In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names. According to the ''Mahavamsa'', the legendary Prince Vijaya named the island Tambapanni ('copper-red hands' or 'copper-red earth'), because his followers' hands were reddened by the red soil of the area where he landed. In Hindu mythology, the term ''Lankā'' ('Island') appears but its unknown whether it refers to the modern day state.  But scholars generally agree that it must have been Sri Lanka because it is so stated in the 5th century Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa. The Tamil term Eelam () was used to designate the whole island in Sangam literature. The island was known under Chola rule as ''Mummudi Cholamandalam'' ('realm of the three crowned Cholas').