By Sena Thoradeniya

(1) Introduction

This article was first published in The Island” online edition on March 31, 2020 during the covid pandemic under the title Dullewa Dissawa and Somana Cloth”. Since a modern myth is invented and spread by some columnists who write to English dailies in Sri Lanka that (1) the British Colonialists after suppressing the traditional elite in 1818, have backed a secondary layer which had been subservient to the native chiefs” and (2) that they subverted” the policies of British State particularly in their regions, expressed their resistance to British colonialism”, repudiated colonial authority –  in other words that the Kandyan chieftains who held office under Britishers after the 1848 freedom struggle, opposed British Colonialism in a subtle way. Their main argument supporting this fallacy is pointing out that in some manorial houses floor tiles depicting the portrait of Queen Victoria were laid. If this is an expression of anti-colonialism”, resistance to colonialism” or repudiation of colonialism” the floor tile manufacturers, probably the Victorian tile manufacturers in UK were the biggest anti-colonialists!

How would these columnists, if they get an opportunity interpret the gun carrying Mara, a Degaldoruwa fresco? How would do they interpret murals which depict devas wearing necklaces of Christian crosses, horse riding soldiers wearing British helmets and carrying the union jack and a doorway depicting British coat of arms, British crown and Queen Victoria at Ella Temple? Do these columnists who had photo shoots with Julie Chung along with some other English scribes during the height of the Galle Face charade want to impress Julie Chung that they are anti-British myth makers?

 Above (1) was an Intellectual Myth” invented by the late Newton Gunasinghe (my junior contemporary at Peradeniya having same party affiliations) and propagated by his Sociology golayas”. Many myths were invented by them on 1818 uprising and 1848 uprising respectively dubbing the latter as a plebian uprising; sadly casteism and parochialism (Moratuwa)had found a place in their interpretations.

The writer thought of republishing this essay to show how some native Chief Headmen acted as slaves of British Colonial Government. This piece is only one of this kind the writer has in his possession.  Many other examples will be given in the second part of this essay to illustrate how Kandyan Chieftains in Central Province, Uva, North Western Province, Sabaragamuwa and Nuwarakalaviya acted as cronies of British colonialism seeking higher ranks and above all else land from the Britishers, some astonishing revelations for the first time!

(2) Dullewa Adigar and Somana Cloth – Full Story

Searching and reading our own ancient ola leaf literature and documents generated by colonial officials respectively at the Search Rooms of Colombo and Kandy National Archives is a fascinating exercise.  Whilst reading some diaries of British Assistant Government Agents (AGAs) and Government Agents (GAs) of Matale District (first, administered by an Assistant Government Agent under the Governmenrt Agent of Central Province stationed in Kandy and later by the Government Agent of Matale District), I chanced upon the 1891-1895 Diary of Dullewa Dissawa, a native Chief Headman in colonial era.

From March 1894 he signed as Dullewa Adigar, may be as a result of Governor Gordon’s policy of aristocratic resuscitation.  Dullewa is a village in Asgiri Udasiyapattuwa in Matale District. This should not be confused with some other similar village names such as Dulwala or Diwulwala.  These diary entries were written in single-ruled over-sized books made of foolscap folio paper much thicker than ordinary writing paper, which were bound with hard covers, in black ink in very beautiful copybook handwriting. (Dissawe’s were provided with a paid local clerk). In this particular diary there is a drastic change in handwriting from July 1894, may be due to change of original ghostwriter.  At the end of each month diaries of Chief Headmen had to be submitted to the AGA/GA for approval. AGA/GA made their comments in red ink. In the case of minor native officers’ failure to submit the diary on the due date or making incomplete or false entries were considered as serious offences subject to punishment varying from fines, interdiction or in the worst-case removal from office.

It is not the intention of the writer to focus on Dullewa’s ancestry. Those who are interested in his ancestry may refer Lawrie’s Gazetteer of the Central Province”.  The said Gazetteer, The Ceylon Almanac”, Ceylon Civil List” and the book on Kandyan Office Holders compiled by Kapila Wimaladharma provide information on positions held by the members of the Dullewa family.

According to Dullewa’s diary he had functioned as a member of the Provincial/District Committee appointed under Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance (making inventories of land and movable property owned by Buddhist viharas and devalayas etc.), and a trustee of Vidyodaya Pirivena. His diary indicates that his work associated with the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance was not appreciated at all by the Buddhist priests. He had even instituted legal action against the Nayaka Unnanse of Dambulla temple. 

