Tamraparni
Encyclopedia
Tamraparni or Tambapanni (Pali
) is an old name of Sri Lanka
. Tamraparniya is a name given to the Theravada school lineage in Sri Lanka. The region of southern India corresponding to the area of a Tamraparni river, in Tirunelveli
, Tamil Nadu
, and now called the Thamirabarani River
, has a relatively modern name.
Tamraparni is mentioned in particular in the Edicts of Asoka, as one of the areas of Buddhist proselytism in the 3rd century BCE:
In the world map drawn by the ancient Greek (Claudious Ptolemaeus "Geographia", 150 AD), a huge island located south of the Indian subcontinent is referred to by the Greek as “Taprobane”, which the historian has identified as the island of Sri Lanka.
Páli
- External links :* *...
) is an old name of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Tamraparniya is a name given to the Theravada school lineage in Sri Lanka. The region of southern India corresponding to the area of a Tamraparni river, in Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, and now called the Thamirabarani River
Thamirabarani River
The Thamirabarani River originates from the famous Agastyarkoodam peak in the hills of the Western Ghats above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk and flows through Tirunelveli & Tuticorin districts of the Tamil Nadu state of southern India...
, has a relatively modern name.
Tamraparni is mentioned in particular in the Edicts of Asoka, as one of the areas of Buddhist proselytism in the 3rd century BCE:
- "The conquest by DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanaYojanaA Yojana is a Vedic measure of distance used in ancient India. The exact measurement is disputed amongst scholars with distances being given between 6 to 15 kilometers ....
s (5,400–9,600 km) away, where the Greek king AntiochosAntiochus II TheosAntiochus II Theos was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom who reigned 261 BC – 246 BC). He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC...
rules, beyond there where the four kings named PtolemyPtolemy II PhiladelphusPtolemy II Philadelphus was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BCE to 246 BCE. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice, and was educated by Philitas of Cos...
, AntigonosAntigonus II GonatasAntigonus II Gonatas was a powerful ruler who firmly established the Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia and acquired fame for his victory over the Gauls who had invaded the Balkans.-Birth and family:...
, MagasMagas of CyreneMagas of Cyrene was a Greek Macedonian nobleman. Through his mother’s second marriage he was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty. He became King of Cyrenaica and he managed to wrestle independence for Cyrenaica from the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt.-Family Background & Early Life:Magas...
and AlexanderAlexander II of EpirusAlexander II was a king of Epirus, and the son of Pyrrhus and Lanassa, the daughter of the Sicilian tyrant Agathocles.-Reign:He succeeded his father as king in 272 BC, and continued the war which his father had begun with Antigonus II Gonatas, whom he succeeded in driving from the kingdom of Macedon...
rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni)." (Edicts of AshokaEdicts of AshokaThe Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE. These inscriptions are dispersed throughout the areas of modern-day Bangladesh, India,...
, 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika).
In the world map drawn by the ancient Greek (Claudious Ptolemaeus "Geographia", 150 AD), a huge island located south of the Indian subcontinent is referred to by the Greek as “Taprobane”, which the historian has identified as the island of Sri Lanka.