independence - the days of british rule

8/12/2019 Independence - The Days of British Rule

1/6

British Rule

February 1, 2009

It is said that, Britishcolonial rule broughtincredible changes

in the socio-economicand political sectors inSri Lanka.

The ColebrookReforms, implementedon September 28, 1833,laid the foundation

for the massivetransformation.

The Reformsabolished the Sinhalafeudal system, known

as Rajakariya, andgave people thefreedom to choose alivelihood, instead ofone determined by their

caste.Regardless of social,

caste and religiousdifferences, peoplewere treated equalbefore the law.

The dictatorial formof government wasloosened.

By 1875, a capitalist

system of production,based on a plantationeconomy came intoexistence.

C o m m e m o r a t i n gthe 61st year ofIndependence, whatfollows are glimpses ofSri Lanka under Britishrule.

The Days of

British Rule

Government Agent J. P. Lewis withKandyan chiefs:The Portuguese andthe Dutch failed to capture the KandyanKingdom. But, it was annexed with nostruggle at all by the British in 1815, becauseof the support they had from the Kandyan

aristocrats. The rights of the Kandyan chiefswere guaranteed by an agreement enteredinto between the governor and the Kandyanchiefs on March 2, 1815. A promise wasalso made to protect Buddhism. TheKandyan tradition of administering thecountry through the aristocratic Nilameswas continued under the observation of theBritish agent. However, due to the Kandyanchiefs joining the rebellion of 1818, theprivileges enjoyed by them were abolished.(British Library: 1919)

Kandy Lake:Kandyans calledthe Kandy Lake, Kiri Muhuda.When a place was predicted to bea site of victory, a pond was dug onthe orders of King Vikramabahu.In that pond, a white turtle wasfound, confirming a prediction madeby Hulangamuwe Achari. Later, asmall pond was dug there for theturtle to reside. That pond wascalled Kiri Muhudaor Sea of milk.The pond was enlarged and turnedinto Mahanuwara Wewa.Thepresent Kandy Lake is the workof King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe.(Charles Scowen and Co: 1880)

3

Commemorating61years

ofIndependence

NationNation


2/6

4

February 1, 2February 1, 2009

Bridge ofboats (OruPalama):This bridge ofboats built in1822 was atGrandpass untilthe VictoriaBridge (KelaniyaBridge) wasbuilt in 1865by LieutenantGeneral JohnSheaffer. The

bridge consistedof 21 boats.It was 499feet in length.The bridge ofboats, entirelymade of timber,served all thepassengers andcarts of goodscrossing theriver, until theVictoria Bridgewas built.

Cart: Before the railways came, the main means oftransport was the bullock-cart. Between 1896 and 1966 thenumber of double bullock carts on the Colombo-Kandy Roadwas 94,152. The number of carters in Colombo in 1911 was3,600. In January 1898 the carters serving the ColomboHarbour staged a strike over the reduction of salaries.

Dalada Perahera: In 1828, the British government gave back thecustodianship of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which had been in their hands, to theKandyan chieftains. In that connection, Governor Sir Edward Barnes starteda full-fledged Dalada Poojothsawa (ceremony of honouring the Sacred ToothRelic) in the same manner as was done in the time of the Sinhala kings.

Horse Carriage:The system of horse carriages carryingthe mail was first stated in Sri Lanka, in whole of Asia. Ahorse carriage carried a limited number of passengersin addition to the mail bags. A passenger travelingfrom Colombo to Kandy had to pay two pounds and 10shillings.

Galle Harbour:Before the Colombo Harbour was developed by building a breakwater, the Galle harbour had been the main harbour of country. Because it was halfway from the Cape of Good Hope, Sweden, Mauritius and Singapore, the Galle harbour was the most conveniport of entry for British ships. Although Galle has a large natural harbour, entry was risky due to underwater rocks. (British Library - 1872)

A tea plantation: After the coffee industry was destroyedby a pest, tea became the chief plantation crop. By 1896the acreage under tea was 330,000. The income fromthe export of tea in 1896 was two-thirds of the total exportincome. (British Library -1870)

Kompanna Veediya: Kompanna Veediya was given the name, SlIsland by the British. In the time of the Dutch, the Black African populatof Colombo was about 4,000. In the early 18th Century, an African kithe fiscal Vanderstaaten and his wife. This initiated the African RebelliAfter the Rebellion was crushed by the Dutch rulers, the slaves residingColombo were brought to Kompanna Veediya. Although their descendehave not survived as a distinct community, they are now living in PuttalaTrincomalee and Batticaloa. (Charles Scowen and Co.,-1890)

Commemoratin

g61years

ofIndependence

NationNation

NationNation


3/6


4/6

February 1, 2009

8

Kathiravelu Namasivayam(Tamil Vellala - Hindu)

Chief Shroff of Hong Kong andShanghai Bank and estate owner.He owned more than 1,000 acres ofrubber plantations.

(Arnold Wright)

Don Carolis Hewawitharane(Sinhala Buddhist - Govigama)

Founder of Don Carolisand Company, the prominenthousehold furniture makingcompany. Father of AnagarikaDharmapala.

