Rate Mahatmaya
   HOME
*





Rate Mahatmaya
Rate Mahatmaya was a traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom which became part of the British colonial administration within the Kandian and central region of Ceylon. History Persons were appointed to the title and office by the King during the Kingdom of Kandy, these appointees headed the administration of a large locality known as ''Korale'', which was a division of the province of the Kingdom known as a ''Dissava'' and as such he would be subordinate to the local Dissava. There was no time limit for the officer holder as he held the post at the pleasure of the King, which meant throughout his life, if not incurred the displeasure of the King. It was not hereditary, although members of the same family have been appointed. They were members of the Radala Cast, who were referred to as the ''Chieftains of Kandy'' by the British. Many were instrumental in the surrender of the Kandian Kingdom to the British. Following the expansion of British rule into the provinces o ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Kandyan Chiefs In 1905
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (''Sri Dalada Maligawa''), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation. Etymology The city and the region have been known by many different names and versions of those names. Some scholars suggest that the original name of Kandy was Katubulu Nuwara located near the present Watapuluwa. However, the more popular historical ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Punchi Banda Nugawela
Punchi Banda Nugawela (known as ''P. B. Nugawela Dissawe'') was a Ceylonese colonial-era legislator and a headmen. He was member of the State Council of Ceylon and Diyawadana Nilame from 1916–1937. Joining the public service as a clerk, he was appointed Rate Mahatmaya of Sarasiyapattuwa. He was later given the titular rank of Dissawe by the British Governor of Ceylon. In the 1920s he became an influential member of the Kandyan National Assembly and was elected to the first State Council in 1931 from Galagedra. He married first Mallika Dunuwila, the older daughter of Dunuwila Disawa and Police Magistrate. After her death, he married her younger sister Anula Dunuwila. His children were E. A. Nugawela, Hugh Nugawela, ate Mahatmaya of Sarasiya Pattu; Clifford Nugawela; Hilda Nugawela Kumarihamy; Muriel Nugawela Kumarihamy; Malkanthi Nugawela Kumarihamy; Nita Nugawela Kumarihamy; Pearl Nugawela Kumarihamy. See also *Radala Radala refers to a small minority group in Sri Lanka ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Officers Of The Kingdom Of Kandy
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," from Latin ''officium'' "a service, a duty" the late Latin from ''officiarius'', meaning "official." Examples Ceremonial and other contexts *Officer, and/or Grand Officer, are both a grade, class, or rank of within certain chivalric orders and orders of merit, e.g. Legion of Honour (France), Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy See), Order of the British Empire ( UK), Order of Leopold (Belgium) *Great Officer of State *Merchant marine officer or licensed mariner *Officer of arms *Officer in The Salvation Army, and other state decorations Corporations *Bank officer *Corporate officer, a corporate title **Chief executive officer (CEO) **Chief financial officer (CFO) **Chief operating officer (COO) *Executive officer Education *Chief academic o ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Sri Lankan Honours System
In the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, individuals are recognized for personal bravery, achievement, or service with the with national honours. The national honours consists of several types of award: * National Honours are civil honours awarded for service to the nation, bravery, scientific achievement, achievements in arts, culture and drama. *Decorations tend to be used to recognise specific deeds; ** Military decorations *Medals are used to recognise service on a particular operation or in a specific theatre, long or valuable service, and good conduct. ** Military medals ** Police medals Awards are made by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf the Government of Sri Lanka, with the Presidential Secretariat being responsible for the administration of the honours. History Sinhalese monarchs rewarded their loyal subjects with titles and tokens of honor, with the last native kingdom, the Kingdom of Kandy having an established system of honors that had been in p ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Sri Lankan Titles
In the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, individuals are recognized for personal bravery, achievement, or service with the with national honours. The national honours consists of several types of award: * National Honours are civil honours awarded for service to the nation, bravery, scientific achievement, achievements in arts, culture and drama. *Decorations tend to be used to recognise specific deeds; ** Military decorations *Medals are used to recognise service on a particular operation or in a specific theatre, long or valuable service, and good conduct. ** Military medals ** Police medals Awards are made by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf the Government of Sri Lanka, with the Presidential Secretariat being responsible for the administration of the honours. History Sinhalese monarchs rewarded their loyal subjects with titles and tokens of honor, with the last native kingdom, the Kingdom of Kandy having an established system of honors that had been in p ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Walauwa
Walauwa or walawwa is the name given to a feudal/Colony, colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a Native headmen of Ceylon, native headmen. It also refers to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era. The term walauwa is derived from the Tamil language, 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 Tamil ''vaasal'', which means an entrance. 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 ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Native Headmen Of Ceylon
