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Kandarodai

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Kandarodai(Tamil:கந்தரோடை,romanized:Kantarōṭai,Sinhala:කදුරුගොඩ,romanized:Kadurugoḍa,also known asTamil:கதிரமலை,romanized:Katiramalai) is a small hamlet and archaeological site ofChunnakamtown, a suburb inJaffna District,Sri Lanka.The notable ancient Buddhist monastery referred to asKadurugoda Viharais situated in Kandarodai.[1]

Etymology

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According to Jaffna tradition was this place initially known asKadiramalai.[2][failed verification][3][failed verification]According to C. Rasanayagam is theSinhalesenameKadurugoḍaderived fromKadiragoda,which is according to him derived from Kadiramalai, substituting theTamilsuffixmalai(meaning "mountain" ) with the Sinhalese suffixgoḍa.[citation needed]The prefixKadirais theTamilname for theAcacia chundratree.[2]The modern Tamil nameKantarōṭaiis believed to be re-derived from the Kadiragoda term.[4]The Tamil name was Kadiramalai.[citation needed]

Few scholars holds that Kadurugoda is derived from the Sinhalese nameKandavurugoda(a site of a military encampment).[5]The Portuguese archives refer to this place asKandarcudde.[6]The name Kadurogoda viharaya is mentioned in the 15th century Sinhalese textNampota.[7][8][9]

History

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In 1970, theUniversity of Pennsylvaniamuseum team excavated aceramicsequence remarkably similar to that ofArikameduinTamil Nadu,with a Pre-rouletted ware period, subdivided into an earlier "Megalithic", a later "Pre-rouletted ware phase," followed by a "Rouletted ware period". Tentatively assigned to the fourth century BCE,radio carbon datinglater confirmed an outer date of the ceramics andMegalithiccultural commencement in Kandarodai to 1300 BCE.[10][11]During this excavation, the university team discovered a potsherd carrying aSinhalese Prakritinscription written in Brahmi scripts.[12][note 1]

Black and red wareKanterodai potsherd withTamil Brahmi[13][need quotation to verify]scripts from 300 BCE excavated withRomancoins,early Pandyancoins, earlyChera Dynastycoins from the emporiumKarurpunch-marked with images of the Hindu GoddessLakshmifrom 500 BCE,punch-marked coinscalledPuranasfrom 6th-5th century BCE India, andcopperkohlsticks similar to those used by theEgyptiansfound in Uchhapannai, Kandarodai indicate active transoceanic maritime trade between ancient Jaffna Tamils and other continental kingdoms in the prehistoric period.[14][15]

The parallel third century BCE discoveries ofManthai,Anaikoddai andVallipuramdetail the arrival of a megalithic culture in Jaffna long before the Buddhist-Christian era and the emergence of rudimentary settlements that continued into early historic times marked by urbanization.[16]Some scholars have identifiedKourolamentioned by 2nd century ADGreekgeographerPtolemyandKamaramentioned by the 1st century ADPeriplus of the Erythraean Seaas beingKadiramalai.[17]

The earliest people ofJaffnawere belonging to a megalithic culture akin to theSouth Indianmegalithic culture. The period of Buddhism in theJaffna Peninsuladiffer from the rest of the island, which is seen as an overlapping of the megalithic beliefs with Buddhism.[18]According to scholars was Kantarodai, known inTamil literatureasKadiramalai,the capital of the ancient Tamil Kingdom ruled by Tamil speakingNagakings from 7th century AD to 10th century AD.[3]TheYalpana Vaipava Malaialso describes Kadiramalai as the seat ofUkkirasinghanwho fell in love with aCholaprincess in the ancient period.[19]The ancientKadurugoda ViharaBuddhist monastery is situated at this site where a 10th-century pillar inscription of Sinhalese language recording a regal proclamation of the bequest of gifts and benefits to a Buddhist place of worship was found.[1][9][12]Kandarodai was a Buddhistmercantilecentre amongTamils.[20][failed verification]

Education

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Kandarodai has a number of education institutions notablyKantharodai Tamil Kandaiya VidyasalaiandSkandavarodaya College.

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Kandarodai Gallery
  • Buddhist Archeological excavations at Kandarodai in Jaffna, ruins dated to the 9th century AD.[citation needed]
    Buddhist Archeological excavations at Kandarodai in Jaffna, ruins dated to the 9th century AD.[citation needed]
  • Part of farm land near Kandarodai in Jaffna peninsula.
    Part of farm land near Kandarodai in Jaffna peninsula.
  • One of the Tamil plaque.[citation needed]
    One of the Tamil plaque.[citation needed]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^In an excavation of Kandarodai by a team of archaeologists from the Pennsylvania University in the USA in 1970 a potsherd having lithic inscription of a few letters in Brahmi script was discovered and tagged as KTD14.....The potsherd being the only oldest inscribed artifact discovered in the Jaffna is of utmost importance. It is also the only artifact with genuine Brahmi scripting and symbols discovered in the Jaffna District....In 1973 Prof Indrapala leaves the following observations.... "Its language bears the same language used in the pre-Christian cave inscriptions. It is in Sinhala Prakrit. Datahapata means Dattaha's begging bowl...."

