Vellaveli Brahmi Inscription

Vellavely is an ancient Tamil settlement in Sri Lanka. Historical and archaeological evidence confirms that the Eastern and Northern regions of the island were inhabited by Tamil people from the earliest times. The so-called “Vellavely inscription” is in fact written in Tamil-Brahmi script, not Sinhala. Sinhala-speaking people arrived in Sri Lanka by sea much later, long after Tamil people had already established their presence in these regions. Tamil is the world’s oldest living language, with a continuous literary tradition dating back thousands of years, whereas the Sinhala language developed more than a millennium later. There is no historical basis to claim that the Eastern and Northern provinces were originally Sinhala; the inscription belongs to Tamil cultural and linguistic heritage

Vellavely is an ancient Tamil locality in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, and the cave record known as the “Vellavely inscription” is best understood as a Tamil-Brahmi inscription. The letter-forms align with early Brahmi used in the Tamil country (Tamil-Brahmi), and the linguistic context fits the early historic Tamil presence across the island’s east and north. Tamil communities occupied these regions in antiquity, with maritime trade, megalithic culture, and early writing spreading along the littoral well before later linguistic developments elsewhere on the island. In this light, terms read on the rock should be approached through Tamil-Brahmi phonetic values and grammar rather than retrofitting them to later Sinhala forms. The inscription’s find-spot in a historically Tamil area, the epigraphic ductus (shapes and strokes typical of Tamil-Brahmi), and the broader archaeological horizon linking Sri Lanka’s east with the early Tamil world all point to a Tamil authorship and audience. Claims that the text is “Sinhala” or purely “Prakrit” ignore Tamil-Brahmi’s well-attested use for centuries and the continuity of Tamil settlement in the region. Consequently, the Vellavely record should be recognized as part of Tamil epigraphic heritage, evidencing the deep antiquity of Tamil language and literacy on the island’s eastern seaboard.

Vellaveli Brahmi Inscription is a rock-cut record on rocks in Thalavai (Vellavely) of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The place located 50 km away from Batticaloa through Kaluvanchikudy A4 road. The place is surrounded by rocks and hills. There are about four inscriptions, and 3 out of 4 cannot readable or damaged due to natural impact. Some parts of rocks are carved by human activity, which could have happened in ancient days.^[1] The initial finding says that it is dated to approximately 2200 years,^[1] and it has mix of both Brahmi and Prakrit.^[2]

The following letters can be seen in the inscription:^[1]

Parumaka Naavika Shamathaya Leno

The rough translation says “Ship caption Shamathaya, who has the title Parumaka, given this rock”. The word Parumaka literally means lord, and the word Naavika could be a sailboat as per use of Sangam literature’s^[3] wording.

Vellaveli is situated in present Eastern province of sri Lanka. Eastern province was almost entirely a part of ancient Ruhuna or Rohana, a division of ancient lanka or Ceylon. “Ceylon” has been derived from portuguese “ceilao” which was derived from “sihala” - the name of the people and their country in ancient times.

There are thousands of rock inscriptions scattered all around the island specially in Eastern and Northern provinces some dating back to 3-4 cen BCE. Earliest are in Brahmi letters and prakrit which have been developed to sinhalese script in later inscriptions. Very few Tamil inscriptions too have been found among the very later ones as Tamil people who came from south India mixed with local population lateron.

As the article says Vellaveli inscription is written in brahmi letters in prakrit. Prakrits were a group of Middle Indo Aryan languages used from 5th cen BCE to 12 CEN CE in Indian sub continent. Elu or Hela Prakrit, closely related to other prakrits was the language of the people of the island in BCE. It developed to sinhala language and Divehi language of Maldives.

It is said "Naavika” is mentioned in Sangam. But it has nothing to do with Dravidian Tamil language. It might have been mentioned due to vedic Sanskrit (an Indo Aryan language).

Infact Naval is one of many words which reflects the Indo European language group. It has been originated from "nau” the Proto Indo European (the caspean steppe common ancestor of all indo European languages now spoken all over Europe, central and south asia) word for ship/boat. “Naavika” නාවික is the sinhala word to denote Naval used from Hela times. Like the common ancestor sinhala use the word “nava” නැව for ship. Sri lanka has been in the centre of major sea routes of ancient world.

The Vellaveli inscription says Parumaka -a common word in most sinhala inscriptions to mention a chief, head of a unit, organisation eg: Parumaka gamika means village chief. After 24 centuries even in modern sinhala pramuka ප්‍රමුක means main, chief; naavika – naval, sailor; Shamathaya – his name; Lene- lena is a word for cave even in modern sinhala; Therefore it says “naval chief Shamathaya’s cave”, written in Brahmi script in elu or Hela Prakrit language which became sinhala language