Native headmen system was an integral part of the administration of the island of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) under the successive European Colonialism, colonial powers, namely the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch East India Company and the British Empire. Native headmen or leaders were appointed by the European colonial administrators to function as intermediates between the Europeans and the native populous. During different periods through this system these headmen functioned in military, policing, Administration (government), administrative and ceremonial capacities. They served as translators, revenue collectors and wielded quasi-judicial powers. Much of the system evolved and changed over time until some of the last vestiges of it were removed in the post-independent Ceylon. The members of this group formed a unique social group called the Sri Lankan Mudaliyars and associated with older Radala caste. History Origins Mudaliyar is a South Indian and Tamil language, Tamil n ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Sri Lanka Matha
"" (; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා මාතා, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Mātā; ta, ஸ்ரீ லங்கா தாயே, translit=Srī Laṅkā Tāyē) is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka Matha" was composed by Ananda Samarakoon and was originally titled "Namo Namo Matha" ("Salute! Salute! Motherland"). "Sri Lanka Matha" was first performed at an official ceremony on 4 February 1949 at the Independence Memorial Hall in Torrington Square during the national day ceremony. The anthem was given full constitutional recognition in the 1978 Second Republican Constitution. History There are differing accounts as to the origin of the "Sri Lanka Matha". The most widely held view is that Sri Lankan composer Ananda Samarakoon wrote the music and lyrics to the song, inspired/influenced by the Indian Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. A minority suggest that Tagore wrote the anthem in full. Some have suggested that Tagore wrote the music whilst Samarakoon wrote the ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Maduwanwela Maha Disawe
Wickramasinghe Wijesundara Ekanayake Abeykoon Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Sir James Williams Maduwanwela (''known as Maduwanwela Maha Disawe '') (1844–1930) was a Ceylonese colonial-era headmen. He was appointed to the post of Dissawa by the British Government of Ceylon. Government service He was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mutwal. He entered public service under the British administration as a Clerk and was promoted as Korale Mahaththaya there after Rate Mahatmaya and finally appointed as Dissava. Wealth Maduwanwala claimed to inherited an 83,000 acre "nindagama" or land grant in the Kolonne area from his father, which he claimed to have been gifted to the family by King Wimaladharmasooriya II. He built a large fortune from this land through timber trading, gem mining and elephant kraals, most notably the Elephant Kraal in Panamure which had been started by the Maduwanwela Maha Disawe in the late 1800s while he was a Rate Mahatmaya along with J.T. Ellawela. Through these proce ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


William Ellawala
William Ellawala (born 1834) was a Ceylonese legislator. He was the Kandyan Sinhalese member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. He was appointed to the post of Rate Mahatmaya by the British Government of Ceylon. Born to Banda from Sabaragamuwa, he educated at the Ratnapura School and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal. He joined the government service in the Native Department and was appointed as a Rate Mahatmaya in 1856. He married Jane Petronella, daughter of Mudaliyar Don Bartholomew. His daughter Agnes married Mahawalatenne Rate Mahattaya of Balangoda and their daughters are Jane Mahawalatenne Ebrahim Obeysekara Jayawardena Kataluwa Walawwa Rosalind Mahawatenne married Barnes Ratwatte Dissawe. His great grand daughter Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first female Prime Minister in the world. See also *List of political families in Sri Lanka This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka. Abdul Majeed * A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 Nov ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuwa Province. According to the 2001 census, Balangoda has a population of 16,875 and area of . Balangoda is notable due to the discovery of skeletal Hominini remains from the late Quaternary period (the earliest reliably dated record of anatomically modern humans in South Asia). The town is also the birthplace of Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Thero and Sirimavo Bandaranaike (the world's first female head of government) the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1960–65, 1970–77 and 1994–2000). Balangoda is situated in the hilly central region of central Sri Lanka on Sabaragamuwa Mountain Range. The main livelihoods of this region are farming (vegetables, fruits, and spices), rice cultivation for mainly local consumption, tea cultivation for interna ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Barnes Ratwatte
Barnes Ratwatte (''known as Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa '') (1883 – 20 September 1957) was a Ceylonese colonial-era legislator and a headman. He was a member of the State Council and the Senate of Ceylon. He was appointed to the posts of Rate Mahatmaya of Balangoda and Dissawa by the British. He was the father of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first female Prime Minister in the world. Early life Born to the Ratwatte family, which was an old Radala family hailing from the Kingdom of Kandy, who were courtiers in the courts of Nayakkar monarchs, and one, Ratwatte, Dissawa of Matale was a signatory of to the Kandyan Convention. His father was Abeyratne Banda Ratwatte, Basnayake Nilame of the Maha Vishnu Devale and wikt:shroff, Shroff of the Mercantile Bank of India in Kandy and mother Thalgahagoda Lewke Punchi Kumarihamy, daughter of Thalgahagoda Rate Mahatmaya of Matale. He had two brothers Sir Cuda Ratwatte Adigar who served as Mayor of Kandy and Harris Leuke Ratwatte who was former Diya ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]