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Govigama

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Govi, Govigama is the largest, highest and the most influential caste in Sri Lanka. They and the Bathgama have traditionally been responsible for cultivation in accordance with the traditional tenure system of land-holding known as Rajakariya (duty).

While Govi, meaning paddy farmer, derives from the root word goyam, meaning paddy plant,[1] Govigama originated in the Dutch era. Traditionally all land was owned by the king and the rajakriya system meant you were duty bound to work the land.[2] Private land ownership by ordinary folk came about only after European colonisation.[3]

File:Cultivators fishing.gif
An 18th-century etching of cultivators fishing in a reservoir during the dry season, from An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon by Robert Knox(1641–1720)

History

Occupation

The Govigama are a caste[4][5] whose traditional occupation is paddy cultivation, and they were the tenant farmers in the Sri Lankan feudal system. The Sinhalese caste system was based on the service to the king or 'raja kariya',[4] and land ownership. The monarch owned all the lands of the island and Govigama people had the right to cultivate these lands at his behest. The contribution to rice production and service in royal service gave Govigama people the foremost role in the ancient agrarian society. Kings are said to have participated in harvesting festivals held end of each Yala (dry) and Maha (wet) season.[6]

Only in the present era, it has been the norm that the head of the country is a Govigama caste member, though President Premadasa was not. Some Anglican Govigama that turned Buddhist in the past century popularized the myth that the colonial occupiers, including the Portuguese, Dutch and British, tried to change Govi dominance by giving prominence to other castes by granting government posts and education under them. Yet the evidence points other wise and the post monarch colonial era saw the rise of the ordinary/majority caste populace. The Dutch and the British introduced the ideas of Republicanism.

Many members of the Govigama community are still farmers in villages throughout Sri Lanka. However, some farmers other than rice farmers are not considered to be Govigama. A good example is the caste Salagama. Bathgama farmers are apparently a 'lesser' brand of rice farmer. Govigama women participate in the harvest work.

Names

An important characteristic in the Sinhalese caste system is that the family name or the surname details the ancestry. The original name was given based on where one lived. Later, honorary terms, granted by the king based on a person's service to the kingdom, were added to the original name. This continued for generations and resulted in very long names. In general, Mudiyanselage , Appuhamilage among up country people, and Arachchilage , Vidanelage , Pathiranage among low country people, are considered to be names taken up by Govigama and others to improve their social standing, and these names were extended according to the ranking in the service of the kingdom. Further variations exist due to changes during the colonial period. Historic literature and inscriptional evidence from the feudal period show that this hierarchy prevailed throughout the feudal period until the collapse of Sri Lankan kingdoms and social structure under the onslaught of European colonialism. However, even in the present day, Sinhalese people look at surnames and ancestry when it comes to marriages.[citation needed]

As for name and religious conversions, Govigama families too became Christian and had Portuguese/Christian names (some strangely adopted during British/Dutch times) such as Don Davith (Rajapaksas)[7][8], Barthlamew (Senanayakes), Ridgeway Dias (Nilaperumal/Bandaranaykes), Arnolis Dep (Wijewardane), de Sarem, de Alwis, etc. It is also why all elite Lankans of the British period be it farmer or other wise had English first names. The Goyigama also were pioneer arrack renters of the colonial era.[9]

Social status

In traditional Sinhalese society Buddhist monks are placed at the top. Irrespective of the birth caste of a monk, even the king had to worship him. However, this led to some Buddhist sects in Sri Lanka allowing only Govigama people to join, contrary to Buddha's instructions. Other castes such as Karava, Durava, Salagama and Wahumpura have their own Buddhist sects, but they do not impose any restrictions based on caste creed or race, upon anyone who wishes to join. These practices imposed by the Govigama-only sect against the wishes of the Buddha had brought a negative reputation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, especially when the largest Buddhist converts today are the Indian Dalit community, a practice that had also been common in the history of Buddhism. Though largely overlooked, the Govigama caste have historically incorporated south Indian migrants.[10][11][12][13][14]

