Poya days (four lunar phases) to spend meditating and doing good deeds. When we look further into customs and traditions of Yaksha tribe, there are four main theories;
!eories based on astronomy. !eories based on sorcery. !eories based on medicine. !eories based on compounds. Under these four main theories, there are hundreds of customs and rituals (Wimalaratne thero, M., 2016).
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In every culture there are many unique customs and traditions; among them marriage customs and traditions takes a very important place. Marriage as a term is a continuous union of a man and a woman as husband and wife under all kinds of conditions of life. It is the foundation of a family, which also an cornerstone of the society and carries universal importance.
Yaksha clan’s marriage customs and traditions were originated from the ancient times of great king Ravana and got refined by Buddhism.
*Vishakummbha sutra, a religious and cultural manuscript written by Kaveelasha Aggi Pali Bhikkhuni of Rakun Giriya Yaksha clan (Wimalaratne thero, M., 2017).
In Yaksha society the clothes, hairstyles and jewellery was the symbolic way to show the dierence between a married and unmarried person. Listed below are some of the customs which an unmarried man and woman must follow according to Vishakummbha sutra*. There should be no sexual contact or behaviour before the marriage. Unmarried woman should wear a waistband with 14 pleats, while a Married woman should wear a waistband with 7 pleats. Should avoid any kind of sexual orientations. Such as Homosexual or Bisexual. It is a crime to engaging in a sexual activities as a business or practice; prostitution. Self-control must practice by every young man and woman, whether married or unmarried.
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According to Vishakummbha sutra there are few marriage customs performed through a jewellery. Uththrachakra necklace, also known as the seven Dhyana* necklace; which worn by the woman who will be getting married. Before wearing this necklace the young woman had to go through 80 different rituals to show it’s value and was given to her by the groom during the wedding ceremony; which represents that she would protect this necklace with all her heart.
Uththrachakra is a combination of seven different necklaces. They were designed using gold, silver, copper or bronze and embedded with stunning jewels. These seven necklaces have different meaning for each. Listed below is the meaning of each necklace of Uththrachakra. I under take the rule to avoid homosexual or bisexual misconduct. I under take the rule to avoid auto sexual misconduct. I under take the rule to control the mind. I under take the rule to protect the Brahmacharya* of the marriage life I under take the rule to control your five senses. I under take the rule to protect your Pativrata* until the death.
*Dhyāna (Sanskrit) or Jhāna (Pali) is a series of cultivated states of mind, which lead to a state of perfect equanimity and It is commonly translated as meditation. *Brahmacharya is the virtue of celibacy when unmarried and fidelity when married. It represents a virtuous lifestyle that also includes simple living, meditation, and other behaviours. *Pativrata is a term used in Hindu traditions to refer to a married woman who is loyal to her husband.
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In the present the day there is another jewellery which holds a similarity to Uththrachakra; which we all known it as the Mala Hatha, the seven necklaces of traditional Kandyan bridal jewellery set. When we look furthermore into the similarities between Uththrachakra and Mala Hatha, both have a deep meaning to each piece and made using gold, silver or bronze. Listed below are the 7 necklaces including the additional 8 pieces of the Kandyan bridal jewellery set. The gold Pattaya necklace, the first necklace the bride puts around her neck. Four Padakkam necklaces, four chains are worn along with four pendants. The Paalakka bead chain, a long chain with gold coloured beads. The Agasti necklace, made out of Agate stones. The Pethi necklace, the longest of the seven necklaces, which may extend to the bride’s knees.
According to the historical texts, Mala Hatha was originated in South India and became popular among the woman who belonging to the royal and noble families during the period of Kandyan kingdom.
However there’s evidence that Mala Hatha was not entirely originated from South India; but only the patterns, shapes and 6 other jewellery parts such as the Havadiya and Nalalpatiya. 47 - 48
Chathurdhayanabarana custom. !is custom is only for the men who are getting married. According to Yaksha customs, it is important that not only woman but also man to be pure from both his mind and body. The very meaning of Chathurdhayanabarana is a combination of four teachings. Each teaching is same as the Uththrachakra. To perform this custom the bride put gold or silver made waist belt jewellery on her groom. Accepting the jewellery represents that the groom will vow to protect and respect his bride.
