Thiriyai ( si, තිරියාය, translit=Tiriyāya, ta, திரியாய், translit=Tiriyāy) is a small

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the eastern

Trincomalee District Trincomalee District ( ta, திருக்கோணமலை மாவட்டம் ''Tirukōṇamalai Māvaṭṭam;'' si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''Trikuṇāmalaya distrikkaya'') is one ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is situated about 25 miles north of

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

town through

Nilaveli Nilaveli ( ta, நிலாவெளி, translit=Nilāveḷi; si, නිල්වැල්ල, translit=Nilvælla) is a coastal resort town and suburb of the Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka located 16 km northwest of the city of Trincomalee ...

. The total population of the village is 640 at the 2012 census. Thiriyai is among the ancient

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

villages of the district and was an international emporium with an old sea

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

which existed since at least 6th century BCE.University Teachers for Human Rights(Jaffna) Sri Lanka
Human Rights Report
/ref> Due to the ethnic conflict, most families fled the village and are now living elsewhere in the country or overseas. Several Tamil refugees returned to the village in the early 21st century during a ceasefire.

Etymology

The name ''Thiriyai'' is derived from the

word ''thiri'', meaning

wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

History

Thiriyai was populated by ancient Naga tribe. The place is referred to as ''Thalakori'' ''Emporium'' in the 2nd century AD map of the Greek geographer

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

, which was an old sea port that existed from at least 6th century BCE. The Buddhist temple

Girihandu Seya Girihandu Seya (also known as Nithupathpana Vihara)is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Thiriyai, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist Stupa in Sri Lanka, believed to be constructed by two seafaring merchant ...

, an almost complete example of

vatadage A vaṭadāge ( si, වටදාගෙ) is a type of Buddhist structure found in Sri Lanka. It also known as a ''dage'', ''thupagara'' and a ''cetiyagara''. Although it may have had some Indian influence, it is a structure that is more or less uniq ...

, is located close to this village. The temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist

Stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

in Sri Lanka. Legends attribute the constructing of the temple by the

Trapusa and Bahalika Trapusa and Bahalika (alternatively Bhallika) are traditionally regarded as the first disciples of the Buddha. The first account of Trapusa and Bahalika appears in the Vinaya section of the Tripiṭaka where they offer the Buddha his first meal a ...

merchants of the 4th century BCE, bringing with them the hair relics of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

. Scholars holds the view that

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

influenced

seafaring Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...

merchants from the

Pallava Kingdom The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

were responsible for the construction of this temple. A 7th century AD inscription found in the Girihandu Seya temple, written in

Sanskrit language Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the lat ...

with the South Indian Pallava Grantha script, indicates the presence of the

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

cult in

. This inscription attributes with showing the influence of the

Pallava dynasty The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

and on

Sinhala script The Sinhala script ( si, සිංහල අක්ෂර මාලාව, Siṁhala Akṣara Mālāva), also known as Sinhalese script, is a writing system used by the Sinhalese people and most Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to write ...

. The Mahayana images and Pallava sculptural styles indicates on the presence of South Indian artists.

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pro ...

refer to this place as ''Kandaswamy malai'' and venerate this place as the hill of

Murugan Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

. Thiriyai has traditionally been connected with the Koneswaram temple in

and the Kandaswamy malai hill is referred as ''Kanthathiri'' in the

text

Thiruppugazh Thiruppugal (Tamil: , ', IPA/Tamil: , meaning 'Holy Praise' or 'Divine Glory'), sometimes spelled Thiruppugazh, is a 15th-century anthology of Tamil religious songs dedicated to Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva, written by the poet-saint ...

. The ''Vaiya Paadal'', a 17th-century Tamil historical text, refers to ''Cupatittu'', a Brahmin, who ruled Thiriyai in the 15th century. Thiriyai was part of Vanni Nadu and was once ruled by the Vanniar Chieftain, ''Neela Panikkan''. The hill known as ''Neelanpanikkan malai'' and the

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

known as ''Neelanpanikkan kulam'' was named after him. Ruins of his fortress is found on the hilltop. The area remained a

village, although experienced settling of 72

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

families north of Thiriyai in the 1960s. Killing of civilians in the 90s in Thiriyai attributed by the

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

and other ethnic tension lead to most family fleeing the area to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

with boat, thereupon the area being nearly deserted.

References

External links

* Article and Pictures of Thiriyaya archaeological sit

{{Coord, 8, 52, 13.28, N, 81, 00, 26.74, E, display=title Buddhism amongst Tamils Villages in Trincomalee District Kuchchaveli DS Division

Etymology

History

See also

References

External links