Velakkara
Velakkaras are royal guards mentioned in various historical accounts of Sri Lanka. The general prevailing notion is that they were Tamil mercenaries employed by the Imperial Chola kings for administration purpose in Sri Lanka. During the chola empire Velakkaras titled as the division of army used for specific purposes such as Kaikolars.
When Vijaybahu 1 overthrown the Chola administration Velakkaras made alliance with King Vijaybahu the great due to the weaknesses of Chola administration in Sri Lanka.
Etymology
[edit]"Velam" in Tamil means "the inner court" and probably these guards were elite and guarded the king and his family. Velam also could be the Sanskrit 'aham', both meaning the inner line of defence in a royal set up.
See also
[edit]- Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka#Historyvellai-kara means time soldiers. Vela in Tamil has 3 meanings, vel -spear, velai- work, velai- time
References
[edit]- ^ Guy. "History of Jaffna". Jaffnahistory.com. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ^ Tambiah, Stanley Jeyaraja (1986). Sri Lanka: ethnic fratricide and the ... - Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah - Google Books. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226789521. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ^ Karunathilake, Halaliye (2007-05-27). "Mahavamsa -The death of the Yuvaraja". Sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
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