Gate Mudaliyar
Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes from ...
Jeronis de Soysa (19 April 1797 – 28 May 1862) was a pioneering
Ceylonese
Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka
* A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka
** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority
** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority
** Sri L ...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
and philanthropist. He was a pioneer coffee planter and an industrialist who became the wealthiest Ceylonese of the 19th century by establishing the largest native commercial enterprise of the era. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Ceylonese bank and is often referred to as a father of private enterprise in British Ceylon. He was the first
Mudaliyar
Thuluva Vellalar (Thondamandala Tuluva Vellalar), also known as Agamudaya Mudaliars and Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka, India. They were originally significant lando ...
to be elevated in recognition of his
philanthropy.
[The History of Sri Lanka]
By Patrick Peebles, p.59 (Greenwood)
Howard Bromberg, pp. 263-5 (Salem Pr Inc),
Richard Simon, pp. 24 & 97 (Colombo Tea Traders' Association, 2017), [Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, by Arnold Wright, pp.538-46 (Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company) ][145 Years of Ceylon Tea: Ceylonese take to Coffee Cultivation](_blank)
Colombo International Tea Convention Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014
by Ed Rowlands. Retrieved 5 December 2014
by Maxwell Fernando: History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 5 December 2014
Early life
Jeronis de Soysa was born on 19 April 1797 at
Moratuwa.
[The De Soysa Charitaya](_blank)
by C. Don Bastian Jayaweera Bandara and V. S. M. De Mel, pp.iii, iv, 1-79 & 104-5 (University of California) ASIN B00H1CYGL4 He was the second son of Warusahennadige Joseph Soysa (Jose Rala), an
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
practitioner and Kurukulasuriya Senadige Francisca Peiris. He had seven brothers and three sisters and was affectionately known as ''
Babaseñor
Señor or Senor may refer to:
* Spanish-language honorific meaning Mr.
* Dan Senor
Daniel Samuel Senor (; born November 6, 1971) is an American-Canadian columnist, writer, and political adviser. He was chief spokesman for the Coalition Provisio ...
''. Both his father and grandfather Bastian Soysa and earlier ancestors; Don Francisco, Juan and Manual Soysa
Muhandiram
Muhandiram ( si, මුහන්දිරම්, ta, முகாந்திரம்) was a post in the native headmen system in the lower-country (coastal districts) of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the colonial era. It was awarded as a title o ...
were salt and grain merchants having interests in the transportation, boat building and the agricultural sectors.
[The Greatest Visionary and Philanthropist f Moratuwa, Tribute to Jeronis de Soysa]
by B. R. Oclen. Fernando The Island (Sri Lanka)
''The Island'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is published by Upali Newspapers. A sister newspaper of ''Divaina'', ''The Island'' was established in 1981. Its Sunday edition, ''Sunday Island'', commenced publishing in 19 ...
Retrieved 23 December 2014[The De Soyas of Alfred House by Rupa de Soysa, p. 13-21 & 27 (Karunaratne & Sons)] Their ancestor was the lay custodian of the
Devinuwara Temple, Matara at the time of its destruction by the Portuguese in 1587.
[112th death anniversary of C. H. de Soysa – philanthropist unequalled](_blank)
Dr. K. N. M. D. Cooray Daily News (Sri Lanka)
The ''Daily News'' is an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is now published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House), a government-owned corporation. The newspaper commenced publishing on 3 January 1918. D. R. Wi ...
Retrieved 23 December 2014
De Soysa's parents originally wanted him to become a
Buddhist monk and sent him to the Palliyagodella
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
Rawatawatta Moratuwa for studies. He excelled in the
Ayurvedic system of medicine, the
Sinhala language and
Astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
.
[ Holy Emmanuel Church, Moratuwa: A towering monument of faith]
Dilshan Joseph (2019) Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 7 March 2019 He became an Ayurvedic practitioner and possessed a charming personality. De Soysa married Francesca Coorey, daughter of Mututantrige Bastian Cooray and Kurukulasuriya Senadige Justina Pieris in 1833.