Ancient period

Ancient texts such as the Pujavaliya, Sadharmaratnavaliya and Yogaratnakaraya list the four major castes as Raja , Bamunu , Velanda , Govi. However, the current caste system in Sri Lanka disempowers the Raja, Bamunu, castes, and establishes the Govigama caste as the highest extant caste in the hierarchy (Govi, Karave, Durava, Salagama, etc.). The Pújavaliya[citation needed] also says that a Buddha could be been born into the Govi caste, as Govi caste was started by the Shakya Princess Badrakachchayana and he followers. Dampiyaatuvagetapadaya and the 12th-century Darmapradeepikava already state that the Govi caste is a middle caste compared to the kings. (Dampiyaatuvagetapadaya 217. Darmapradeepikava 190). According to Indian Varna System Govi castes comes under the Vaishya warna.As there was no a Brahmin caste among Buddhist Sinhalese Vaishya Govi becomes the Superior caste next to Kshastriyas.Other ancient castes of aryans were labeled as Shudras. Secondary castes such as Karava,Durava and Salagama are not mentioned in these texts since they were later Dravidian migrants to Sri Lanka or small communities.Those castes were listed as lower castes than Govi Caste of Aryans automatically because of their Dravidian origin and they were categorised as Shudras.

Although modern writers have attempted to dismiss the above fourfold division as a mere classical division unconnected with reality, the repetition of the same caste hierarchy even as recently as the 18th century, in the British / Kandyan period Kadayimpoth – Boundary books (Abhayawardena 163 to 168) as well, indicates the continuation of the tradition right up to the end of Sri Lanka’s monarchy or even further. It should be noted that no well known Karava / Salagama families existed in the Kandyan kingdom, the Govigama caste is considered as the highest caste in Sri Lanka as it is known as the one of the oldest caste of Aryans in Sri Lanka. The "Karava" caste considered second in Sri Lanka was the specialist mariners/navigators also some of them are brought to Sri Lanka as Dravidian warriors throughout history,[15] the "Salagama" caste has its origin in Kerala as "Saligrama Brahmins" who are even today considered as among the highest castes in Kerala & the "Wahumpura" descending from the Deva (mountain people) of the Mahavamsa. Even though ancient literature such as "Pujavaliya" suggests that the Buddhas might be born in Govi Kula because of it's Shakya Origin.

Kandyan period

For the past 1.700 years the only undisputed symbol of Sri Lankan Royalty and Leadership has been the sacred Tooth Relic of Gautama Buddha. Whosoever possessed this was acknowledged as the rightful ruler of Lanka, and thus the Tooth Relic was a possession exclusive to the ruling dynasty of Sri Lanka. Upon each change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the Relic. Finally, in 1595 it was brought to Kandy where it is at present, in the Temple of the Tooth. However, even in the land-locked Kandyan kingdom 'Unambuwe' a son of a concubine of some considerable background was deemed not of 'royalty', hence a Telugu of royalty was imported from Madurai. This last Kandyan royal dynasty (four kings) of Nayake origin was from the Balija caste[16][full citation needed] Even King Senarat Adahasin's regent, Antonio Baretto Kuruvita Rala, Prince of Ouva, was not from the Govi cast[17][18]

The oldest Buddhist sect in Sri Lanka, the Siam Nikaya (established on 19 July 1753) are the custodians of the Tooth Relic, since its establishment during the Kandyan Kingdom. The Siam Nikaya uses caste-based divisions, and as of 1764 grants higher ordination only to the Radala and Govigama castes, excluding other castes from its numbers,[19] Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durawa) was the last non-Govigama monk to receive upasampada. This conspiracy festered within the Siam Nikaya itself and Moratota Dhammakkandha, Mahanayaka of Kandy, with the help of the last two Kandyan Telugu Kings victimised the low-country Mahanayaka Karatota Dhammaranma by confiscating the Sri Pada shrine and the retinue villages from the low country fraternity and appointing a rival Mahanayaka[20]

