Lanka, the strange island as seen by Greek sailors
By Amal Hewavissenti
Even before the advent of the new phase of civilisation followed by
the arrival of Wijaya, Sri Lanka had been a commercial centre with
highly sailed Indian ocean surrounding it. It is extremely interesting
to read the records kept by foreign sailors and travellers regarding
what Sri Lanka was like during the earliest period.
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Ancient map of Ceylon |
Even Ramayana, that deals with events in Southern India and Sri Lanka
three thousand years back has made references to this island as "Lanka."
Strangely enough, the sailors and travellers to Sri Lanka never called
this island "Lanka" but called it by different names from their
respective languages.
The first foreign traveller's impression of Sri Lanka was recorded by
Onesicretus, the naval commander of Alexander the Great. The western
world by then had laboured under the delusion that "Taprobane" was a
strange island - a strange world where horrible monsters and cannibals
lived.
Yet Onesicretus refuted these misconceptions in his records made in
the course of voyages of Alexander's imperial expansion. According as he
says, Taprobane (Sri Lanka) was intersected by a river and one half had
been populated by beasts such as tuskers while the other half had human
settlements.
Boats
"They (the people of Sri Lanka) sail in reed boats and ships and it
takes at least twenty days to sail to Taprobane from India where
Persians live. The sea between Taprobane and India is around 35 feet
deep but some parts of it (the sea) run much more deep.
We do not require astral indication of direction when sailing across
that strip of sea because we are able to determine the direction of land
by observing the landward flight of birds.
"They (people of Sri Lanka) collect stripped marbles and oysters of
varied types. They, the people of Taprobane obtain pearls from Oysters.
In a certain season of the year, the Oysters seek to suck, by an
unexplained means, the dear produced by the moon at night and produce
pearls from what they get from the moon.
"In hot season, the Oysters dive deep into the sea and protect
themselves from heat and particularly from fishermen who are expert in
capturing the "leader" of the Oysters and all others who never leave
their leader in captivity..." Onesicretus records.
Based on the information given by Sopratus, a Greek trader, Cosmos
Indicoptiustus , also a trader recorded his impressions of Sri Lanka. He
wrote, "The Greek call this island Taprobane" because the island is
profusely scattered with reddish yellow precious stones. The big island
rises out of the Indian ocean and is called "Cila diva" by Indians
trading frequently with the people in it. "The Taprobane island is
surrounded by many other isles where we could see towering coconut trees
and enjoy refreshing fresh water. Numerous ships from India, Persia and
Ethiopia travel to this island daily.
The island of Taprobane is a commercial centre that exchanges its
products with the merchandise from various countries."The King of this
island imports tuskers and horses from Persia and pays the price for
them according to their (animals') height. In the middle of the island
rises the mountain with a foot print on a rock which is believed to have
been placed by Adam. Red, purple and blue precious stones lie scattered
around this sacred mountain.
Perfumes
"The beaches yield valuable pearls, precious stones, gold and giant
conches which the people use as a trumpet. When a King dies, his body is
smeared with costly perfumes and is laid on a hearse so as to keep his
head down with his hair touching the ground. The body is then cremated
after a long funeral procession and the ashes is thrown in the air.
"Precious stones of red, green and yellow are abundantly found on the
mountain ranges of Taprobane. The King employs miners to obtain precious
stones and sometimes he makes them dig deep holes and tunnels
underground in order to obtain priceless precious stones.
The King's palace is frequented by scholars and physicians from
India, Persia and Rome. The visitors to the King's Palace witness a
massive gold statue beside the throne and elegant carvings and
decorations inside which were created with the expense of enormous
amount of wealth.
"Broad plains which extend up to the sea, the health giving wind, the
rocks rich fresh water, lush green meadows and luxuriant vegetation add
an extraordinary appearance to the island of Taprobane. Sailors,
travellers and foreign envoys are naturally compelled to stay for months
on this island simply because of the pleasant atmosphere and
friendliness of its inhabitants.
"People of Taprobane are really inclined to involve themselves in
many forms of entertainment which exist primarily in provincial level.
"The King of the island of Taprobane is dark in complexion and wears
a colourful cloak studded with different precious stones and a pair of
red leather sandles with golden threads. When he goes out to his royal
gardens, he uses a giant tusker or a Palanquin carried by four men.
His Palace is embellished with red, blue and yellow precious stones
and a golden tree stands beside the throne.
"The Palace has been constructed in two segments namely eastern
Palace and western Palace which are used by the King in the morning and
the evening sessions respectively.
"The King keeps a giant precious stone of about five inches in
diameter in his fist. The stone radiates when it is dark and the King
habitually rubs it over his face.
"The average people are highly inclined towards certain forms of
regional entertainment such as cock fighting and playing a game
resembling chess. Their chief source of entertainment is cock fighting
at risk of lands, paddy fields, gold and other valuables. The cocks are
comparatively larger and aggressive with sharp blades attached to their
feet.
The master owner of the cock that wins in the battle is entitled to
all property and valuables placed at risk before fighting." Onesicretus
had spent a few months in Sri Lanka and returned to Greece as Alexander
the Great unexpectedly failed in the battle to capture India. |