[Charles Henry De Soysa; The Anepindu Sitano of Lanka](_blank)
by Buddhika Kurukularatne The Island (Sri Lanka)
''The Island'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is published by Upali Newspapers. A sister newspaper of ''Divaina'', ''The Island'' was established in 1981. Its Sunday edition, ''Sunday Island'', commenced publishing in 19 ...
Retrieved 1 December 2014 Mututantrige Sebastian Coorey, an ancestor of Francesca had built the Rawatawatte Dutch Chapel in 1675.[Holy Emmanuel Church Moratuwa: History (Official Website)]
Retrieved 22 December 2014
Trade and Industry
De Soysa inherited a small fortune from his uncles Daniel Peiris and Hendrick Peiris III, who were ship owners with ''Yatra'' building yards at Oruwella, Panadura and Grandpass, Colombo.[ Engeltine Cottage in Kandy: The Intertwining of Three Families — Pieris, Sangakkara and Krishnapillai](_blank)
by Michael Roberts. Retrieved 5 December 2014[Ships and the Development of Maritime Technology on the Indian Ocean]
Ruth Barnes & David Parkin, p. 162 (Psychology Press, 2002 - Technology & Engineering), He invested this in expanding the trading network between the Maritime
Maritime may refer to:
Geography
* Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps
* Maritime Region, a region in Togo
* Maritime Southeast Asia
* The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prin ...
and Kandyan
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 ...
Provinces with the assistance of his brothers. In 1820 he established himself as a general merchant in Kandy, becoming one of the first Sinhalese to do so. He introduced cart transportation between the seaports and the plantations which had till then been carried out on foot and was able to dominate the industry till the building of the railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
.[ When the 'nobodies' made their mark](_blank)
Sunday Times Retrieved 10 December 2014 Meanwhile, de Soysa also became famous as Babasingha Vedamahatmaya, a sought-after Ayurvedic physician in Kandy and was reputed to have saved the lives of numerous plantation Tamils.[The hills of paradise: British enterprise and the story of plantation growth in Sri Lanka]
Shiva N. Breckenridge, p.36 (Stamford Lake)
Reviewed by Manel Abeysekera The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
''The Sunday Times'' is a weekly Sri Lankan broadsheet initially published by the now defunct Times Group, until 1991, when it was taken over by Wijeya Newspapers. The paper features articles of journalists such as defence columnist Iqbal Atha ...
Retrieved 5 February 2016 De Soysa's business prospered and he received several government supply contracts, including one that involved in the construction of the Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
-Kandy
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 ...
road. These investments enabled him to accumulate the large capital necessary to rent the franchising for the supply of arrack
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin ...
. Later, he curtailed his investment in the distillery and tavern industry.[Extracts from 'Nobodies to Somebodies - The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka']
Kumari Jayawardena, (Social Scientists' Association and Sanjiva Books).
In 1836 de Soysa bid for the Diyatalawa kanda 'Kings Garden-Rajmal Uyana' in Hanguranketa
Hanguranketa is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.
See also
*List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Kandy District, Matale District, and Nuwara Eliy ...
(against British planters such as George Bird) at the request of the administrative officer of the region that had been appointed by king Sri Vikrama Rajasinha.[ This was an overgrown ]coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
(flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
) estate previously used by the Kandyan
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 ...
kings as a country retreat. He also purchased many of the cinnamon estates that were previously owned by the Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
administration in Moratuwa, Ratmalana
Ratmalana is a suburb in Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is inside the administration boundary of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. Ratmalana is situated 14.6 km south of Colombo city centre. Ratmalana Airport locat ...
, Dambuwa and Katunayake
Katunayake ( si, කටුනායක, ta, கட்டுநாயகம்), is a suburb of Negombo city in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the site of Bandaranaike International Airport or Colombo Airport, the primary international air g ...