For this article I extract certain portions from the diary of Dullewa Dissawa, to describe how he had laboured to find out a Somana cloth fancied by a member of the British Royalty. Somanaya was a woven cloth with beautiful floral designs and other motifs inherent to Kandyan art, worn by males, sometimes used for decorations as a viyan redda (ceilingcloth). Its length was about 6-12 riyanas. In 2005 I have titled a book containing some of my critical essays as Cheevaraya Saha Somanaya” (The Robe and the Somana Cloth). In my village there was a saying, Cheevare nam Cheevare, Somane nam Somane, Cheevarei Somanei dekama behe”. This was an admonition given to young novice monks by their Guru Hamuduruwos and village elders alike. (Choose either the Robe (priesthood) or the Somanaya (lay life); there cannot be a compromise between the two!).

I cannot say whether any other writer had narrated this story of Dullewa’s futile search of a missing Somanaya. But, in my novel Handun Mal Kadulla” (2016), a lay preacher at Dambulla narrates this story to a group of pilgrims who had come from Patha Dumbara in bullock carts in 1913, visiting places of worship in Nuwara Kalaviya and Tamankaduwa. The preacher was protesting as he had observed the retinue of an ex- Burmese queen who were visiting Dambulla were asked to occupy some cattle shed.  

On the 19 of November 1892, Dullewa received a telegram from GA Kandy requesting him to meet Governor’s Aide-de-Camp on the 21.  On the appointed day the Aide-de- Camp meets Dullewa along with Ratwatte Banda, the acting Rate Mahattaya (RM) of Kalagam Palatha in present day North Central Province.  Dullewa was informed that His Imperial and Royal Highness, the Arch Duke of Austria was coming to Kalawewa on sport” (read as elephant hunting) on the 7 of January 1893 and halt” at Dambulla for breakfast. A camp” must be put up on the rock of Dambulla and the Arch Duke should be accompanied to the rock temple after breakfast.

As instructed Dullewa went up to the temple and selected a spot” for the camp. He remained at Dambulla with the RM and discussed the arrangements to be made at Kalawewa and the assistance required by the RM from him. RM required fruits of different varieties, juggery, dancers from Kandy and Kegalle Districts and cloths and brass lamps to decorate the bungalow. Dullewa advised the RM to take whatever he wanted from the temple as the temple was in his charge as the trustee.  On his return to Matale, Dullewa met Aluvihare, the RM of Matale and informed him to send notices to headmen to commence work related to the visit of the dignitary without any delay.   

Next he goes to Harispattuwa to meet the RM of Harispattuwa and instructs him to send a troupe of dancers and juggery. He met the Basnayake Nilame (BN) of Vishnu Devalaya and requested him to send dancers from Alutnuwara in Hatara Korale. At Kaudupelella he met a well-to-do mudalali, a person from maritime provinces and asked him to send different varieties of fruit to Dambulla. In the month of January 1893, for nearly a week he supervised the construction of the buildings which included thatching and partitioning of stables. He sent an elephant tracker at the request of RM of Kalawewa and other equipment wanted by the RM including carpets. Dancers and carts laden with all what he wanted arrived from Harispattuwa, Hathara Korale and Matale. From Beligomuwa came cart loads of different varieties of coconut for decorating the pandals.

On the 7 of January 1893 at 10.30 a.m. the Arch Duke and his party arrived at Dambulla, visited the rock temple, had breakfast at the bungalow erected on the rock and proceeded to Kalawewa. The Arch Duke stayed only for four and half hours; but preparations for his visit took 48 days! Dullewa waited at Dambulla for another five days until 12 and learned that the Royal entourage had gone to Kandy.

On the following day Dullewa received a letter from the RM of Kandy Kachcheri requesting him to send a particular cloth” used to decorate the ceiling of the camp at Dambulla as His Imperial Highness had a fancy for it.” When inquired from the people who had been with him at Dambulla, none of them were able to give the kind of information he needed. No one had paid any attention to the different kinds of cloths used to decorate the ceiling. Who does so? Except a colonial master!  

 From then onwards begins a hazardous journey in every Korale of Matale Maha Dissawa in search of a cloth fancied by the Arch Duke. This journey continued for thirteen days, traversing along dirt roads and bridal paths. He goes to Maningomuwa in Udugoda Pallesiya Pattuwa and Wehera. Learning from the Wehera Village Headman that the cloth in reference was in the ceiling of the portion of the camp built by the people of Kandepalla Korale, he made enquiries in the villages of Wahakotte, Galewela, Puwakpitiya with no avail. The distance he covered that day was 9 miles.  

