• Source: Walauwa

Walauwa or walawwa is the name given to a feudal/colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a native headmen. It also refers to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era.
The term walauwa is derived from the Tamil word valavu, which denotes a compound or garden, and by implication, a large house with aristocratic connotations. The pinnacle of walauwas in the Sinhala social stratum is the wasala walauwa. Wasala is derived from the word Wasasathana, meaning residence. In the Sinhalese social hierarchy, a wasala walawa would typically be the ancestral residence of a mudaliyar.
Walauwas vary in style, elegance and uniqueness depending upon the financial resources of the individual families and in the village or area's social structure. Most walauwas tend to incorporate aspects of traditional pre-colonial Ceylonese architecture, as well as Dutch and later colonial influences. A walauwa usually consisted of a cluster of buildings linked by verandahs, with an internal courtyard (medamidula), which separated the private life of the family from the headman's public duties.
The walauwa were traditionally associated with the homes of the courtiers (radala), members of the royal court in Kandy. It was displaced by their colonial equivalents following the dissolution of the Kingdom of Kandy by the British.




Kandyan Walauwas


There were 19 main walauwas in the Kandyan Kingdom of Ceylon. These were (in alphabetical order):

Arapola Walauwa (demolished)
Dehigama Walauwa (demolished - Central Finance Building)
Dullewe Walauwa (part of Queen's Hotel)
Dunuwila Walauwa (currently Kandy Town Hall)
Ehelepola Walauwa (fmr Bogambara Remand Centre)
Allepola Walauwa
Eravwawala Walauwa
Galpotthawela Walauwa
Kapuwatte Walauwa
Mampitiya Walauwa (Royal Bar and Hotel)
Meegasthenna Walauwa
Moladanda Walauwa
Madugalle Walauwa (demolished)
Molligoda Walauwa (demolished)
Nugawela Walauwa (The Manor House)
Pilamathalawa Walauwa (President's House)
Ratwatte Walauwa (Chandra Silk House)




Other Prominent Walauwas in Kandyan Kingdom



Angunawela Walauwa, Peradeniya
Deldeniya Walauwa, Yatinuwara
Elapatha Walauwa, Rathnapura
Maduwanwela Walawwa, Kolonne
Mahawelatenne Walauwa, Balangoda
Welivita waththe walauwa,TumpaneSaga of Nilame and Kumarihamy by Lakmal Welabada. Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 10 December 2006.
Paranagama walauwa, Paranagama, wettewa , Galagedara
Ranwala Walauwa, Niyangoda
Elapatha Walauwa, Rathnapura
Amunugama Walauwa,Kobbekaduwa
Thambagamuwa Walauwa, Ata Kalan Koralaya, Ratnapura




Sathara Korale Walauwas (Kegalle District)


There were 30 main walauwas in the Sathara Korale of Ceylon according to the Sathara Korale Viththi Grantha. There were in alphabetical order;




Sath Korale Walauwas (Kurunegala District)






Prominent Low-Country Walauwas


There have been a number of other prominent, well known walauwas in the southern areas of Ceylon, outside the Kandyan Kingdom. These walauwas comprised a mix of Sri Lankan, Portuguese, Dutch and English architecture.

Amarasuriya Walauwa, Unawatuna
Atapattu Walawwa, Galle
Bagatale Walauwa, Colombo 3
Bethme Walawwa, Wehalla
Boralugoda Walawwa
Bothale Walawwa, Mirigama
Chevaliar Walauwa, Moratuwa
Closenberg Walauwa, Galle
Gandhara Walauwa
Horagolla Walauwa, Atthanagalla
Ihala Walauwa, Kotte
Jayasinghe Waluwa, Ekala
Kataluwa Atadahewatte, Obeyesekere Maha Walawwa
Kalutara Maha Walauwa
Kandawala Waluwa, Ratmalana
Kotalawala Walawwa
Maha Kappina Walauwa, Balapitiya
Mahawelatenne Walauwa, Balangoda
Mandiyagoda Rathnasinghe Walauwa, Beliatta
Moratuwa Walauwa
Matara Maha Walauwa
Nakulugamuwa Walawwa, Beliatta
Obeyesekere Walawa, Colombo 7
Pahala Walauwa, Barrack Street, Hambantota
Pattikara wasala walauwa, wadduwa
Punchi Kachcheriya walauwa, Pothupitiya
Ratnagiri Walawwa, Boralesgamuwa
Regina Walauwa, Colombo 7
Susew Walauwa Molligoda
Udaha Walauwa, Galkissa
Uda Waluwa, Barrack Street, Hambantota
Wasala Walauwa, Panadura
Wasala Walauwa, Terrace Street, Hambantota
Wickramasuriya Walauwa, Kathaluwa




