The caste systems in Sri Lanka are social stratification systems found among the ethnic groups of the island since ancient times. The models are similar to those found in Continental India, but are less extensive and important for various reasons. Modern times Sri Lanka is often considered to be a casteless society in south asia.
32-480: Durave or Durava or Durawa are a southern coastal Sinhalese caste in Sri Lanka . Many were converted to Catholicism soon after the arrival of Portuguese colonials in 1505 CE. They along with other southern Sinhalese castes such as Karave and Salagama have played an important role in the historically left political and right parties. They are mostly Theravada Buddhists today and were instrumental in
64-429: A matriclan system which is an extension of Tamil tradition. The Tolkāppiyam Porulatikaram indicating the four-fold division is the earliest Tamil literature to mention caste. Sangam literature however mentions only five kudis associated with the five tinais . Colonialism also had influenced the caste system. Indian Tamils or Tamils of Indian origin ( Hill Country Tamils , who were Indians brought to
96-552: A daughter, Sivagamisundhari. Returning to Ceylon, with the help of his maternal uncle Muthu Coomaraswamy Ramanathan became a law apprentice under Richard Morgan , Queen's Advocate of Ceylon . Ramanathan became an advocate of the Colombo bar in 1874. He was responsible for editing law reports for the previous 36 years and later served as editor of the official law reports (the Supreme Court Circular and
128-487: A tour of Europe Ramanathan, his wife, and his daughter were presented to Queen Victoria , and he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1886. Allan Bennett served as a tutor to the younger sons of the yogi and Ramanathan went on to be Bennett's teacher in yogic practices. Ramanathan wrote a book during this period, published under his Shaivite holy name of Sri Parananda and titled An Eastern Exposition of
160-515: Is common throughout the region. Some of these castes' ancestors are believed to have migrated from Southern India and have become important in the Sinhalese social system. The first-century BC Anuradhapura Abayagiri inscription referring to a Karava Devika may be the first reference to a specialized occupation. The caste system has stronger religious ties than its Sinhalese counterpart, although both systems have comparable castes. There are in
192-746: The Bharatha people , traditional sea-traders, are both colonial South Indian migrant castes and listed as their own ethnicities in Sri Lankan census. The Coast Veddas , found mainly in Eastern Sri Lanka are considered a Tamil caste among the Sri Lankan Tamils . The village deities of the Sri Lankan Tamils are also shaped by the caste structure. The Sri Lankan Moors don't practice the caste system, however, follow
224-510: The Mannar region , who many also are descendants from South Indian Paravar traders and seamen who settled there under Portuguese rule . The Mukkuvars , traditional pearl divers in western Sri Lanka, dominate greater parts of Eastern Sri Lanka where they are the major landowners also involved in agriculture. The Mukkuvars are largely Muslims or Roman Catholic in the Puttalam region of
256-467: The Pujavaliya , Sadharmaratnavaliya , Yogaratnakaraya and inscriptions, show that a feudal system namely existed among the Sinhalese. Evidence of this hierarchy can be seen during the 18th-century British-Kandyan period, indicating its continuation even after the Sri Lankan monarchy. Colonialism and foreign intervention in the dynastic conflicts of the island throughout history have also influenced
288-579: The Sri Lankan Tamil population and are the major land owning and agricultural caste. The Northern and Western coastal societies are dominated by the Karaiyars , who are traditionally a seafaring and warrior caste. The Paravar and the Thimilar are also among the coastal communities involved in fishing. The Paravars or Bharathas are traditionally found in the western part of the island in
320-692: The domestic servants termed as Kudimakkal . The Kudimakkal gave ritual importance in marriage, funeral and other temple ceremonies. A few slave castes exist as well. One caste called the Demalagattaru were an ancient caste of Tamil captives during times of war between Sinhalese and Tamil. Other Sri Lankan Tamil castes of importance are the eastern Vellalars, Cantar (oil-presser), Iyer (priests), Madapalli (former royal cooks), Seerpadar (cultivators), kaikolar (cotton-weavers), Siviyar (royal palanquin bearers) and Maravar (Warrior). The Sri Lankan Chetties , traditional merchants, along with
352-538: The Gospel of Jesus according to St. John (1902), in which he argued that the teachings of Christ could be understood as instructions in yoga. He was appointed Solicitor-General of Ceylon in 1892. In 1903 he became one of the first Ceylonese to be appointed King's Counsel . In 1905, prior to his retirement in 1906, he went on a tour of the US, where he gave lectures on Hinduism and Hindu philosophy. Ramanathan founded
