Tribes in Ancient India c38.30

c38.30

A study of the Buddhist texts clearly shows that the Damiḷas were a fighting people, engaged in constant strife with the Sinhalese. They are described as ‘anāriyā’ or uncultured. They were defeated and mercilessly massacred in almost all their battles with the Sinhalese; on one occasion, as we read in the *Mahāvaṃsa Commentary*,⁴ the Damiḷas were killed in such large numbers that the water of a pond became red on account of the profuse flow of Damiḷa blood. They are said to have used red-hot iron balls and molten pitch against their enemies.⁵