Rajaka
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Also Hena and Rada. A minority Sri Lankan caste.
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[edit] History
As with other occupational castes in Sri Lanka, the traditional occupation of this caste too was agriculture. But, they also provided laundry services to their landlord as and when required under Sri Lanka’s feudal land tenure system.
[edit] British period
The late British period saw the proliferation of native headmen and a Mudaliyars class drawn from natives who were most likely to serve the British masters with utmost loyalty. (Mudaliyar is a South Indian and Tamil name for ‘first’ and a person endowed with wealth.) This class resembled English country squires, complete with large land grants by the British, residences of unprecedented scale (Referred to by the Tamil word Walauu or Walvoo) and British granted native titles.
The British Governor Gordon (1883 – 1890) and his predecessors effectively used divide and rule policies and created caste animosity among the native elite and finally confined all Native Headmen appointments only to the Govigama caste. The British Government Agent Layard was advocating this as an effective policy for easy governance. Mahamudliar Louis De Saram’s family of Dutch and Malay ancestry had Sinhalised and Givigamised itself during the Dutch period and had a strong network of relatives as Mudaliyars by the late 19th century. This “Govigama” Anglican Christian network expanded further with the preponderance of native headmen as Mudaliyars, Korales and Vidanes from the Buddhist Govigama section of the community.
The creation of the above Mudaliyar class by the British in the 19th century, its restriction only to the Govigama caste, production of spurious caste hierarchy lists by this class and changes to the land tenure system, resulted in this caste too being classified as a low caste during this period. Although contrary to history, some modern Govigama historians even go to the extent to now suggest that this caste was traditionally bound to serve the Govi caste.
The influential Mudaliyar class attempted to keep this caste and all other Sri Lankan castes out of colonial appointments. The oppression by the Mudaliars and connected headmen extended to demanding subservience, service and even restrictions on the type of personal names that could be used by this community.
Despite the above odds, several members of this caste became pioneer Ship chandlers, commercial Laundry operators and successful Merchants during the British period and were recognised as members of the local elite.
[edit] Modern period
Members of this community are in all the leading professions in Sri Lanka and in commerce and make positive contributions to society. They are gaining an increased say in modern Sri Lankan politics, mainly through the alternative political party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna as the leadership selection processes within the two main political parties are not democratic. Caste discrimination by the Buddhist monastic establishment is also an impediment to the progress of this community.
[edit] A few prominent members of the caste
- George E. de Silva : 'Our George' of Kandy [1]
[edit] References
- Ryan Bryce 1953 Caste in Modern Ceylon, Rutgers University Press
- Ceylon Gazetteer 1855