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#1732771755937384-672: The National Reform Association in 1907. He contested the 1911 legislative council election as a candidate for the Educated Ceylonese seat and was elected to the Legislative Council, defeating physician Marcus Fernando . Ramanathan was responsible for the release of the Sinhalese leaders who had been arrested following the 1915 Ceylonese riots , travelling to the UK to make their case. He
416-679: The New Law Reports) for ten years. Ramanathan stopped practising law in 1886 to concentrate on politics and his interest religious studies and philosophy. Ramanathan was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1879 as the unofficial member representing Tamils , replacing his maternal uncle Muthu Coomaraswamy. In 1880 he founded the Ceylon National Association, of which he was president, to campaign for constitutional reform. Whilst on
448-732: The Order of St Michael and St George in the 1889 Birthday Honours . He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1921 . Ramanathan founded two schools in northern Ceylon – Parameshwara College, Jaffna and Ramanathan College . In 1907 Ramanathan rebuilt the Sri Ponnambala Vaneswara Temple at Sea Street in Kochchikade, founded by his father. He helped establish the Hindu Education Board in 1923 and served as its president and manager of schools. He
480-752: The Sinhalese Bathgama and Tamil Pallars . The coastal land is dominated by the Karavas under the Sinhalese and the Karaiyar under the Tamils. Both castes share a common origin with background in seafaring , trade and warfare . The artisans were collectively known as Navandanna by the Sinhalese and as Kammalar by the Tamils. They constituted of respective endogamous castes traditionally involved as blacksmith , goldsmith , coppersmith , carpenters and stonemasons . While toddy tapping
512-615: The Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils display some similar traits, where both systems having comparable castes with similar occupations and status. The interior arable land is largely dominated by the Govigama caste under the Sinhalese and by the Vellalar under the Sri Lankan Tamils , who are traditionally involved as husbandmen and form approximately half the population of their respective ethnicities. The peasants under them are
544-824: The Sri Lankan Tamil caste system, distinctions between Northern and Eastern societies and also the agricultural, coastal and artisanal societies. The agricultural society has mainly the castes of the Sri Lankan Vellalar who make more than half of the Tamil population in srilanka, Nalavar and Koviyar , where the Vellalar and the Koviyar castes are the dominating ones, particularly in Northern Sri Lanka. They constitute approximately half of
576-629: The caste system, some suggesting even a re-arrangement of the occupational castes. In the Central Highlands , many traditions of the Kingdom of Kandy were preserved from its 1818 collapse beyond independence in 1948 and the Land Reform Act of the 1970s. Although large agricultural landlords belonged to the Govigama caste, many now may not own land. Most Govigama were however ordinary farmers and tenants as absolute land ownership
608-448: The degree course but, following "youthful excesses" by Coomaraswamy, both were recalled to Ceylon without completing the course. Ramanathan married Sellachchi Ammal, daughter of Mudaliyar E. Nannithamby, in 1874 at Ward Place, Colombo. They had three sons (Mahesan, Rajendra and Vamadeven) and three daughters (Sivakolunthu, Rukmini). After being widowed Ramanathan married Australian R. L. Harrison (later known as Leelawathy). They had
640-654: The island by the British as indentured labour ) and the group of Indian Tamil people who migrated to Sri Lanka as merchants also follows the Indian caste system form which is called jāti . Their caste structure resembles that of a Tamil Nadu village. Those who are considered to be of higher castes occupy the first row of line rooms, and that sect includes Maravar, Kallar, Agamudaiyar, Mudaliyar (kaikolars), Mutharaiyar (Watch mans) etc. They perform respectable jobs such as factory work and grinding of tea as minor labour work, on
672-496: The king had to show respect to them. The documented history of the island begins with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from India. Although the origin of Sri Lankan communities is unclear, genetic studies on Sinhalese have shown that most of the Sinhala community are genetically related to North Indians, with traces from South India too. About half of the Sinhalese population are Govigama . Ancient Sri Lankan texts, such as
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#1732771755937704-464: The lowest rank. Ponnambalam Ramanathan Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan , CMG , KC ( Tamil : பொன்னம்பலம் இராமநாதன் , romanized: Poṉṉampalam Irāmanātaṉ ; 16 April 1851 – 26 November 1930) was a Ceylon lawyer and politician who served as Solicitor-General of Ceylon . Ramanathan was born on 16 April 1851 at the home of his maternal grandfather A. Coomaraswamy on Sea Street, Colombo in south western Ceylon . He
