You [W] wrote: “Buddhism was arguably stronger in Chola Nadu than the other two Tamil kingdoms. Have you never heard about the Buddhist site at Nagapattinam?”

Of course the Cholas were not antagonistic to Buddhism at all. But my point is that the Cholas retained their Saiva Hindu beliefs/philosophy much more firmly than did the others in the face of the popularity and rise of Buddhism.

W: “Are you a Brahmin?”

Be who you are on this earth!
But one’s birth cannot exceed the power of the truth in setting one free.

W: “What do you mean? Vijaya’s grandmother was from Bengal.”

Vijaya’s grandmother was 1/2 Kalinga 1/2 Vanga (possibly Bengal).
Lala land where the lion came from is not clear.
But if you go by that lion story then Vijaya (who was born of an incestuous relationship) is 1/2 lion, 1/4 Vanga, 1/4 Kalinga.

W: “How are they related? Pandya Nadu and Kalinga are in two completely different places, and there is no evidence that Tamil was used in Kalinga.”

Yes, different places but trace the ancestry of the Kalingas and the Pandyans and see what you find. Also marriage between royals happend just as the Vanga king took and Kalinga wife.
Notice that no king of Lanka ever claims Vanga ancestry!

W: “Firstly, Parakramabahu left many more inscriptions in Sinhala, so I do not understand your claim that Tamil was the language of the ruling classes.”

Tamil was the language of the ruling classes, but the common masses also had to be informed from time to time.
The Galle inscription that the Chinese left was in Persian, Tamil and Chinese, even though Galle was in the deep Sinhala south.
And by 1400 AD Sinhalese was definitely on the map as proper language spoken by the people there (if there were any Tamils in Galle at the time they would have been very very few).
So why Tamil and not Sinhalese? That was because that inscription was not meant for the commoners but for the rulers and elites: therefore Tamil!
Besides, and I don’t mean this to be taken in any negative way, for thousands of years Tamil was the language of high culture, and like anywhere on earth all the kings and courtiers wanted to be cultured.

W:”Secondly, he lived in the 12th century CE; how come nobody before him made Tamil inscriptions (aside from the imperial Cholas)?”

Who says?

W: “But aside from obviously Tamil kings like Elara, what is your evidence that any of the others used Tamil?”

What language did the Kandyan kings speak? Not Sinhalese, but Tamil.

W:” Yes, that’s correct. They saw themselves as the legitimate rulers of the island.”

Until Anagrika Dharmapala and his confused followers came along no one fought the other on the basis of being Tamil or Sinhalese, but according to whichever king they gave their allegiance to – that the kings spoke Tamil was not a big deal!

Dear Wijayapala,

It was in June 2009; but as soon as India questioned it the GOSL very quickly denied it ever had any such plans (even if it did entertain some plans in secret).
The GOSL’s denial was probably true, but those who were not fully in the loop about the India’s decisive help in the war against the LTTE (which the upper levels of the GOSL of course knew), started thinking that the LTTE had been defeated with Chinese help.
They were the ones who started the nonsense about the SLN base. They also supposed that if India dared to interfere with this SLN base then China would come to the rescue.
See for example:
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_karuna-writes-to-pm-on-lanka-s-reported-move-on-military-base_1265669

You still in 2011 ask what India did to help?
The help was enormous and decisive but I won’t go into it now. However ask yourself what those Indian ‘radar technicians’ who were injured by LTTE fire doing in SL at the time?
India’s role is not a secret anymore … you can easliy find out plenty if you want to.

“On another note, did you have a look at my reply to you re”

No I missed it, thank you for showing it. I’ll respond here.

“The Cholas were the only Tamil group to remain strongly Saiva Hindu”

Not true at all, Buddhism was arguably stronger in Chola Nadu than the other two Tamil kingdoms. Have you never heard about the Buddhist site at Nagapattinam?

“Apparently the Cholas joined the great Kurushetra war effort as cooks on the side of the Pandavas! This is really interesting because this could possibly indiate that the Cholas, like the Aryachakravartis of Jaffna, were of Brahmin origins. Food cooked by a Brahmin (especially who is able and authorised to do all the rituals) is considered to be the most spiritually pure (with no bad vibes that would sap strength when it is neeeded etc.) and most nourishing.”

Are you a Brahmin?

“Notice that there is no mention of Vijaya’s actual lineage, but only a possible region that may or may not be around east India.”

What do you mean? Vijaya’s grandmother was from Bengal.

“So it is most likely that what might have happened was along the lines that the area Vijaya came from was also under Pandyan control. If Vijaya was definitely Kalinga it would have been mentioned. But the Kalingas and Pandyans are not unrelated.”

How are they related? Pandya Nadu and Kalinga are in two completely different places, and there is no evidence that Tamil was used in Kalinga.

“The Pandyans never ceased to be Tamil, nor did the kings who ruled over the Sinhalese. Parakramabahu for example left inscriptions in Tamil which was the language of the ruling classes.”

Firstly, Parakramabahu left many more inscriptions in Sinhala, so I do not understand your claim that Tamil was the language of the ruling classes. Secondly, he lived in the 12th century CE; how come nobody before him made Tamil inscriptions (aside from the imperial Cholas)?

“But there were no Sinhalese kings, nor did any of the kings think of themselves as Tamil kings even though it was Tamil that they used.”

But aside from obviously Tamil kings like Elara, what is your evidence that any of the others used Tamil?

“Even the AryaChakravarti, who retook the Jaffna throne from Sappumal kumaraya = Sembaha Perumal (himself a Tamil, possibly Chera origins), intended to conquer and rule the whole island of Lanka. But the arrival of the Portuguese upset those plans. AryaChakravartis did not consider themselves as just a Tamil kings!”

Yes, that’s correct. They saw themselves as the legitimate rulers of the island.

Dear sambar,

“the hope of a Sri Lankan naval base in Katchatheevu was quickly denied when the neighbour questioned it.”

Could you show me when the SLN wanted to build a base there?

“Why do you think India helped so much with defeating the LTTE?”

What did India do to help?

Dear Wijayapala,

On another note, did you have a look at my reply to you re
http://groundviews.org/2011/06/20/spirtuality-religion-and-human-conflict/

Dear Wijayapala,

I think you know my answer!

But beyond that, soon enough the Sinhala Buddhists will be backing off with their sense of identity in further disarray in exactly the same way the hope of a Sri Lankan naval base in Katchatheevu was quickly denied when the neighbour questioned it.

Why do you think India helped so much with defeating the LTTE? – You can be sure it was not for the love of the Sinhala Buddhists or even any other Lankans.

Consider the likely post-post-war scenario!

When I said “applicable to a country recovering from civil and ethnic conflict” I actually was not referring to Sri Lanka specifically. I was merely drawing attention to the fact that both Germany and Israel are not cases of internal civil conflicts; of which the past Sri Lankan war is more properly characterized.

And to answer Wijayapala, I would say there is much more progress that needs to be made before we can categorize Sri Lanka as being a post-conflict society.

“Some might easily argue that Sri Lanka is still festering if not relapsing rather than recovering.”

But not you, right?

Some might easily argue that Sri Lanka is still festering if not relapsing rather than recovering.

Sri Lanka