Talk:Ancient clans of Lanka
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This article is based on a VERY literal reading of the Mahāvaṃsa, a monastic chronicle written in ~6th century. The source cited (http://www.srilankatailormade.com/why-sri-lanka/history-and-people-of-sri-lanka/people-of-sri-lanka/) is similarly drawn from "the earliest surviving chronicles." In South Asian Buddhism, a nāga is a demon or spirit in the form of a snake, while a yakkha (Skt. yaksha, which is the heading of their Wikipedia entry) is a nature spirit more generally, often benevolent but not always so. The Mhv. describes Sri Lanka as being inhabited only by these spirits before the arrival of the Buddha, who banishes the yakkha to the giridipa (disputed term, but usually translated as highlands) using his mystical powers and so sanctifies the island for Buddhism and for the future occupation of the Sinhalese. There is suggestion in the Mhv. that either term refers to non-demonic human clans that only happen to share the names of these spirits, as the article implies. Nor are there any references to either term in any extant Pali or Sanskrit literature that do not mean demons or spirits. In other words, there is no reason to interpret this chapter of the Mhv. as a historical account of the actual prehistorical inhabitants of Sri Lanka. The Mhv. is used by some Sinhalatva nationalists as a historical text, and I suspect that it is likely that the cited source (http://www.srilankatailormade.com/why-sri-lanka/history-and-people-of-sri-lanka/people-of-sri-lanka/) is attempting to (or is informed by another source attempting to) rationalise this mythological account as credible history by re-interpreting the nāga and yakkha as tribes of people who only happen to worship snakes and demons respectively. There is no archaeological evidence to support this interpretation and it is not generally accepted by historians, archaeologists, or scholars of Sri Lanka, the Mhv., or Pali texts generally. In other words, this represents original (and highly suspect) research, possibly motivated by a political (Sinhalatva) agenda, that has no place being on Wikipedia. (I'm new to editing, so my apologies for any mistakes made with the templates. I'm sure that there are many. I'm simply getting frustrated by too many of my students [tertiary] handing in essays about the Yakka people of Sri Lanka!) 130.195.253.54 (talk) 06:04, 11 January 2016 (UTC)
| This article's factual accuracy is disputed. |
I agree with the above objection. This article is not only "original research" it is downright imagination & fantasy. It should be removed from Wikipedia.
Meaning of Naga[edit]
The term Naga is multiple meanings. Na-ga नग is a forest/mountain (since it does not move). Naaga नाग is a snake, elephant or anything wild (thus nagadanta is elephant's tusk). Many individuals in ancient India were names -naga, and there was a Naga dynasty in central India (Nagas of Padmavati). Thus the term Naga likely refers to one or several forest-dwelling tribes.
The term Yaksha does not mean a demon. It means a folk deity, a spirit. They were widely worshipped in india.