Utuwankande Sura Saradiel
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Deekirikevage Saradiel called Utuwankande Sura Saradiel, translation:''Saradiel the Hero of Mountain Utuwan'' ( si, උතුවන්කන්දේ සුර සරදියෙල්; 25 March 1832 – 7 May 1864) was a
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 ...
gang leader ''Gang Leader'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action crime film written and directed by Vijaya Bapineedu, and produced by Maganti Ravindranath Chowdary. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti, while Rao Gopal Rao, Anandaraj, Murali Mo ...
and
bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...
who became known as 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 depic ...
of Sri Lanka". Some Sri Lankan scholars place him in the context of regional insurgencies of against
British Colonial rule The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...
rather than a manifestation of local lawlessness or economic justice. Due to superstition he was believed to have the power of not being seen and that he was bullet proof. Many believe that this is because he had Henaraja "yantra" on his arm which lent him such powers.


Outlaw

Saradiel briefly took to thievery, distributing his stolen items amongst the poor villagers. However he left the area to
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 me ...
and worked as a barrack boy at the
Rifle Barracks Rifle Barracks was a former military barracks situated in Slave Island, Colombo. It was built during the late nineteenth century as the regimental headquarters and barracks of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment. Following the disbandment of the Ceylon Ri ...
, learning much about weapons before leaving, taking several firearms with him. Thereafter he took to
highway robbery A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...
, becoming a notable outlaw in the district for much of his exploits. Charges were brought on him for killing Natakoti Chettiar, who was a rich merchant and he was arrested. Due to a lack of evidence, he was set free. A warrant for his arrest was issued after a robbery at the Molligoda Walauwa. He then briefly left the area, going to his father's 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 ...
. When his father refused to shelter him, he returned to the mountain of Utuwankande, which he had made his hideout for numerous raids. He was arrested at Pillawatte near
Negombo Negombo (, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province, from Colombo via Colombo - Katunayake Expressway. Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country and ...
after a struggle that led to the police informant being stabbed by him. Saradiel was taken to court in
Hultsdorf Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsd ...
, Colombo to stand trial for murder, yet he managed to escape from
Mahara Prison Mahara Prison is a maximum security prison, and is one of the largest prisons in Sri Lanka. Situated in the old city of Mahara in the Western Province, it was built in 1875 by the British colonial government to ease the congestion at the Slave Is ...
. Soon after he was arrested at Utuwankande only to escape again. Returning to Utuwankande hill in
Mawanella Mawanella is a town which belongs to the Kegalle district in the Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It lies between Kegalle and Kadugannawa along the Colombo-Kandy road. The area consists of four administrative areas, namely Mawanella, Aranayake ...
he formed a gang of robbers, made raids on carriages and coaches on the highway to
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 ...
from
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 me ...
. Soon these attacks spread to
Rambukkana Rambukkana, Pradeshiya Sabha, lies within the Kegalle district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. The Council was incorporated on 7 July 1991 as Rambukkana ward and a few small towns. The constituency today has an area of 128.8 square km, wit ...
,
Polgahawela Polgahawela is a town located in north western Sri Lanka. It is most notable for being a major railway junction. Polgahawela is situated in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, and is located approximately north-east from the capital city ...
and
Kurunegala Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...
. Resulting in his exploits becoming famous throughout the island and the British administrators increasing the police units in the area. Travellers resorted to armed escorts. In an effort to capture him he was surrounded at his mother's home, when he went to visit her. In the shootout that ensued he escaped and made his way to
Matale Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
. At this point Sirimale, one of Saradiel's band defected and became an informant to the police.


Final arrest and execution

On 21 March 1864 he was drawn to a house in Mawanella. On a tip off, a police party surrounded the house. They found Saradiel there with Mammalay Marikkar.
Sgt. Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
Ahamath fired at Saradiel first and wounded him; Mammalay Marikkar fired killing
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
Shaban. Escaping from the house, Sgt. Ahamath stood guard outside the only door, preventing the bandits' escape. The
Assistant Government Agent A Government Agent (GA) or a District Secretary is a Sri Lankan civil servant of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service appointed by the central government to govern a certain district of the country. The GA is the administrative head of public servic ...
Kegalle F.R. Saunders soon arrived on the scene with a detachment of Ceylon Rifles. Seeing that resistance was futile, the two surrendered. Taken to Kandy, they were tried at Kandy Assize by an English-speaking jury before Justice Henry Byerley Thomson, with Richard Morgan prosecuting as crown advocate. The jury found them guilty: Both were sentenced to death. They were taken to the
gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
on 7 May 1864, with many coming to see the famed Saradiel. Before his execution he addressed the crowd. A folk lore to the effect that a letter from the Queen Victoria, which accidentally read: 'kill him, not let him go', when it was supposed to be: 'kill him not, let him go', was misinterpreted and he was sentenced to death; is fake.


Legacy

Saradiel distributed much of his plunder among the poor, and never stole from them. Due to this he was referred to as the "Robin Hood of Sri Lanka", most of his raids were targeting British and their native supporters, who had gained wealth as the lower and medium levels of the colonial administration, he gained popularity among the poor villagers who were opposed to the British. As a result, many consider his actions just and a Saradiel rebel against British rule rather than a bandit. Constable Shaban was killed on 21 March 1864 in the attempt to apprehend Saradiel, and was the first Ceylonese policeman to be killed in the line of duty. March 21 is when fallen
Sri Lanka Police (The one who lives by the Dhamma is protected by the Dhamma itself) , mission = , formedyear = , preceding1 = Ceylon Police Force (1866–1972) , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = ...
are commemorated. His brother was the sculptor of
St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...
on the facade of St Joseph's Church
Wennappuwa Wennappuwa is a town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is north of Negombo. The village of Wennappuwa is mentioned in the Culavamsa as a small farming hamlet. History A church made of wattle and daub, consecrated ...
.


See also

*
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 depic ...
*
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
*
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...


References


External links


Utuwankande Saradiel - The Black Robinhood of Sri Lanka, By Imala Abeyrathne.


Sunday Observer
The Soora Saradiel saga by Bhanuka Kirinde
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saradiel, Utuwankande Sura 1832 births Sri Lankan rebels 1864 deaths Sri Lankan independence movement British Ceylon period National Heroes of Sri Lanka People executed by the United Kingdom by hanging Executed Sri Lankan people People executed by British Ceylon Prisoners and detainees of British Ceylon People executed by Sri Lanka by hanging