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Yasasstha Poruwa ceremony is present-day known as A Poruwa ceremony; a traditional Sinhalese wedding custom. Poruwa is a beautifully decorated, traditional wooden platform and involves a series of rituals performed by the bride and groom, and their families.
!e very meaning of Poruwa ceremony is to protect the value of both bride and groom. The connection between Yasasstha Poruwa and modern day Poruwa ceremony is much similar. Below are the list of ritual performed in both Yaksha and modern day Poruwa ceremonies. The groom and his relatives assemble on the right side of the Poruwa and the bride’s family gathers from the le$ side of the Poruwa. The groom’s brother or male cousin hands the Uththrachakra necklace to the groom who in turn places it on the bride’s neck; present-day refers to a gold necklace also known as the wedding necklace. Ties the fingers of the bride and groom with a single gold thread and then pours water over the fingers, to symbolize the unity.
According to Vishakumba sutra, men who broke the vow of celibacy do not get onto the Yasasstha Poruva; they believe it may lead to a curse.
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The first night rituals in a wedding ceremony are very much similar to the Indian first-night rituals. However the first morning a"er the bed ritual, Yaksha customs have a custom inspired by Buddhist teachings. In the first morning, both bride and groom use sandal mixed water and chanted Pirith* water to bath. Then a"er dressing up in a white simple dress, they should present an alms giving to Bhikku and take blessings for their new life.
*Pirith is the Sinhala word for paritta (in Pali), which means protection. ‘It protects one from all directions’, is the traditional definition. This is the recitation or chanting of the word of the Buddha.
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Origin of the Sinhala words came as a part of the more than 2000 years of language interactions between Sinhala and few other languages such as Tamil, Brahmi, Dutch, Portuguese and English. However, did anyone knew that the Yaksha language had an influence on the Sinhala language as well?
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Yaksha loanwords in Sinhala can appear in the same form as the original word but usually, most words had undergone some kind of modification to fit into the modern Sinhala phonological. These are some of the words, which were belonged to the long lost Yaksha clans. However,
some of these words are still in the use of Sinhala literature as synonyms; such as word like , pættara sandiya, gæbapu mava, putrakē, kunuvāyimāōjā, kilimæ, sudahalē and gommalē.
මන්ධක /mandhaka/ noun Yaksha clan also known as Yaksha tribe; They ruled over the island of Sri Lanka during the pre-Vijaya era.
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කූකුරිය /kūkuriya/ noun
මෙමෙ /masamasa/ noun
Colony: a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country.
රුපුන /rupuna/ noun
Prostitute, whore or sex worker: a person, in particular a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment.
පැට්ටර ෙනදිය /pættara sandiya/ noun
Enemy: a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Childhood: the state or period of being a child.
පත් බතික /pat batika/ noun
ආඩිසෙසේ /ādiselē/ noun Clan Leader: the person who leads or commands the clan or tribe.
Silversmith or Silver worker: someone who makes or repairs articles of silver.
සමෝපිසේ /mōpilē/ pronoun Myself: used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself as the object of a verb or preposition when he or she is the subject of the clause.
මුරත /murata/ noun Rishi; a Hindu sage or saint.
වට්ටසේ /vattakē/ pronoun Them-self: used instead of ‘himself’ or ‘herself’ to refer to a person of unspecified sex.
කරියම් ලදුසන /kariyam ladunē/ compound Talented Woman: a woman with a natural aptitude, ability, technique or skill for something.
මිහිතාල /mihitāla/ compound Beautiful Woman; a woman possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about.
සකසනහි /kenehi/ noun Woman: the female human being, as distinguished from a girl or a man.
ගැබපු මව /gæbapu mava/ noun
ජානිසේ /jānisē/ noun Father: a male parent who bring up a child with care and affection.
සමෞරිසේ /maurikē/ noun Mother: a female parent who bring up a child with care and affection.
ඉනද්රසේ /indrakē/ noun Brother: a man or boy in relation to other sons and daughters of his parents.
කුනද්රසේ /kundrakē/ noun Sister: a woman or girl in relation to other daughters and sons of her parents.
