The pearl fishers and trade of jaffna before the arrival of the british - a historical view

Sri Lanka is a country with very long historical traditions in the world. Particularly in Northern Sri Lanka, as one of the principal sources of revenue, pearls trade occupied a dominantplace,rightfrom very ancient times up to the arrival of the British. Through this trade not only thekings ofJaffna, but also the Europeans who came later including the Portuguese, the Dutch and British were immensely benefited. This trade which was one of the prominent sources of income to theNorthern Sri Lanka, was so profitable that apart from local purchasers, even, South India andBengal were induced to buy Jaffna pearls (Mannar) willingly for their various purposes. Thoughthe pearls trade had been so flourishing, in the past, no individual scholar appears to have goneinto this aspect in detail. This study therefore aims primarily in filling such a gap, and alsopioneering such scholars as may be taken up by future scholars into this aspect. This study is based on a historical approach. It uses primary and secondary data. Primary data mostly includestone inscriptions, reports of Europeans and various other documents. Secondary data areused, such as subsequent books, articles, website data and interviews based on primary data. When theelephant trade carried on in Jaffna prior to the arrival of the British, is studied, the results bringone to the conclusion that elephant trade had been one of the main source of income of Jaffna.