736-401: The main factor in Sri Lankan social stratification, especially in the Sinhalese and Indian Tamil communities. Ponnambalam Ramanathan , under British Ceylon , opposed extending voting rights to the people and urged reservation of franchise only to men of the Vellalar caste. In traditional Sinhalese society Buddhist monks are placed at the top. Irrespective of the birth caste of a monk, even
768-590: The other hand, they are also involved in business activities. Even though they belong to the labour category under the British rule and post-independence of the country, they were influential among conductors, tea makers, manganese (or supervisors), and other officials. The workers considered low caste live in the dwellings that are away from the centre and these dwellings are called distant or lower lines . This group consists of Paraiyars , Sakkiliar , washers and barbers. The yard sweepers and changes of clothes are in
800-790: The religious establishment but rather a tool to service the ruling elite - a model more reminiscent of feudalism in Europe. At least three major, parallel caste systems exist in Sri Lankan society: Sinhalese , Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian Tamils . A universal welfare system that focused on providing education for everyone regardless of background has provided people from lower caste groups similar opportunities to enter jobs previously only frequented by those in upper-caste groups, with younger generations mostly rejecting any pressure to conform to caste-related jobs. The Civil War has also broken down caste barriers as they were seen as an obstacle toward ethnolinguistic unity. The caste system or feudal of
832-788: The revival of Buddhism during the British colonial period. The un-Buddhistic practice of caste discrimination introduced into the Sangha by the Siyam Nikaya in the late 18th century has been overcome by patronising the Amarapura Nikaya and the Ramanna Nikayas . Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durawa) was the last nongovigama monk to receive upasampada before the 1764 conspiracy . Caste system in Sri Lanka The caste systems of Sri Lanka were historically not tied to
864-741: The western part of the island, and predominantly Hindus in the eastern part of the island. The artisans, known locally as Kammalar or Vishwakarma consists of the Kannar (brass-workers), Kollar (blacksmiths), Tattar (goldsmiths), Tatchar (carpenters), Kartatchar (sculptor). Along with the Kammalar were the Ambattar (barbers), Kadaiyar (lime burners), Koviar (farmers), Kusavar (potters), Maraiyar (conch blowers), Nattuvar (musician), Nalavar (toddy-tappers), Pallar (farmers), Paraiyar (drummers and weavers), Turumbar (dhobies) and Vannar (dhobies)
896-472: Was exclusive to the king until the British colonial period. The most important feature of the Kandyan system was Rajakariya ("the king's work"), which linked each caste to occupation and demanded service to the court and religious institutions. The "Duraya" was a loose categorization of lower Kandyan castes, comprising the castes of Vahumpura, Puda, Panna, Velli, Berava, possibly Henaya, and more. The group
928-576: Was interpreted by the British for their own administrative purposes and was used loosely. There are still differences between the caste structures of the highlands and those of the low country, although some service groups were common to both in ancient Sri Lanka. The southwestern coast has three other castes (the Salagama , the Durava and the Karava ) in addition to the majority of ancient Govigama, which
960-781: Was largely in the hands of the Sinhalese Durava and Tamil Nalavar , jaggery production was in the hands of the Sinhalese Vahumpura and Tamil Cantars . The traditional drummers of both ethnicities, the Sinhalese Berava and Tamil Paraiyar , have religious importance in Buddhism and Hinduism , respectively. The domestic castes of barbers and dhobies were the respective Sinhalese Ambattaya and Hinnava, and Tamil Ambattar and Vannar . Political power and wealth have largely replaced caste as
992-484: Was re-elected at the 1916 legislative council election, defeating Justus Sextus Wijesinghe Jayewardene. Ramanathan was appointed as an unofficial member of the Legislative Council in 1921. He contested the 1924 legislative council election as a candidate for the Northern Province North (Valikamam North) seat and was re-elected to the Legislative Council. Ramanathan was made a Companion of
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1024-518: Was the son of Gate Mudaliyar A. Ponnambalam , a leading government functionary, and Sellachi Ammai. He was the brother of P. Coomaraswamy and P. Arunachalam . Ramanathan had his early education at home before joining Colombo Academy in 1861. Ramanathan and his brother Coomaraswamy entered Presidency College, Madras in 1865. The brothers completed the Intermediate in Arts and started
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