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.[citation needed] 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.[1][2]
Meeduma Walauwa, RambukkanaSitting room of Meeduma Walauwa, Rambukkana, Sri LankaView from Meeduma Walauwa, Rambukkana
Kandyan Walauwas
There were 19 main walauwas in the Kandyan Kingdom of Ceylon. These were (in alphabetical order):[3]
Arapola Walauwa (demolished)
Dehigama Walauwa (demolished - Central Finance Building)
Kaudumunna walawwa (Belonged to a relative of Ehelepola Adigar)
Bogollagama Walauwa
Katupitiya Walauwa
Gopallawa Walauwa
Dangolle Walauwa, Boyagane
Palipana Walauwa
Balalla Walauwa
Moragollagama Walauwa
Rekawa Walauwa
Ralapanawa Walauwa
Moonemalle Walauwa
Sirigala Walauwa
Galabada Walauwa
Dodamkumbura Walauwa
Singhagiriya Walawa
Welagedara Walauwa
Weththewé Walauwa
Gajamadaara Walauwa
Peragasela Koralé Walauwa
Galwarama Walauwa
Mahagedara Walauwa
Ihala Walauwa (boyawalana)
Wele Walauwa (boyawalana)
Boyawalana Walauwa
Monnekulamé Walauwa
Kalalpitiyé Walauwa
Galgomuwé Walauwa
Madhurawé Walauwa
Rathmale Walauwa
Wewelwala Walauwa
Godawita Walauwa
Hunukumbure Walauwa
Udugama Walauwa
Athapaththuwe Walauwa
Gajamadaara Walauwa
Wedande Walauwa, Demataluwa
Prominent Colombo Walauwas built in early 1800's
Wasala Walauwa (Belonged to the Tillekeratne Abeyesekere family. Notable occupants were Gate Mudaliyars Don Johannes Tillekeratne Abeyesekere and his son John Abraham Tillekeratne Abeyesekere, Colombo Mudaliyar at the time of his death in 1911)
Atapattu Walauwa, Kotahena (Belonged to Senewiratne Perera Wijegoonewardene. Notable occupant was Mudaliyar Henry Aloysius Senewiratne Perera Wijegoonewardena, Atapattu Muadaliya Colombo)
Malwatte Walauwa, Grandpass ( Belonged to Gomis Abeyasinghe Weerakoon familiy. Notable occupants were Mudaliyars Simon Gomis Abeyasinghe Weerakoon and his son Gerard Gomis Wijayesinghe Weerakoon, Basnayake Mudaliyar)
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.
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.
↑ Scriver, Peter; Prakash, Vikramaditya (2007). Colonial Modernities: Building, Dwelling and Architecture in British India and Ceylon. Routledge. pp.206–207. ISBN9781134150267.
↑ Sri Lanka Walauwa Directory by Dr Mirando Obeysekara (Samanthi Book Publishers) ISBN955-8596-47-7
1 2 The Duke of Edinburgh in Ceylon: A book of elephant and elk sport, by John Capper and Vincent Brooks, pp.34,35&91 (British Library, Historical Print Editions) ISBN978-1241220785
1. ^ Seneviratna, Anuradha; Polk, Benjiman (1992). Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrine. Abhinav Publications. p.110. ISBN9788170172819.
Further reading
Sri Lanka Walauwa Directory by Dr Mirando Obeysekara (Samanthi Book Publishers) ISBN955-8596-47-7
Sinhalese social organization: The Kandyan Period by Ralph Pieris (Ceylon University Press 1956) ISBN955-9170-37-6
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