References

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  1. ^abArchaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990): History of the Department of Archaeology.Commissioner of Archaeology. 1990. p. 175.
  2. ^abAsia, International Association of Historians of (1988).Eleventh IAHA Conference: International Association of Historians of Asia, Colombo, 1-5 August 1988.The Association. p. 46.
  3. ^abRaghavan, M. D. (1971).Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction.Kalai Nilayam. pp. 89, 90.Researches on the probable capital of the Naga line of kings of Jaffna, favour the present village of Kantharodai as the site of the Naga capital of Jaffna (page 89).
  4. ^Asia, International Association of Historians of (1988).Eleventh IAHA Conference: International Association of Historians of Asia, Colombo, 1-5 August 1988.The Association. p. 45.
  5. ^Wijebandara, I.D.M. (2014).Yapanaye Aithihasika Urumaya (Historic Legacy of Jaffna)(in Sinhala). p. 93.ISBN978-955-9159-95-7.Sinhala:කදුරුගොඩ යන නාම සම්භවය ගැන සදහන් වන තැන කඳුරුගොඩ යන්න පැරණි සිංහල වචනයක් වන කඳවුරුගොඩ යන්නෙන් බිඳී අැත. (එය හමුදාමය කටයුතු සඳහා භාවිත භූමියකි.) මෙම කඳවුරුගොඩ කඳුරුගොඩ වූ අතර එහි ද්‍රවිඩ රූපය කන්දරෝඩෙයි විය.
    English:Where the etymology of Kadurugoda is mentioned, Kadurugoda has been broken from old Sinhalese word Kandavurugoda (It is a land used for military purposes). This Kandavurugoda became Kadurugoda and its Tamilised (or Dravida) form was Kandarodai)
  6. ^Rasanayagam, C.; Rasanayagam, Mudaliyar C. (1993).Ancient Jaffna: Being a Research Into the History of Jaffna from Very Early Times to the Portuguese Period.Asian Educational Services. p. 59.ISBN9788120602106.
  7. ^Wijesekera, Nandadeva (1990).Archaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990): History of the Department of Archaeology.Commissioner of Archaeology. p. 175.The monastery which stood in this archaeological reserve is referred to as kadurugoda Vihara in the nam-pota
  8. ^Paul E. Pieris (1917).Nagadeepa and Buddhist remains in Jaffan.Journal of the Ceylon branch of the Royal Asiatic society. p. 13.
  9. ^abGodakumbura, C. (1968). "Kantarodai".The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society:67–85.
  10. ^(Begley,V. 1973)
  11. ^Allchin, F. R.; Erdosy, George (7 September 1995).The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States.Cambridge University Press. p. 171.ISBN9780521376952.
  12. ^abDias, M.; Koralage, S.B.; Asanga, K. (2016).The archaeological heritage of Jaffna peninsula.Colombo: Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). pp. 222, 223.ISBN978-955-9159-99-5.
  13. ^Dayalan, D. (2003).Kalpavr̥ks̥a: Essays on Art, Architecture and Archaeology.Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. p. 161.ISBN9788180900037.
  14. ^Intirapālā, Kārttikēcu (2005).The evolution of an ethnic identity: the Tamils in Sri Lanka c. 300 BCE to c. 1200 CE.M.V. Publications for the South Asian Studies Centre, Sydney. p. 63.ISBN9780646425467.
  15. ^International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics.Department of Linguistics, University of Kerala. 2009. p. 62.
  16. ^S. Krishnarajah (2004). University of Jaffna
  17. ^Rásanáyagam, C.; Gunasekara, A. Mendis (1922). "The Tamil Kingdom of Jaffna and the Early Greek Writers".The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland.29(75): 46.JSTOR43483754.
  18. ^Ragupathy, Ponnampalam (1987).Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey.Thillimalar Ragupathy. p. 183.
  19. ^Pillay, Kolappa Pillay Kanakasabhapathi (1963).South India and Ceylon.University of Madras. p. 117.
  20. ^Schalk, Peter; Veluppillai, A.; Nākacāmi, Irāmaccantiran̲ (2002).Buddhism among Tamils in pre-colonial Tamilakam and Īlam: Prologue. The Pre-Pallava and the Pallava period.Almqvist & Wiksell. p. 94.ISBN9789155453572.
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