Naga people (Lanka)

The Naga people are believed by some to be an ancient tribe who once inhabited Sri Lanka and various parts of Southern India.

The word may have also come from "Naga" literally means "snake" or "serpent" in Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhala & Tamil language.

[10] Scholars like K. Indrapala regard them as an ancient tribe who started to assimilate to Tamil culture and language from the 3rd century BCE.

According to V. Kanakasabhai, The Oliyar, Parathavar, Maravar, Paraiyar,[14] Kallar, Palli[15] and Eyinar who were widespread across South India and North-East Sri Lanka are all Naga tribes.

[18][13] The chronicle states that the Buddha, during his second visit to the island, pacified a dispute between two Naga Kings of Nagadeepa, Chulodara and Mahodara over the possession of a gem-studded throne.

This throne was finally offered to the Buddha by the grateful Naga kings who left it in Nagadeepa under a Rajayathana tree (Kiri Palu) as an object of worship.

[23] In the Tamil epic Manimekalai, the heroine is miraculously transported to a small island called Manipallavam where there was a seat or foot stool associated to the Buddha.

[note 2][24] The legend speaks of the great Naga king Valai Vanan and his queen Vasamayilai who ruled over Manipallavam in the Jaffna Peninsula.

[8] Ptolemy mentions in 150 CE that King Sornagos, a descendant of this lineage, ruled from the early Chola capital of Uraiyur during this time.

[40][failed verification] Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus since ancient times have regarded the cobra as a divine being by the passing down of Naga traditions and beliefs.