නාමිසක /nāmike/ noun Younger sister: a young woman or girl in relation to other elder sisters.
Biologocal mother: the mother who has conceived rather than adopted a child and whose genes are therefore transmitted to the child. 61 - 62
මයිලසන /mayilanē/ noun Younger brother: a young man or boy in relation to other elder brothers.
නන්දනිසේ /nandanikē/ noun Daughter: a girl or woman in relation to either or both of her parents.
රාොබිසේ /rāsābikē/ noun Auntie or Aunty: the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle.
මකින /makina/ noun Strength: the quality or state of being physically strong.
පුත්රසේ /putrakē/ noun Son: a boy or man in relation to either or both of his parents.
ඉඩාසේ /idārē/ noun Uncle, great-uncle or grand-uncle: the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt.
පබ්දරා /pabadarā/ noun Teacher or an educator: a person who teaches, especially in a school.
සීහාරය /sīhāraya/ verb Encourage: give support, confidence, or hope to someone.
දෘෂ්ධ /drsadha/ adjective Intelligent or clever: having or showing intelligence, especially of a high level.
ජලලිසත් /jalalitē/ noun Intelligence: the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
නුසනෝග /nunōga/ adjective Judicious or wise: having, showing, or done with good judgement or sense.
ෙැසවාල /sævola/ verb Honour: high respect; great esteem.
කීරක /kīraka/ verb Defending: resist an attack made on someone or something ; protect from harm or danger.
ශුවිධි මුථ /śuvidhi mutha/ verb Respect: admire someone or something deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
කුරුත /kuruta/ verb
Disobeying for parents: fail to obey for parent’s command or request.,
්දහින /dahina/ noun Gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details which are not confirmed as true.
කබිරිය /kabiriya/ verb Disgusted: cause someone to feel revulsion or strong disapproval.
63 - 64
මලිනය /malinaya/ noun Awaken: rouse from sleep; cause to stop sleeping.
භූමිටුක /bhūmituka/ noun Decomposition Decay: the state or process of rotting.
්දනිතිසයන /danitiyen/ noun Knowledge: facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.
සමතසේසබෝම්රාන /metayēbōmrāna/ noun Kindness or Gentleness: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
සනෝනිසේ වයිම්මා /nōnikē vayimmā/ adjective Friendly: kind and pleasant.
හීයසක ඔසුපාේ /hīyake osupāl/ verb Worry: feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.
ඔරුනසේ සකෝ්දර සකසලම්බල /kelembala/ adjective Disgusting or Revolting: arousing revulsion or strong indignation.
එලව්ටැ /elavatæ/ adjective Dangerous: able or likely to cause harm or injury.
/orunkē kōdara/ adjective Humours or funny: causing laughter and amusement.
සනාත්ති කස්දෝ /noththi kadō/ adjective argumentative or quarrelsome: given to arguing.
සුවක /suvaka/ verb
ෙලම්බ /salamba/ noun
Completed: finish making or doing.
එේලිබහ /ellibaha/ verb Verity or truth: true principle or belief, especially one of fundamental importance.
Zone: an area or stretch of land having a particular characteristic, purpose, or use, or subject to particular restrictions.
සකෞරිකහී /kaurikahī/ noun Animosity or Antipathy: a strong hostility or a deep-seated feeling of aversion
බුජම /bujama/ noun A stack: a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged.
65 - 66
ජජාලසේ /jajālakē/ noun Disaster: a sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life.
සකානදිසේ /kondiyē/ noun A joke or a funny story: a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline.
මේරසේ /makrakē/ noun Anger: a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.
රූසිරසේ /rūsirarē/ noun
සමාරලිය /moraliya/ noun Leave: go away from or depart from somewhere.
Talent: natural aptitude or skill.
හු්ටපසට / hutapatē/ noun Fight: take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.
කුනුවායිමාඕජා /kunuvāyimāōjā/ noun Menstrual blood: a flow of blood from the uterus; occurs at roughly monthly intervals during a woman’s reproductive years
පබ්දර /pabadara/ noun Karma: according to Hinduism and Buddhism, the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.
බුරුත්ත /buruththa/ noun Ancestry or forebears: someone’s family or ethnic descent.
