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Dear Susan,I have some points about Lanka which may be relevant to you. Firstly Lanka is mentioned in the Indian Epic Ramayana as the abode of Ravana, RamaGÇÖs adversary. Almost all the archaeologists (not government-paid ones) including Sankalia maintain that this Lanka cannot be modern Sri Lanka. M.V. Kibe has suggested that Lanka was in Central India. I have suggested in a paper (ABORI vol.77) that early Simhala was in the Iran-Baluchistan area. Sangara was the early name of Simhala and the Egyptian records speak of a Sangara in the Gulf area. Gotama is said to have visited Lanka and a very important Buddhist text bears the name of Lanka. Great linguists like the Late Prof. S.K. Chatterji have held the Simhala language was earlier spoken near the Kathiabad area, not far from the Gulf. The present theory of the evolution of the Pali language also suffers from innumerable paradoxes which stem from the false geography of Lanka and Palibothra. Incidentally all the original Buddhist texts have been found from Sri Lanka and Central Asia, not a single one from modern India. At least one scholar Paranavithanna, appears to be aware of the link with the North-West.Regards,Dr. Pal

Dear Dr PalThank you very much for these points. I'll certainly raise them when I'm there; I'm visiting an old author & story-teller, Sam Wickramasinghe, (http://kataragama.org/sages/ramana_sam.htm) who will be interested to hear of them.Best regardsSusan