Walauwa is the name given to a feudal/colonial manor house in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) built by native headmen. It is also reference to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era.
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There were 18 main walauwas in the Kandyan Kingdom of Ceylon. These were (in alphabetical order).[1]:
In addition, there have been a number of other prominent, well known walauwas in Ceylon, outside and inside the Kandyan Kingdom. These walauwas comprised a mix of Sri Lankan, Portuguese, Dutch and English architecture. A notable feature of many of these walauwas was an interior garden in the atrium of the walauwa, known as the 'mada midula'. 186 of these walauwas are still in existence today. These include[1]:
The word "Walauwa" is not a with a Sinhalese origin,I don't know whether it had a Sinhalese word from the beginning,but this word was adapted from Tamil and the Tamil word is "Walau",and for Sinhalese, it gives a plural sound than a singular,the word "Walau" means "Mansion", and the English word of "Walauwa" is, "Manor" or "Manor-House",and it's a large house with lands.The Walauwas and its owners where supported by the lager lands and estates they possessed. These were either land grants from Kings (since the beginning of the Sinhalese Kingdom till the Kandian era) or public service (during the Colonial era) or acquired by successful enterprise and passed down though generations. Their owners where the landed elites of Ceylon, as such the Walauwas became a statues of power and wealth.
This however this 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 when the socialist style land reforms that where 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 then, resulting in many falling into a dilapidated state. 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.
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