නිධිමන්ට / nidhimanta/ noun Invitation: a written or verbal request inviting someone to go somewhere or to do something.
දුදුරාසේ / dudurālē/ verb Walk: a move at a regular pace by li"ing and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once.
ඔජාරි /ojāri/ noun Laziness or idleness: the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy.
සමාසරෝනගැටසට /morōngættē/ noun Contumacy: stubborn refusal to obey or comply with authority, especially disobedience to a court order or summons.
සගාෙරු /gosaru/ noun acquisitiveness, greed or greediness: excessive interest in acquiring money or material things.
67 - 68
කසජෝර පිචි /kajōra pici/ noun
මුනාලිව් /munāliv/ noun
Challenges: a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.
ඉතිනි සමෝර /itini mōra/ verb Threaten: state one’s intention to take hostile action against someone in retribution for something done or not done.
කම්මර /kammara/ noun Effort or attempt: a vigorous or determined attempt.
කහලිසේ /kahalike/ verb Hate or dislike greatly: feel intense dislike for.
පුච්ාසන /puccānē/ noun
History: the study of past events, particularly in human affairs.
Appreciation: recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
සුනාරි්ධ /sunāridha/ adjective Valuable: worth a great deal of money or a thing that is of great worth, especially a small item of personal property.
අසුරබී්ට /asurabīta/ noun Planet: a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit round a star.
පාඩය /pādaya/ noun Sport: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
කස්දාේ / kados/ verb Criticize: indicate the faults of someone or something in a disapproving way
තිත්ත සරෝයම රට්ට /thitta rōyama ratta/ noun
ෙසිදු /sasidu/ noun Admiration: due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others.
පුට්ට /putta/ noun Abortion or miscarriage: the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most o"en performed during the first 28 weeks.
Metro shower: a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky.
පානිපා /pānipā/ noun
සගාතකම්නනෑ /gotakamnaa/ adjective Painful: causing physical pain .
Information: facts provided or learned about something or someone.
ෙළසේ /salammbē/ noun Typeface: a particular design of type (a letter character).
69 - 70
ෙලඹවටසට /salammbavattē/ noun Book: a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers.
සබෝටුවා්ට /bōtuvāta/ noun Tassel: a tu" of loosely hanging threads or cords knotted at one end and attached for decoration to so" furnishings, clothing, or other items.
බුබිබඩ /bubibadah/ verb Employment termination: An employee who was fired by an employer may not be eligible for rehire by the same employer, although in some cases it is usually related to staffing issues.
කරසේ /karalē/ noun Sword: a weapon with a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard.
කිලිමැ / kilimæ/ noun
Germs: a micro-organism, especially one which causes disease.
අරසමානැ / aramonæ/ noun
Wound: an injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other impact, typically one in which the skin is cut or broken.
ෙවුරි හබායි /savuri habāyi/ adjective Unhealthy: harmful to health.
තබ්ධි කාය /thabdhi kāya/ adjective Overweight: above a weight considered normal or desirable.
වයිබා නියාල තවතසේ /tavatalē/ noun
Thirst: a feeling of needing or wanting to drink something.
කනතසේ /kantarē/ adjective
Flying: moving or able to move through the air with wings.
සු්දහසේ /sudahalē/ noun
/vayibā niyāla/ noun A blood relation: a person who is related to another by birth rather than by marriage.
ෙලබැර /salabæra/ noun Library: a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for use or borrowing by the public or the members of an institution.
Hunger; a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat.
71 - 72
අත්ලේෙ /athlassa/ noun Seal: a device or substance that is used to join two things together so as to prevent them coming apart or to prevent anything passing between them.
සකෝසඩාලාසේ /kōdolārē/ noun Earring: a piece of jewellery worn on the lobe or edge of the ear.
සකාකිතසේ /kokitayē/ noun Bangle: a rigid ornamental band worn round the arm or occasionally the ankle.
පනේල /panalla/ verb Speak or talk: in order to reprove or to say something in order to convey information or to express a feeling
පුරනිසේ /puranikē/ noun Beauty: a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.
මිණිෙසේ / minisalē/ noun Necklace: an ornamental chain or string of beads, jewels, or links worn round the neck.
