Eelam
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Eelam (
The exact etymology and the original meaning of the word are not clearly known, and there are number of conflicting theories. The
History
The earliest use of the word is found in a
: erukatur eelakutumpikan polalaiyan "Polalaiyan, (resident of) Erukatur, the husbandman (householder) from Eelam."[2]
The Sangam literature
Since the 1980s the words Eelam and Eelavar have been taken up by the
Etymology
Sihala>Eelam
Late-19th-century linguists took the view that the name Eelam was derived from the
Sinhala>Sîhala (in Pali) / Sihila (in Prakrit)>Sîla>Ila>Ilam (Eelam).[8]
Eelam>Sihala
Karthigesu Indrapala updated his theory in 2005 and claims that Eela, the stem of Eelam, is attested in Sri Lanka for centuries before the
Other theories
Another theory based on archeological evidence suggests the word is a Tamil word which originated from South India.[12] Also the Tamil meaning of "Eelam" is postulated to be homeland.[13][14]
The Tamil lexicons (நிகண்டு), Thivaakaram, Pingkalam and Choodaama'ni, dating from c. 8th century CE, equate the word Eezham with Chingka'lam (the Sinhala country).[15]
Cognate terms
Ancient ethnic group
Eela and Eelavar are etymologically related to Eelam. The stem Eela is found in Prakrit inscriptions dated to 2nd century BCE in Sri Lanka in terms such as Eela-Barata and Eela-Naga, proper names. The meaning of Eela in these inscriptions is unknown although one could deduce that they are either from Eela, a geographic location, or were an ethnic group known as Eela.[11][15]
South Indian caste theory
Eelavar in South Indian medieval inscriptions refer to the
References
- ^ University of Madras (1924–1936). "Tamil lexicon". Madras: University of Madras. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) (Online edition at the University of Chicago) - ^ ISBN 978-2-85539-630-9..
- ^ ISBN 9789551132002.
- ISBN 9788126012213.
- ISBN 9788170031956.
- ^ Caldwell, Robert (1875). "A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages". London: Trübner & Co.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help), pt. 2 p. 86. - ^ University of Madras (1924–1936). "Tamil lexicon". Madras: University of Madras. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) (Online edition at the University of Chicago) - ^ a b c Indrapala, Karthigesu (1965). Dravidian settlements in Ceylon and the beginning of the Kingdom of Jaffna (PhD). London: University of London. pp. 26–29.
- S2CID 162621555. at p. 133
- ^ Burrow, T.A.; Emeneau, M.B., eds. (1984). "A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary" (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) (Online edition at the University of Chicago) - ^ ISBN 978-955-1266-72-1.
- ^ Sitampalam, S.K. "Origin of 'Tamil Eelam'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - .
- ISBN 978-1442218031.
- ^ Tamilnet. Retrieved 2 October 2008.
Further reading
- Schalk, Peter (2004). Ilam<Sihala?:An Assessment of an Argument. Uppsala: ISBN 978-91-554-5972-7.
- Ubayasiri, Kasun (January 2005). "A virtual Eelam: Democracy, Internet and Sri Lanka's Tamil struggle". In Gann, Steven; Gomez, James; Johannen, Uwe (eds.). Asian Cyberactivism: freedom of expression & media censorship. ISBN 0-9749177-5-3.
