Tamil Social Formation in Sri Lanka: A Historical Outline - Dr. P.Raghupathy

இன்று ஹிந்து நாளிதழில் வந்த ஆதிச்சநல்லூர் அகழ்வாராய்ச்சிக் கண்டுபிடிப்புகள் படித்திருப்பீர்கள். பத்ரி ஹிந்து நாளிதழ் செய்தியைப் பகிர்ந்துகொண்டதோடு சிரான் தெரனியகல பற்றியும் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தார். கடந்த வாரம் திரு.பத்மநாப ஐயர் எனக்குச் சில புத்தகங்களை அனுப்பி இருந்தார். அவற்றில் ஒன்று 'Tamil Social Formation in Sri Lanka: A Historical Outline'. டாக்டர் பொ.ரகுபதி எழுதியிருக்கும் 12 பக்கங்களே கொண்ட இச்சிறிய நூலை இங்கு பகிர்ந்துகொள்ளலாம் என்று நினைக்கிறேன். Dolmen, a megalithic burial monument found at Katiraiveli, Eastern Province. In the South Asian context, the megalithic culture was essentially a South Indian development, denoted by various types of burial monuments, introduction of iron technology, tank irrigated agriculture, permanent settlements and a pottery technique that produced Black and Red Wares. The urbanization, earliest kingdoms, chieftaincies and the refinement of the language that produced Cankam Tamil literature in South India, were in fact the culmination of this culture. Recent studies point out that the Island of Sri Lanka was also a part of this milieu. In the Jaffna Peninsula alone, three megalithic sites have been so far identified and excavated at Kantarotai Anaikkottai and Karainagar A traditional drummer of Karainagar, Jaffna. The drummers are one of the ancient communities in the formation of Tamil society in Sri Lanka. Besides playing drums at funerals and folk temples, they had a role in the society as heralds and traditional weavers. They maintained the family records of their feudal lords and even practised medicine and astrology. In Jaffna, they still retain a dialect of their own, which has a number of proto-Dravidian and a few Prakrit words, not found in any other dialects of Tamil. First Edition: February 1986; @ Ponnampalam Ragupathy; Publisher: R.S. Visakan on behalf of the Institute of Research and Development, 33, Chezhiyan Mansion, Raja Street, Madras-600 017; Typesetting and Layout: Cre-A : Madras; Printer: Sudarsan Graphics, Madras-600 017; Copies available at: Cre-A: 268, Royapettah High Road, Madras-600 014.