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Sri Lanka: The Valaikkara Stone Inscription at Polonnaruwa, c. 1100 CE

Sri Lanka: The Valaikkara Stone Inscription at Polonnaruwa, c. 1100 CE

There is little scholarly consensus over the presence of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, also known as Eelam in early Tamil literature, prior to the medieval Chola period (c.10th century CE). One theory states that there was not an organized Tamil presence in Sri Lanka until the invasions from what is now South India in the 10th century CE. Another theory contends that Tamil people were the original inhabitants of the island. The Valaikkara Stone inscription at Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka dates from 100 CE and is considered to have been erected by Tamil soldiers.

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