2,300-year-old Tamil inscriptions discovered in Poonagari
2,300-year-old Tamil inscriptions discovered in Poonagari
I have colored some of them with the help of technology. It is for the public interest only and has no other purpose.
Scientific evidence that proves the antiquity of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Friends, today I would like to share with you about an important archaeological discovery in Sri Lankan history. This is about the Tamil Brahmi inscriptions that were recently discovered in the Poonagari region (from Kalmunai to Aladi), located between Yarlpanam and Tamil Nadu.
What was discovered?
In the archaeological surveys conducted in villages like Mannitthalai, Vettukkadu, and Paramankarai in the Poonagari region:
✅ BC Pottery inscriptions from the 3rd-2nd century AD
✅ Tamil Brahmi script (words like Eelam, Vel/Velan)
✅ Tamil-specific special characters (Lagaram, Ragaram, Nagaram)
✅ Pre-Sangam cultural symbols
Key findings:
“Velam” or “Velan”
A pottery inscription found in Paramankarai is written as “Velam” or “Velan”. Charter scholar Airavatham Mahadevan has suggested that this may refer to the small kingdoms called “Veler” mentioned in Sangam literature.
Ancient name “Eelam”
The words “Eela” and “Eelam” are found in the inscriptions found in Manintalai. This confirms the ancient name of Sri Lanka as “Eelam” which appears in Sangam literature and the Tiruparankundra Brahmic inscription.
Even today, there is an ancient village called “Eel oor” there — this is evidence that the name continued to be in use.
Why is this important?
Linguistic evidence: The Brahmi inscriptions found so far in places like Kandaroda and Vallipuram are mostly in Prakrit and related to Buddhism. But those found in Poonagari are written in pure Tamil.
Literacy: The presence of writing on pottery used by ordinary people shows that literate Tamil people lived here at that time.
Continuous history: Evidence of continuous Tamil civilization here from the Mesolithic period to the Chola period.
What else was found?
In the same area:
• Ruins of a Chola temple
• Black-red pottery (Melolithic culture)
• Roman and Arab coins
• Iron weapons, beads
• Evidence of trade relations
Things to think about:
The history of the Sri Lankan Tamils has mostly been depicted only through the lens of the Buddhist inscriptions called the “Mahavamsa”. But this archaeological evidence proves the ancient civilization of the Tamil people who originally lived in Sri Lanka.
Since the Poonagari region is very close to Tamil Nadu, it is clear that there was a continuous exchange of Tamil culture here.
(Translation by Kaanagan)
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