Decline and current states


The word "Walauwa" may not have a Sinhalese origin, it is unclear whether it was a Sinhalese word from the beginning, but this word may have been adapted from the Tamil word "Walaw". In Sinhalese, it gives a plural sound rather than the singular word "Walaw" which means "Mansion". The typical Sinhala term is 'Maha Gedhara'. The English word of "Walauwa" is, "Manor" or "Manor-House",and it's a large house with lands. The Walauwas and its owners were supported by the larger lands and estates they possessed. These were either land grants from Kings (since the beginning of the Sinhalese Kingdom until the Kandyan era) or government service (during the Colonial era) or acquired by successful enterprise and passed down though generations. Their owners were the landed elites of Ceylon, as such they gained a status of power and wealth. A notable feature of many of these walauwas, especially Kandyan walauwas was an interior open space/garden known as the 'medamidula'. There is another theory about Walauwas. "Walavum" means a place where a judgement is given. Those people who occupied the Walauwas had the authority to pass judgement over people with the authority provided by a Royal decree either Sinhala or English. The older walauwas were neither tiled (roof), very large or highly ornate as the king had placed certain restrictions and laws. Many of the walauwas beyond the jurisdiction of the king or after the fall of the Kandyan kingdom sprang up to be large and ornate, displaying architectural influences from beyond Sri Lanka and south India. Mansions replaced the walauwas in the urban areas towards the latter part of the nineteenth century. Though they were referred to as walauwas by the public, the owners usually referred to them with modern names. There are many large mansions of more recent origin which are not walauwas both in the Kandyan and the Low Country areas. This however has changed in the years after independence with the rise of a powerful middle class based on profession and enterprise. The elites held much power within the political cycles. The most significant change occurred in the 1970s with the socialist style land reforms that were bought into place. This limited private land ownership to fifty acres, and private home ownership to two houses. Most families sold off their lands or had them taken over by the government. They retained their Walauwas, yet over the years found it hard to maintain them, resulting in many falling into a dilapidated state, while some were razed to the ground such as the Maha Kappina Walauwa, and Ragama Walauwa which were constructed in the 16th century. Some were bought for state use or others have now been converted into hotels and Shopping complex such as the Ratwatte Walauwa, Rajamanthri Walauwa and the Nugawela Walauwa.




See also


Native headmen of Ceylon
Colonial era mansions of Colombo
Kastane
Sinhalese people




References



1. ^ Seneviratna, Anuradha; Polk, Benjiman (1992). Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrine. Abhinav Publications. p. 110. ISBN 9788170172819.




Further reading


Sri Lanka Walauwa Directory by Dr Mirando Obeysekara (Samanthi Book Publishers) ISBN 955-8596-47-7
Sinhalese social organization : The Kandyan Period by Ralph Pieris (Ceylon University Press 1956) ISBN 955-9170-37-6
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies by Robert Knox;




External links


All about Walavvas

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Don Stephen Senanayake
• Walauwa
• Horagolla Walauwa
• Rajamanthri Walauwa
• Wekande Walauwa
• Ehelepola Walauwa
• Kotte Museum
• Bothale Walawwa
• Kandy Town Hall
• Maduwanwela Walawwa
• College House, Colombo