Following day at Beligomuwa, a village in the border of Central Province and North Western Province, a chief of silversmiths informed Dullewa that he saw a cloth resembling the one described in one of the ceilings but did not know who had brought it. In the evening while in conversation with the priest of the village temple Dullewa asked whether the chief of the washer men had borrowed the ceiling cloth belonging to the temple. The priest had answered that the chief of washermen obtained his permission to take the cloth to Dambulla but he did not know whether it was taken to Dambulla or not as the ceiling cloth was in charge of another chief of washer men in some other village far from there. The priest said that he can show the cloth on the following day.

At first, the chief of the washer men had readily consented to give the cloth to Dullewa; later he said that he could not part with it as it is a very old cloth offered to the temple by the people of Hath Korale. Next day in that far off village Dullewa met the chief of the washer men of the village. But the latter had said that he had not seen the said cloth for the last seven years and the cloth used at Dambulla must have been one borrowed by the RM from the priest at Dambulla. Following day Dullewa went to Dambulla temple and inquired whether the priests had given a fine Somana cloth to decorate a portion of the ceiling. The answer was disappointing. The priests had lent some ordinary old cloths.

Thus, Dullewa’s diary entry with respect to the Somana cloth ends without giving us any clue. Only we can surmise is that during the 13-day search the Arch Duke had taken sail from Colombo. 

(3) Interpreting the Somana Story”

Dullewa Adigar had become a nuisance to his colonial masters mainly owing to his insatiable land claims. Did Dullewa behave with this type of servility to save his position and claim for more land thereafter? An answer to this question can be found through the pages of S.M. Burrows’ official diary.

S.M. Burrows, Assistant Government Agent at Matale in his official diary on April 9, 1889, writes that he had a talk with the Government Agent, Central Province (R.W.D. Moir) about the position and pay of the Adigar. In 1884 it was determined to revive this high office presumably as an experiment”, with the view of inducing the present holder of it to become a sort of chief of chiefs as a model to Rate Mahattayas perhaps eventually a native AGA. He and his staff are paid over Rupees 3000 per annum as a long memorandum was drawn up for his guidance. He claimed large extents of valuable land on very flimsy titles and in several of these cases he was allowed his claim should fulfill certain definite conditions. He was also made a Forest Ranger. No doubt in old days the Adigar held a very important position.”

Having said that Burrows continues that in theory the revival of his position may have been perfect but in practice there is an important flaw.  He further writes that in old times Adigar’s head was constantly at stake and was the first to be removed if anything went amiss, in modern times this useful incentive of energy was working and the present holder of the office has made the ingenious discovery that it is possible to draw a large salary and be loaded with honours without doing anything in return.”

We can imagine the reprimands Burrows had made to Dullewa in his one-to-one encounters having written such harsh comments in his official diary that was submitted to his superior officer, the Government Agent of Central Province.

Burrows sarcastically comments that the Adigar has carried out his programme with great success” but he had done nothing”. He won’t even answer a letter though he has a paid clerk to help him; the office file on the subject is full of fruitless attempts to extract diaries as he eventually sent (after two years late) are ludicrous exhibitions of incompetence and his example is a very bad one for other Rate Mahattayas and Presidents here for they naturally say ‘if he is paid so large a salary for doing nothing why should we do any work”? (Presidents mentioned here were Presidents of Village Tribunals).  

Burrows adds that Dullewa has evaded all his duties and yet kept his pay; he behaved most disingenuously about a large grant of land which was promised him on certain conditions carefully explained to him by me. Instead of attempting to carry them out he slipped into Kachcheri when my predecessor’s back was turned and got the Head Clerk to give him the CQPs” (Certificates of Quite Possession). (Burrows’ predecessor was H.L. Moysey).

Burrows concludes that day’s diary entry stating that the experiment”, ‘is now a harmful failure”. He suggests three alternatives; any one of which is better than letting things go on as they are”. (1) To abolish the pay of the post altogether and let the rank remain as honorary without duties. (2) To let the payment of the monthly salary, depend upon a monthly report from this Kachcheri as to how the duties specially assigned by the Governor to the post have been carried out. (3) To direct him to retire on a reasonable pension.

Burrows’ suggestions reduce the Adigar to the level of a village Vidane Arachchi! (An arachchi of a depressed” caste and village).

Was not Dullewa highly rewarded for his loyalty and allegiance to the Crown, for the pains he had taken in search of a somana cloth? But the diaries of AGAs of Matale report on the contrary. In 1896 May, Burrows wrote, I am still awaiting orders as to what is to be done as regards the Adigar”. He has not done an atom of the work”, laid down by Sir Arthur Gordon during the last seven years”. Burrows proposed to remove him from the active list”.   In August Burrows wrote, I do not know whether anything will be settled about the Adigar before I leave”. Burrows left Matale in the latter part of 1896. His successor G.S. Saxton wrote in November, by the way the Adigar went on pension from first instant. I am glad to say.”