, citronella plantations in Ahangama and coconut plantations throughout the island. His land holdings in Colombo consisted of several estates that stretched between Galle Face and Panadura. The De Soysa and Peiris family established the first Ceylonese-owned bank, the Bank of Kandy at Dalada Weediya and Pettah, Colombo
Pettah is a neighbourhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the city centre Fort, and behind the Colombo Port. The Pettah neighborhood is famous for the Pettah Market, a series of open air bazaars and markets. It is one of Sri Lanka's b ...
in 1839 & 1860, at a time when European owned banks were reluctant to extend credit to the Ceylonese and the high interest rates of the Nattukkottai Chettiars.[Nobodies to Somebodies: The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka]
Kumari Jayawardena, pp. 136-9 (Zed) De Soysa was also reputed for his treatment of employees and had relied to a greater extent on the low country population.[ He played a significant role in improving agriculture and the infrastructure in the Kandyan province and the coastal districts.][
]
Philanthropy
Agriculture and infrastructure
De Soya's agricultural properties in the up-country were mostly in the Hanguranketa
Hanguranketa is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.
See also
*List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Kandy District, Matale District, and Nuwara Eliy ...
, Haragama and Talatuoya areas which were then thick jungle with no roads. He took the lead and with an improvised measuring stick demarcated the areas to be cleared for road and tank building. He had a network of roads built and supplemented the village infrastructure by building reservoirs for irrigating paddy fields
A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aus ...
and chena cultivations.[Ceylon in the Jubilee Year by John Ferguson, pp. 196-7, 202, 350-1, 378 (Nabu Press) ]
The large scale road building projects of de Soysa include the road from Mailapitiya to Hanguranketa and Haragama and the road from Haragama to Kolongaha and Maha Oya in the Central Province. He also had the Polgasowita- Mattegoda-Delgahakanda roads of Salpiti Korale constructed. In 1839 he constructed the road from Galle road to Kospalankissa and several roads in Chilaw
Chilaw ( si, හලාවත, translit=Halāvata, ta, சிலாபம், translit=Cilāpam) is a large town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council. The town is located 80 kilometres away f ...
district. The roads from Telawela to Katubedda and Mampe, the Angulana road to Kuda-Kalapuwa and the Uyana road were also constructed in the Western Province.[
De Soysa was also an avid builder of tanks and ]reservoirs
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
. In 1848 he rebuilt the ancient Malulla tank (Maloluwawe) at Hanguranketa. The Gonagama, Talatuoya, Naranvila, Kandewela
Kandewela is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.
See also
*List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Kandy District, Matale District, and Nuwara Eliya D ...
and Gonawatte tanks and dams of the Central Province and the Moratuwa-Ratmalana tank in his home town are noteworthy. He also facilitated irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
works at Kandewela and gifted land to the poor residents of Gonagama and Hanguranketa
Hanguranketa is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.
See also
*List of towns in Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Kandy District, Matale District, and Nuwara Eliy ...
for cultivation.[
De Soysa also built the Tibotuwawewatte Ambalama in Haragama and the sprawling rest house and gardens at Moratuwa for public use.][ As a result of the medical and financial assistance given to the landslide victims of ]Kadugannawa
Kadugannawa is a town in Kandy District in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is located along the A1 road west of Peradeniya. The town is served by Kadugannawa Railway Station and has the Kadugannawa Central ...
, de Soysa's caravans were safeguarded by Saradiel, the Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
of Ceylon. De Soysa had also met Puran Appu
Weerahannadige Francisco Fernando alias Puran Appu (Sinhala language, Sinhala පුරන් අප්පු) is one of the notable personalities in History of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's history. He was born on 7 November 1812 in the coastal town of ...
, a hero of the Matale Rebellion, who had on occasion disguised himself as a carter in spying missions to Kandy.
