Native headmen of Ceylon

Native headmen system was an integral part of the administration of the island of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) under the successive European colonial powers, namely the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch East India Company and the British Empire. Native headmen or leaders were appointed by the European colonial administrators to function as intermediates between the Europeans and the native populous. During different periods through this system these headmen functioned in military, policing, administrative and ceremonial capacities. They served as translators, revenue collectors and wielded quasi-judicial powers. Much of the system evolved and changed over time until some of the last vestiges of it were removed in the post-independent Ceylon. The members of this group formed a unique social group called the Sri Lankan Mudaliyars and associated with older Radala caste.[1]

A native chief headmen with his staff and ceremonial lascoreen guard.

History

Mudaliyar is a South Indian and Tamil name for ‘first’ and a person endowed with wealth. It was created in the 17th century by the Portuguese function as a link between the colonial administration and the local populous, as they had done in South India. They received payment in form of land grants and use of tenured service (Rajakariya) of the local population which they extracted for their own estates.[2]

With the on set of British rule, Governor North restructured the native headmen system. The system was transformed into a salaried system with land grants and tenured service abolished. They became the second tier of the civil administration of the island with appointments made by the Governor. Over the next century, the headmen grew to be a powerful and affluent class consolidating economic power through land ownership and marriage. Gradually functions of headmen were transferred to various departments that were established by the British administration.

Every district is subdivided into Pattus or Korales. These Pattus are divided into villages, hamlets, etc. Pattus are presided over by Mudaliyars and Muhandirams in low country districts, Ratemahattayas and Korales in the Kandyan provinces, Maniyars and Udayars in the Tamil districts. The villages and hamlets are in the charge of Arachchies, Peace Officers and Vidanes [3]

Following the Uva Rebellion in 1818 and changes to the administrative divisions of the island with the creation of Districts, British Government Agents (GA) took over the duties of the Dissava (with the remaining and newly appointed Dissavas being mere honorary titles), with Rate Mahatmaya becoming a subordinate to the local Government Agents and Assistant Government Agents. In the same way, after 1818 the position of the remaining and newly appointed Adigar became a mere honorary title.

Following the formation of the State Council of Ceylon in 1931, one of its members, H. W. Amarasuriya, called for an inquiry into the headman system. A commission was formed made up of retired civil servants and lawyers headed by H.M. Wedderburn. The commission reported on reforming the headman system or replacing it with transferable District Revenue Officers. The headman system was abolished as an administrative system, with the titles of Mudaliyar (Mudali - මුදලි) and Muhandiram retained by government to be awarded as honors. This practice remained until suspension of Ceylonese honors in 1956 by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. The minor headman positions were retained, surviving well into the 1970s when the post of Vidane was replaced with the transferable post of Grama Niladhari (Village Officer).


Classes of headmen in the up country
A group of British appointed Kandyan chiefs, with Hon. J. P. Lewis, Government Agent in 1905.
  • Adigar - (Maha Adigar or 1st Adigar)
  • Dissava - Dissava had several Rate Mahatmayas under his supervision
  • Rate Mahatmaya[4] - Rate Mahatmaya had several Korales under his supervision
  • Korale Mahaththaya or Korale - Korale had several Muhandirams under his supervision
  • Muhandiram (මුහන්දිරම්) - Muhandiram had several Vidane Arachchies under his supervision
  • Arachchi (ආරච්චි)[3][4] - Arachchi had several Vidanes under his supervision
  • Vidane- in charge of a village
  • Kanganies

Following the Uva Rebellion in 1818 and changes to the administrative divisions of the island with the creation of Districts, British Government Agents (GA) took over the duties of the Dissava (with the remaining and newly appointed Dissavas being mere honorary titles), with Rate Mahatmaya becoming a subordinate to the local Government Agents and Assistant Government Agents. In the same way, after 1818 the position of the remaining and newly appointed Adigar (Maha Adigar or 1st Adigar) became mere honorary titles

Classes of headmen in the low country
  • Mudaliyar (Mudali - මුදලි)
  • Muhandiram (මුහන්දිරම්)
  • Arachchi (ආරච්චි) - Arachchi had several Vidanes under his supervision
  • Vidane - in charge of a village
  • Kanganies

Classes of headmen in Tamil areas

The Northern and Eastern provinces had the following classes of native headmen:[5]

  • Atikar[6]
  • Maniagar
  • Udayar
  • Vanniah
  • Vidane - in charge of a village
  • Kanganies

See also

References
  1. "The Mudaliyar Class of Ceylon" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-12. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  2. Ceylon Under British Rule, 1795-1932 By Lennox A. Mills
  3. "Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History,".
  4. Late Deshamanya E. L. B. Hurulle
  5. Wright, Arnold, ed. (1907). Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon. Lloyd's Great Britain Publishing Company. p. 639.
  6. "Ceylon Government Gazette" (PDF). Retrieved 28 September 2020.
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