දූයස්ටෝල /dūyattōla/ noun Roti: a flat bread that originated from the Indian subcontinent. it is made using stone ground wholemeal flour. This also can be found in south Asian countries including Sri Lanka.
ආඩාර /ādāra/ noun Song: a short poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung.
ෙවුසේ /savulē/ noun Home: the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.
කරිෙසේ /karisarē/ noun
අ්ධම දුෂ්ටාව අසරසවති / adhama dushtāva areveti/ adjective Unchaste: relating to or engaging in sexual activity, especially of an illicit or extramarital nature.
සකවුතුකම් පනෑස්දති /kevutukam paadeti/ noun Foreign customs and traditions
A week: a period of seven days.
මරුෙලි වූ තැන / marusali vū tæna/ noun A"erlife: life a"er death.
නින්දගම් ෂලම්බ නොති /nindagam shalamba nasāti/ noun properties and belongings: a thing or things belonging to someone or possessions collectively.
දුේසේ /dussē/ noun A Month: each of the twelve named periods into which a year is divided.
වැතිසයෝ /vætiyō/ noun Cobra: a highly venomous African or Asian snake that spreads the skin of its neck into a hood when disturbed.
73 - 74
සමෝමුර /mōmura/ noun Sun: a star located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, orbited by all of the planets and other bodies in our solar system and supplying the heat and light that sustain life on Earth.
්දයතු / dayathu/ noun Moon: the natural satellite of the earth, visible chiefly at night by reflected light from the sun.
සුහුේල /suhulla/ noun Cloth: woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fibre.
තුටසට /thuttē/ noun
Yesterday: on the day before today.
තුමුසේ /tumulē/ noun Today: on or in the course of this present day.
සොබුේ පුපත /sobul pupata/ noun Weathering flowers: a flowers becoming dry and shrivelled.
දිලිනිය /diliniya/ noun Flowering tree: any tree having seeds and ovules contained in the ovary
කපිසේ /kapilē/ noun Tomorrow: on the day a"er today.
කිෙසේ /kisarē/ noun A day: an each of the twenty four-hour periods, reckoned from one midnight to the next, into which a week, month, or year is divided, and corresponding to a rotation of the earth on its axis.
කුදුේසේ /kudussē/ noun Year: the time taken by the earth to make one revolution around the sun.
සජතිය /jetiya/ noun Light: the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
අයිරෙ /ayirasa/ noun Sound: vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person’s or animal’s ear. 75 - 76
එරියාන /eriyāna/ noun Trees: a woody perennial plants, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
77 - 78
ප්ටලු /patalu/ noun Flower: the part of a plant that is o"en brightly coloured, that usually lasts a short time, and from which the seed or fruit develops
සව්හරුසේ /vēharuyē/ noun Winds alo" or upper-level winds: the wind speeds and directions at various levels in the atmosphere above the domain of surface weather observations, as determined by any method of winds-alo" observation.
බජසේ /bajakē/ noun Water heating: a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature.
කුහුසම් /kuhumē/ noun Morning: the period of time between midnight and noon, especially from sunrise to noon.
සගාම්මසේ /gommalē/ noun Dusk or twilight: the darker stage of sunset or evening.
සකලගියාන /kelagiyāna/ noun Reservoir: a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.
රිවිමු්දසේ /rivimudarē/ noun the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours.
කදුරසේ /kaduralē/ noun Water stream: a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook.
කදිර /kadira/ noun Water: a clear liquid, without colour or taste, that falls from the sky as rain and is necessary for animal and plant life:
ගිරි /giri/ noun Mountian: a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level; a large steep hill.
පාලයා /pālayā/ noun A fruit tree: a tree that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds.
සිසිකාගු /sisikāgu/ noun Universal energy: it a strength or power from the universe, or the spiritual realm; it is invisible.
ඉපිසේ /ipilē/ noun Water well: an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring, or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers.
79 - 80
්දෙපත්තු /dasapattu/ noun A lotus: a type of tropical water lily or a plant with large, flat leaves that float on the surface of lakes and pools.
