Sri Lanka - What's in a name ?

The Road to Serendip; an ancient Persian fairy tale

The Three Princes of Serendip

In ancient times there existed in the Far East country of Serendip a great and powerful king by the name of Giaffer. He had three sons who were very dear to him. The Three Princes of Serendip were always making happy and unexpected discoveries, by accident and sagacity.

And it is from the 16th century Venetian adaption of the ancient fairy tale that Horace Walpole coined the word - serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

What does any of this have to do with our trip to Sri Lanka you ask ? Well Serendip was the ancient  Arabic and Persian name for Sri Lanka. 

Copy of a 12th century Arabic map, drawn upside down

Under British rule, 1815 to 1948, the island was known as Ceylon, derived from the Tamil word for the ancient tribe, the Cheras, who inhabited the island along with the Tamils and the Sinhalese. 

Lanka was the classical name bestowed on the island in an ancient Indian epic poem. The meaning of the word Lanka is disputed, but I favour the theory it derives from the Tamil word "ilanku", to shine or glitter, reflecting the gold and gems found on the surface of the island. During the independence movement the name Lanka was adopted in 1935 the Marxist Lanka Sama Samaja Party, with the honorific Sri added later to the name of the newly independent country. 

The Tamil word Eelam, meaning homeland, also has a significant place on the island. Tamil Eelam was the name adopted for a proposed independent state for Tamils on the island. But that is a whole other story. 

So join Tom and I on this blog as we join the road to Serendip and visit Sri Lanka this October.

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