Feudal Chiefs
Medieval Tamil chronicles such as the 18th century Yalpana Vaipava Malai and stone inscriptions like Konesar Kalvettu recount that the Chola royal Kankan, a descendant of the legendary King Manu Needhi Cholan of Thiruvarur, Chola Nadu, restored the Koneswaram temple at Trincomalee and the Kantalai tank after finding them in ruins. He visited the Munneswaram temple on the west coast, before settling ancient Vanniars in the east of the island. According to the chronicles, he extensively renovated and expanded the shrine, lavishing much wealth on it; he was crowned with the ephitet Kulakottan meaning Builder of tank and temple. Further to the reconstruction, Kulakottan paid attention to agriculture cultivation and economic development in the area, inviting the Vanniar chief Tanniuna Popalen and families to a new founded town in the area including Thampalakamam to maintain the Kantalai tank and the temple itself. The effects of this saw the Vanni region flourish. The Vanniar claim descent from this chief. Modern historians and anthropologists agree as historically factual the connection of the Vanniars with the Konesar temple, and some cite epigraphical evidence to date Kullakottan's renovations to 432-440 CE. Others cite poetic and inscriptional evidence to date his renovations to 1589 BCE. Following the re-rise of the Tamil kingdom in the medieval period and demise of the classical Sinhalese kingdom period post twelfth century AD, many petty chiefs took power in the buffer lands between the northern based Jaffna Kingdom and other Kingdoms based on the Southwest of the Island namely Kotte Kingdom and the Kandyan Kingdom. These petty chefs paid tribute to the Jaffna Kingdom. Sometimes they were independent of any central control or subdued by the southern kingdoms during the European colonial era for strategical purposes. The ruling class was composed of multi ethnic and multi caste origins. Some according primary sources such as Yalpana Vaipava Malai were descended from Vanniar caste immigrants from modern Tamil Nadu whereas others were clearly of Mukkuva origins. There were also number of Vannia chiefs of Sinhalese ancestry. Many kings and chiefs with titles such as Vannian or Vannia had ruled in northern areas of modern Sri Lanka termed as Vannimai during the Jaffna Kingdom era. (see Pandara Vannian)
Read more about this topic: Vanniar (Chieftain)
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