Religious and educational work
On his land stood the ancient temple; Pothgul Viharaya of Hanguranketa, which was in a state of collapse. After rebuilding and renovating the temple he nominated the Ven. Attadassi Thero as its Chief Incumbent and gifted the surrounding lands to the Temple. De Soysa also built a Chaitya
A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...
in Moratuwa to enshrine the ashes of his teacher Ven. Meddegama Thero.
He built and financed a free primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
and facilitated an Oriental Library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
in Hanguranketa. He empowered the traditional Gam Sabhas, established a Legal Aid Society, a library and an association for social reform (Sadarana Sarana Samagama) in Moratuwa.[150th Anniversary Publication of the Holy Emmanuel Church, pp. 3-36, Rev. Keerthsiri Fernando, et al. (Albion)]
Towards the end of his life, de Soysa embraced Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
in appreciation of the blessings and recognition that had been bestowed on him.[ To commemorate this event the Mudaliyar decided to build the Holy Emmanuel Church. On 27 December 1857, Bishop James Chapman laid the cornerstone of the church, designed by Thomas Skinner.][ On 27 December 1860, the Holy Emmanuel Church was consecrated by Dr. James Chapman, the first Bishop of Colombo and the event was attended by the Governor Charles Justin MacCarthy.][ His brother Mudaliyer Susew de Soysa (1809-1881) gifted an estate opposite the ]Mount Lavinia Hotel
The Mount Lavinia Hotel, in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka, is a 275-room hotel, situated at 100 Hotel Road in Mount Lavinia. It is recognised as one of the oldest and most famous hotels in the country. It has been continuously operating as a hotel s ...
for its maintenance and a part of it was later transferred to relocate S. Thomas' College.[
]
Death
Jeronis de Soysa Dharmagunawardane Vipulajayasuriya Karunaratne Dissanayake died at the age of 65 on 28 May 1862. He was buried in the Holy Emmanuel
Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...
Church, engraved as per his wishes using the Sinhala script
The Sinhala script ( si, සිංහල අක්ෂර මාලාව, Siṁhala Akṣara Mālāva), also known as Sinhalese script, is a writing system used by the Sinhalese people and most Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka and elsewhere to write ...
.[
]
Legacy
De Soysa, often referred to as a father of private enterprise was the pioneer native entrepreneur, philanthropist and social reformer who played the role of a path-finder.[Adam's Peak: Legendary, Traditional, And Historic Notices Of The Samanala And Sripada]
(1870), by William Skeen, p.369-87 (Nabu Press)
Nadeem Haque Retrieved 5 February 2016 He died, leaving Charles de Soysa, aged 26, entrusted with the management of an estate worth millions. His infrastructure and tank building projects were commendable, considering the fact that it came after the abolition of the traditional ''rajakriya'' system of free compulsory labour and the devastation caused following the Kandyan convention. In 1853, de Soysa was appointed Gate Mudaliyar
Mudali (or Mudaliyar) was a colonial title and office in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) which was part of the native headman system. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes from ...
by the Governor George William Anderson
George William Anderson (1791 – 12 March 1857) was the officiating governor of Bombay during the British Raj from 28 April 1841 to 9 June 1842.
Anderson entered the Bombay Civil Service in 1806. He was responsible for drawing up the Bombay Ci ...
. He was the first native headman to be appointed for public benefactions as opposed to government service.[
]
See also
* Coffee production in Sri Lanka
Coffee production in Sri Lanka peaked in 1870, with over being cultivated. The Dutch had experimented with coffee cultivation in the 18th century, but it was not successful until the British began large scale commercial production following th ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Soysa, Jeronis
Gate Mudaliyars
Sri Lankan planters
Sri Lankan bankers
Sri Lankan philanthropists
Sinhalese physicians
Sri Lankan educational theorists
Sinhalese businesspeople
Planters of British Ceylon
People of British Ceylon
Sri Lankan Christians
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Agriculture in Sri Lanka
Jeronis
Ayurveda
1797 births
1860 deaths
People from Moratuwa
People from Kandy
People from Colombo
19th-century philanthropists
19th-century British businesspeople