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



In addition to the caution that the Sinhalese language is 

 not Dravidian, we have, therefore, the existence of this and 

 other peculiar customs showing that certain tribes had 

 found their way to Ceylon ; and we must not shut out of 

 consideration ancient communication with Manipur or 

 Burmah, or even Thibet, or (if we are to reject that idea) 

 emigration from those countries or from the Straits. In our 

 present state of knowledge we must preserve a saving clause 

 that, besides Dravidian emigration and the aboriginal 

 population preceding it, there is evidence of the presence in 

 Ceylon of a non-Dravidian element which gave a national 

 language and names to the mixed population of the Island. 

 Neither the mythical story of Vijaya nor that of Panduvasa- 

 dewa's bride can sufficiently account for a large population 

 of a non-Dravidian nationality. 



As for the Dravidian population, I need only point to the 

 specific mention in the Mahdwansa, not only of the Cheras 

 (called Keralas), the Cholians (or Cholas), and the Pandiyans, 

 but of the Maravers (or Dewas) and Kallers, as furnishing 

 some of the armies that made Ceylon a battle ground. The 

 Kallers as well as the Maravers (or Vannian caste), peculiar 

 to South India, furnished the fighting men of the predatory 

 chieftains called Polygars, who gave so much trouble to the 

 East India Company. Their locality was chiefly in the 

 Ramnad's country, of which the port is Dewapatnam, The 

 Mahdwansa has to be compared with Dr. Caldwell's 

 " History of Tinnevelly " to identify these races, which can 

 be done in a very satisfactory manner. 



It is most interesting to compare even printed texts in 

 Telugu, Tulu, Konkain, Canarese, Malayalam, and Burmese. 

 It should not be forgotten that in Great Britain English is 

 printed in. the characters of the Roman alphabet, so that when 

 the characters of the Sinhalese alphabet are identified they 

 will also be most probably identified as having belonged to 

 a nationality of greater civilisation than its predecessors in 

 the Island, and which had accordingly left this stamp of its 

 civilisation as evidence, The Sinhalese bear an undeniable 