81 - 82
!e beginning of Sri Lankan history’s religion, customs and traditions took credit in claiming that Arhant Mahinda thero was the first to bring Buddhism and a knowledge of a civilized society. However, stories such as Kavilashapali and Kuveni clearly proven that there was a high civilized society before Arhant Mahinda Thero. Mahavasama supposed to be written mentioning these facts, but the author Mahinda Thero purposely ignored them under the favour to Mahavihara; the large Buddhist monastery for Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It was founded by King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura (247–207 BCE) in his capital city of Anuradhapura.
85 - 86
Approximated locations of rivers back in Yaksha kingdom period.
කනකරයාන ආරු / kanakarayan Aru / noun Present day Kanakarayan Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
මීමථ කනදිර / mīmatha kandira/ noun Present day Malvathu River; is a river in Sri Lanka, connecting the city of Anuradhapura, which was the capital of the country for over 15 centuries, to the coast of Mannar.
යානඔය / yaan oya/ noun Present day Yan Oya is the fi"h-longest river of Sri Lanka
ගිිං ගඟ / gin ganga/ noun Present day Gin oya is located in North Western, Sri Lanka.
ධුමක කනධීර / dhumaka kandhīra/ noun Present day the Kala Oya (river); is the third longest river in Sri Lanka.
මහාවාලුකා නදී / mahāvālukā nadī/ noun Present day Mahaweli River, is ranked as the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its drainage basin is the largest in the country, and covers almost one-fi"h of the total area of the island.
්දැදුරු ඔය / dæduru oya/ noun Present day Deduru Oya is a River in Kurunegala District of Sri Lanka.
මාදුරු ඔය / māduru oya/ noun Present day Maduru Oya is a major stream in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka.
කපපරකන්ද නදී / kapparakanda nadī/ noun Prsent day Menik Ganga is a stream and is located in Southern province of Sri Lanka.
මහ ඔය / maha oya/ noun Present day Maha Oya is a major stream in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka.
කේයාණි නදී / kalyāni nadi/ noun Present day Kelani river located in Western Province, Sri Lanka.
කාල නදී / kāla nadī/ noun Present day Kalu Ganga is a river in Sri Lanka. Measuring 129 km (80 mi) in length, the river originates from Sri Paadhaya and reach the sea at Kalutara.
කුඹුේකන ඔය / kummbukkan oya/ noun
ගාේහ නදී / gālha nadī/ noun Present day Gal Oya is a long river, in South east Sri Lanka.
නිේවලා ගගා / nilwalaganga/ noun Present day Nilwala River is the third largest in the southern province of Sri Lanka.
වනවාහිනී නදී /vanavāhinī nadī/ noun Present day Walawe Ganga located in the south of Sri Lanka
කරින්ද නදී /karinda nadī/ noun Present day Kirindi Oya is a stream and is located in Southern, Sri Lanka.
Present day Kumbuk river is nestled on the banks of a lively river bordering Yala, Sri Lanka.
89 - 90
Approximated locations of harbours back in Yaksha kingdom period.
ජම්බුසකාලපට්ටන / jambukolapattana/ noun Present day Dabakolapatuna; the northern tip of the Jaffna Peninsula was the closest port to East and North India.
සුකරතිේෙ / sukaratissa/ noun Present day Karainagar, is located 20 km from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on the Karaitivu. In Tamil, means a place with abundant Kaarai trees.
මහාතිත්ථ / mahātittha/ noun Present day Mannar, formerly spelled Manar, is a large town and the main town of Mannar District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
කාලතිත්ත / kālatitta/ noun Present day Kalutara or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka.
ගිම්හානතිත්ත / gimhānatitta/ noun Present day Galle is a city on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka.
නිේවල තිත්ථ /nilvala tittha/ noun Present day Matara is a major city in Sri Lanka, on the southern coast of Southern Province, 160 km from Colombo.
සගෝතපබ්බත / gōtapabbata/ noun Present day Hambantota is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
සගාකනනථිත්ත / gokannathitta/ noun Present day Trincomalee also known as Gokanna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.
මේකමාම / makkamāma/ noun Present day the river mouth sector of Kala river. in present day this sector belongs to Wilpattu wildlife conservation.
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Approximated locations of cities back in Yaksha kingdom period.