(Arnold Wright)

Mohamed Macan Markar(Muslim)

Unofficial member ofthe Legislative Councilrepresenting the Muslims.Prominent gem and jewellerybusinessman.

(Arnold Wright)

Members of the Orient Club: For the British, the clubswere Little Englands that reminded them of their motherland.Local people were denied entry to them. The Orient Club wasthe club of the local elite, and membership was considered tobe a status symbol. A majority of the new elite of the time weremembers of the club. (Arnold Wright -1900)

Little Englands

Labourers washing clothes:In Colombo alone there were1,320 washers. Washing clothes was a job confined to onecaste. Colombo Municipal Council ordered in 1896 that allthe places of washing clothes must be registered with theColombo Municipal Council for administrative convenience.The washers started a strike in July 1896 against this order.

(British Library -1895)

Workers making wooden barrels: From 1840 onwards,wooden barrels were used for the export of coffee. Later,wooden barrels were used to export graphite and coconutoil. In the period 1880-84 the annual requirement of woodenbarrels for the export of graphite and coconut oil alone, was45,000. (British Library -1895)

Workers cleaning graphite (W. L. H.Skeen Co. -1880)

Emergence of a working class

Railway workers: In 1911 there were 9,519 personsemployed in work connected with railways. The number ofthose who worked as mechanics, blacksmiths, carpenters,fitters, boiler workers, etc. in the nine locomotive workshopswas 2,800. There were 4,300 workers in the Railway andWorks Department responsible for civil engineering work,including the maintenance of railway bridges and buildingsand 2,000 workers in the Railway Transport Department.

(Foreign And Commonwealth Office- 1895)

Indian Tamil estate workers: At the beginning,the planters brought labourers from India throughKanganies or labour agents. Those labourers had towalk about 150 miles from the coast of Lanka to reachthe hills. Those who contacted malaria were left to dieon the road. Those who escaped death and reachedthe hills succumbed to the cold and died. For everylabourer who was brought to Lanka, a certain sum ofmoney was paid to the Kangany by the estate owner.By 1891 the number of Indian estate workers and theirdependents in the estates was 235,000.

(British Library)

Labourers baling cinnamon:One of the main reasonthe western powers to pay attention to Lanka was cinnamThe cinnamon industry was confined to the Salagama casa great extent. Trade in cinnamon was the main industry oDutch, and the Dutch administration contributed to the sprogress of the Salagama caste. However, it is a strikingthat the Salagama caste is entirely Buddhist in spite of the cconnection it had with the Dutch. (W.L.Skeen and Co.188

A horse carriage driver and a rickshawpuller:The Rickswas a popular means of travelling short distances in towns1911 the number of rickshaw coolies in the country was 4,00whom 2,500 were Indian Tamils, 1,000 Sri Lankan Tamils andLow Country Sinhalese. around 88% percent of rickshawpuworked in the city of Colombo. (British Library -1900)

A hairdresser:The local people who used to tie their haiknot, started cutting their hair due to the influence of the BrAt the same time there was a great demand for hairdresse1911 there were 492 hairdressers in Colombo alone.

(British Library -1

Commemorating61yearsofIndependenceNationNation


5/6

February 1, 2009 February 1, 2

Labourers in a coffee yard(W.L.Skeen and Co. 1870)

A group of Colombo harbour workers(W.L.Skeen and Co. 1900)

Labourers in a coconut estate(British Library -1895)

Workers making crepe rubber(British Library 1900)

Ethnic diversity

A Kandyan Sinhala man(Charles Scowen and Co.1880)

A Hindu Priest(Charles Scowen and Co.1880)

A Chetty(Charles Scowen and Co.1880)

A Malay man(Arnold Wright)

A Sinhala man(Arnold Wright)

A Muslim man(Arnold Wright)

A Sinhala Christian priest(Arnold Wright)

A Kandyan Sinhala man(Arnold Wright)

A Sinhala man(Arnold Wright)

A Kandyan Sinhala lady(Arnold Wright)

A Tamil lady(Arnold Wright)

A Low Country Sinhala lady(Arnold Wright)

Tamil ladies (British Library -1895)

A Malay father with his son(British Library -1895)

Commemorating 61 years of Independence Commemorating 61 years of IndependenceNationNation NationNation

10


6/6

February 1, 2009

Veddhas (Charles Scowen and Co. 1875)

A Kandyan boutique (Charles Scowen and Co. -1880)

12

A low country boutique (Charles Scowen and Co. -1880)

Ahikunthikas (Snake charmers)(British Library -1900)

Passenger cart drivers(Charles Scowen and Co. -1880)

A low-country Sinhala couple(British Library -1895)

A Kinnara couple (Adivasis). This commis supposed to be a segment of the descendof the original inhabitants of the island

(Arnold W

A Burgher couple

A group of Tamil women on the plantations (British Library -1900)

Commemorating 61 years of Independence

NatioNatio

Courtesy: Arbudaye Andaraya and Paaradise In Tears by Victor Ivan

Thanks also to Shironie Senanayake, Asoka Padmasiri and Ajith Liyanage

independence - the days of british rule

Documents