Plus

Plus

Little is known of our Italian connection and a recent lecture shed light on this chapter in history. Esther Williams reports
The tales they told of Lanka
Of the Dutch, Portuguese and English and their sojourn here, there is ample evidence in the names of people, language, food and architecture. Yet, not many know that Sri Lanka had cordial relations with Italy that date back to the early 1st century. The Italian connection was highlighted at a lecture entitled 'Italian Travel Tales and The Island of Ceylon' organised by the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Italy Friendship Society.

Guest speaker Patrick Edward Kelly who has a background in postcolonial literature and has specialised in Italian studies revealed this through the writings of Italian travellers. An educationalist and language training advisor, Kelly who has lectured in South Africa, Canada and Italy, made a unique presentation with the use of images and music portraying the testimonies of simple travellers.

One of the earliest references to Sri Lanka was in the book Naturalis Historia (70 AD) written in Latin by Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known at Pliny the Elder. In Pliny's 6th book are details of a curious visit by a certain group of four Ceylonese dignitaries to the court of Emperor Claudius.

“One Annium Plocamus, while passing through the Red Sea, was blown into a violent tempest off the coast of Arabia. Unexpectedly after 15 days he arrived at the port of Hippuros, in the island of Tarobane. Here he was kindly received by the King of the country whose hospitality he experienced during a period of six months. In this interval, the Roman visitant acquainted the Ceylonese monarch about the majesty of Rome. He accordingly dispatched an embassy, consisting of four persons to the imperial city.”

"These Ambassadors," Kelly says, "gave in some measure an erroneous account of the island or interpreted incorrectly by the Romans." They said that their country contained 500 towns, 200,000 inhabitants who had dealings with the Seres (supposed by some to be Chinese) whom they described as men of gigantic size, with red hair, blue eyes, a shrill and piercing voice and a language which they did not understand. More was said about the marble, jewels and pearls of great beauty. Other details mentioned therein were: "The Ambassadors from Ceylon represented their wealth to be greater than that of the Romans, but said that the Romans turned theirs to more use. They mentioned that no one among them had any slaves. They did not take any repose after sunrise or during the day. Their houses were of moderate height. Provisions were never at an extravagant price and they were free from the evils of judicial strife."

Commentators such as Diodorus Siculus and Strabo state that Ceylon had become a chief area of Indian Ocean commerce by this time. The merchants of Ceylon, according to Strabo imported silks, aloes, cloves and sandalwood from China, pepper from Male, copper, wood, sesame and ebony as well as other spices and ponies from Persia.

Ptolemy’s maps, according to Kelly prove that Ceylon was fairly circumnavigated, being a chief port in the Indian Ocean trade route, a vital link between the east and west. Interestingly it was exaggerated in size, showing it to be 14 times its normal size in the ancient maps.

Subsequently, Fra Mauro, Fra Oderic, Fra Giovanni di Marignolli and the adventurer and captain Varthema of Bologna helped to refine the image to that we have today. Based on this map, many missionaries, diplomats and merchants who planned their trip to the faraway land of China followed the route through the island of Ceylon.

Marco Polo is believed to have travelled more extensively than any man. Kelly said that his account of Ceylon added an almost mystical and religious dimension to the island, abounding with stories of crocodiles, coconuts and hairy men.

Thirty-five years after Marco Polo's visit, Franciscan missionary Fra Oderic da Pordenone was dispatched to the Catholic Mission in the East sometime between 1316 and 1318.

Of Ceylon, Fra Oderico says, "There is also another island called Sillan which hath a compass of 2000 miles. There be found an infinite number of serpents and many other wild animals in great numbers, especially elephants. In this country, there is an exceedingly great mountain, of which the folk relate that it was upon it that Adam mourned for his son Abel one hundred years. In the midst of this mountain is a certain beautiful level place, in which there is a lake of no great size but having a great depth of water. This they say was derived from the tears shed by Adam and Eve, but I do not believe that to be truth, seeing that the water naturally springs from the soil."

Another religious man Giovanni de Marignolli, visited twenty years later. Marignolli was sent on a mission to China and on his return journey was accidentally driven by the winds to Ceylon “brought safely into port in a harbour of Seyllan called Pervilis (Beruwela)." There the voyager writes that they were accosted by a tyrant who in a pretence of treating them honourably took a loan of 60,000 marks in gold, silver, silk, cloth of gold, precious stones, pearls, camphor, musk, myrrh, aromatic spices, gifts from the Great Khan and other presents sent by him to the Pope. Detained there for four months, the group got to see Adam's Peak.

Marignolli also made lengthy remarks about the Buddhist way of life, of the natural produce, the kind hospitality, the existence of the Vedda tribe and the abundance of elephants. Like a good tourist he rode on one that belonged to the Queen of Sheba.

At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century, the island seems to have been visited by several Italian merchant travellers, among them one Nicolo Di Conti of Venice. Of Ceylon he says, "Zeilam is a noble island, 3000 miles in circumference, producing gems, and cinnamon in great abundance.”

Ludovico de Varthema visited the island in 1560. His observations about the political structure of the country are interesting: "There were four kings in the island, all at war with one another; but little blood was spilt in their contests as the arms used were swords and lances made of cane. Firearms were unknown among them."

With the Renaissance came many new travel journals and written text. Having read descriptions by Marco Polo, poet and literary man Guido Gazzano came to Sri Lanka in 1911. He visited Kandy, a trip that left the most memorable prose section on Ceylon as well as his splendid poem Sul Picco Adamo.

According to Kelly, Gozzano's legacy can be traced in other writers from Italy who have written about India and specifically Sri Lanka. Both Alberto Moravia and Pierpaolo Pasolini in their respective travel books followed the actual trip described by Gozzana. Since then, there have been narratives by Tiziano Terzani in his book In Asia (2000) and Giampiero Comolli another well-known writer has set his novel Adam's Peak in Ceylon.

Most of the views of Sri Lanka are interesting and positive, says Kelly. They are accounts of one civilisation meeting another, depicting interactions with the society of Sri Lanka.

Back to Plus