No. 24.-1881.] 



ORIGIN OF THE VEDDAS. 



93 



NOTE ON THE ORIGIN OF THE VEDDA'S, 

 WITH A FEW SPECIMENS OF THEIR 

 SONGS AND CHARMS. 



By Louis De Zoysa, Maha-Mudaliyar. 



(Read July M, 1881 J 



In submitting the following Note to the Society, it is not 

 my intention to enter upon the vexed question of the origin of 

 the Veddas, but simply to call attention to an important pas- 

 sage in the Mahawanso relating thereto, the true meaning of 

 which has been long hidden from the readers of that work by 

 an erroneous rendering in Mr. Tumour's translation. 



The 6th chapter of the Mahawanso gives an account of the 

 arrival of Vijayo, the first monarch of the Sinhalese dynasty, 

 B. C. 543. The 7th chapter relates his encounter with an 

 aboriginal Princess named Kuveni, how he married her, and how 

 he conquered the Island by her means. 



When she had borne him two children, a son named Jlva- 

 hatto and a daughter named Disdla, the King wished to divorce 

 her and marry a Princess from Southern Madura. For this 

 purpose he sent ambassadors to King Panclavo of Madura, 

 soliciting his daughter in marriage, and duly obtained his con- 

 sent. On the arrival of the Princess from India, Vijayo "thus 

 explained himself to Kuweni : ( A daughter of royalty is a 

 timid being ; on that account, leaving the children with me, 

 depart from my house.' She replied : ' On my account, having 

 murdered Yakkhos, I dread these Yakkhos ; now I am discarded 



|§ir It is due to Mr. De Zoysa to record that lie had no opportunity of 

 perusing the Papers on the Veddas — only very recently received from 

 England— of Messrs. J. Bailey (Trans. Ethnological Soc, Vol 11. ?i.s., Art. 

 xxvi., 1863), and B. F. Hartshorne (Fortnightly Review, Art v, March, 

 1876), prior to writing the " Note" now printed. Mr. De Zoysa's Paper has 

 been delayed, whilst in the press, to enable the Honorary Secretary to add 

 (necessarily as Notes) some extracts bearing thereon. 