ගිරිසද්ශය/ මිණිමහි සද්ශය/ තම්බපනනී / ගිරිදීපය / giridēśaya/ minimahi dēśaya/ tambapannī/ giridīpaya/ noun Present day Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is an island nation south of India in the Indian Ocean.
වාලුක සද්ශය / vāluka dēśaya/ noun Prsent day Puttalam, is town and district situated near to the west coast of Sri Lanka.
නීලගිරි සද්ශය/ මානනෑව / nīlagiri dēśaya/ maanaawa/ noun Present day Nilagiriya situated in the woods of the Lahugala Wildlife sanctuary of the Ampara District of the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.
උපුේවන ගිරිය /upulvan giraya/ noun Present day the cave temple of Dambulla, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country.
විසලාපාදී සද්ශය / vilopādī dēśaya/ noun Present day the Western Province, is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country.
ඉනද්ර සද්ශ / indra dēśha/ noun Prsent day north Trincomalee of Sri Lanka.
මහාගිර/ ෙමනතකූඨ / mahāgira/ samantakūttha/ noun Present day Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada, Sri Lanka’s holy mountain sacred since ancient times to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians.
අග්නි සද්ශය / agni dēśaya/ noun Present day Kataragama, is a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka.
රකුන ගිරිය / rakun giriya/ noun Present day Ritigala; is an ancient Buddhist monastery and mountain in Sri Lanka. The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to 1st century B.C..
වන්ටපුර / vantapura/ noun Present day Mahiyanganaya is a town situated close to the Mahaweli River in Badulla District, Uva Province of Sri Lanka.
සේසවේෙේථාන /kēvessasthāna/ noun Present day Kankesanthurai or KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
හබරන / habarana/ noun Present day Habarana is a small city in the Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka.
අනුරා්ධපුරගාම /anuradhagama/ noun Present day Anuradapura; which was established by Anuradha, a minister of King Vijaya, on the banks of a stream called Kolon. In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya (437–367 BC) made it his capital and developed it into a prosperous city.
සිරිවත්තුපුර /sirivattupura/ noun Present day Srawasthipura, a village in Anuradapura district of North Central Province, Sri Lanka.
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සුබ පබ්බත / suba pabbata/ noun Present day Polonnaruwa is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.
කේයාණි / kalyāni/ noun Present day Kelaniya is a suburb of Colombo city in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River.
අරුචචි ආරු / arucci āru/ noun Present day Arippu, which is 16 km away from Mannar Island Sri Lanka.
ධූමරේතපබ්බත / dhūmaraktapabbata/ noun Present day Dimbulagala also known as Gunners Rock during the British colonial period, is a rock formation in the Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka.
කනසද්නුවර / kandēnuvara/ noun Present day Kandy is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka.
ඌරාසතා්ට / ūrātotha/ noun Present day Kites, is located in Kalpitiya in the North West part of Sri Lanka.
කාලතිත්ත / kālatitta/ noun Present day Kalutara or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka.
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kēvessasthāna
Jambukolapattana Sukaratissa
Ka n a karay an Ar u
Mahātittha M īma
a dir an
oy a
ak th
Arucci āru
Ya
an
Indra Dēśha Gokannathitta
Anuradhagama
mak a ka nd Nilvalatittha h īra Sirivattupura
Rakun Giriya Habarana Suba Pabbata dī
M
Maha oya
ukā
uru oy a ad
Dhūmaraktapabbata
vā l
Upulvan Giraya
uru oy a
na
Vāluka Dēśaya
Da d
ah ā
Vantapura
an
Kandēnuvara
ni n lyā adi
dī
Kum m
a
Samantakūttha
Kālatitta
Gimhānatitta
ga
Nīlagiri Dēśaya
ukk an o ya
n da nadī Agni Dēśaya
n
ga
Nilwalag a
n
ga
ad ī
Kappar a ka
na
Kari n da n
Kāla
Ka
Vana v ā hi n ī n a d ī
y ś a l o p ā d ī D ē V i
Kalyāni
adī
G āl h
Gi n
Urātotha
Dh u
M
Makkamāma
Gōtapabbata
Nilvalatittha
95 - 96