242 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XII. 



of the narrative. Afterwards Kuveni is seen, who conceives a 

 passion for Vijaya, and treacherously helps him to destroy 

 the inhabitants of two districts who had met to celebrate the 

 wedding of the son and daughter of their chiefs. Vijaya 

 and his followers then assume the costumes of the leading 

 men they had slain. Vijaya then lives with Kuveni and 

 has two children by her, clearly showing that she was a 

 human being. His followers afterwards desire that he 

 should formally assume the sovereignty, and a queen-consort of 

 suitable rank being required an embassy to Madura in India 

 is devised, the result of which is that not only a consort for 

 Vijaya, but wives of suitable rank for his seven hundred 

 followers emigrate, the nobility being encouraged to give their 

 daughters by the king's estimation of " renowned Sihala." 

 The princess received as dowry, elephants, horses, chariots, 

 and slaves. Eighteen officers of state, seventy-five menial 

 servants (horsekeepers, elephant keepers, and charioteers), 

 all these persons embarked in one vessel at Mahathitha. 

 The king Vijaya sent his father-in-law gifts of chanks 

 and pearls to the value of two lakhs, showing that he 

 already had subjects engaged in diving for these. He 

 appears to have paid an annual tribute of chanks and pearls 

 to the value of two lakhs. (Mahdwaiisa, chap. VII.) 



What is the conclusion we must draw from the marriage 

 of Vijaya and his seven hundred followers with the 

 ladies from Madura, but that their descendants were 

 semi-Tamil ? And the officers of state, the servants, 

 and artisans, who are mentioned as emigrating to 

 Ceylon from Madura, are likely to have come with their 

 families, thus leaving purely Tamil descendants. The place 

 where Vijaya had been sent adrift with seven hundred 

 followers must have been on the sea-coast, and at a not very 

 great distance from Ceylon. 



And even if we do not assign to Vijaya and his followers 

 a Dravidian birth (which is probable, from his getting 

 the daughter of the Panda va of Madura), he and his 

 fellow-settlers must certainly be held to have left Tamil 