Current political power

Non–Govigama representation in Parliament has steadily declined since independence and representation of non-Govigama castes are well below their population percentages. Caste representation in the Cabinet has always been limited to a few very visible, but unconcerned and disconnected members from a few leading castes.[21]

Religious Power

By the mid 18th century, upasampada (higher ordination, as distinct from samanera or novice ordination) had become extinct in Sri Lanka again. The Buddhist order had become extinct thrice during the preceding five hundred years and was re-established in the reigns of Vimala Dharma Suriya I (1591–1604) and Vimala Dharma Suriya II (1687–1707) as well. These re-establishments were short lived. On the initiative of Ven. Weliwita Saranankara (1698–1778) the Thai monk Upali Thera visited Kandy during the reign of king Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747–1782) and once again reestablished the Buddhist order in Sri Lanka in 1753. It was called the Siyam Nikaya after the "Kingdom of Siam".

However in 1764, merely a decade after the re-establishment of the Buddhist order in Sri Lanka by reverend Upali, a group within the newly created Siyam Nikaya conspired and succeeded in restricting the Nikaya's higher ordination only to the Govigama caste. This was a period when Buddhist Vinaya rules had been virtually abandoned and some members of the Buddhist Sangha in the Kandyan Kingdom privately held land, had wives and children, resided in the private homes and were called Ganinnanses.[1] It was a period when the traditional nobility of the Kandyan Kingdom was decimated by continuous wars with the Dutch rulers of the Maritime Provinces. In the maritime provinces too a new order was replacing the old. Mandarampura Puvata, a text from the Kandyan perid, narrates the above radical changes to the monastic order and shows that it was not a unanimous decision by the body of the sangha. It says that thirty two ‘senior’ members of the Sangha who opposed this change were banished to Jaffna by the leaders of the reform.

The Govigama exclusivity of the Sangha thus secured in 1764 was almost immediately challenged by other castes who without the patronage of the King of Kandy or of the British, held their own upasampada ceremony at Totagamuwa Vihara in 1772. Another was held at Tangalle in 1798. Neither of these ceremonies were approved by the Siam Nikaya which claimed that these were not in accordance with the Vinaya rules. However, those ordained in Amarapura in Burma (Myanmar) were a continuation of Maha Vihara the ancient Theravada Sect from Anuradhapura because Burma obtained the ordination from Maha Vihara in Ceylon during the Anuradhapura Period. From time immemorial the sacred Tooth Relic of Gautama Buddha has been considered the symbol of the rulers of Sri Lanka. As time went on, the seat of the kingdom was moved from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, then to Dambadeniya and other cities. Upon each change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the Relic. Finally, it was brought to Kandy where it is at present, in the Temple of the Tooth. The oldest Buddhist sect in Sri Lanka, the Siam Nikaya (estd. 19 July 1753) are the custodians of the Tooth Relic, since its establishment during the Kandyan Kingdom. The Siyam Nikaya as of 1764 granted Higher ordination only to the Radala and Govigama castes[5], Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durava) being the last nongovigama monk receive upasampada[28] ,

The caste based discrimination made many low caste people of Karava & Salagama people to become or remain Catholics & Anglicans. The Siyam Nikaya as custodians of the Tooth Relic have always received the full support and patronage of the Govigama dominated Sri Lankan State and its Ministers and Ministries of Buddha Sasana, Cultural Affairs and others, the lord Buddha's tooth relic by the Radala Govigama combination on caste.

Govigama sub-castes

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ 15th century Janawamsaya on caste
  2. ^ An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies by Robert Knox, p. 122
  3. ^ http://pathfinderfoundation.org/pf-projects/on-going/economic-alert/44-land
  4. ^ a b Sri Lankan Caste System
  5. ^ Castes & Tribes at the time of Sanghamitta (Populations of the Saarc Countries: Bio-Cultural Perspectives By Jayanta Sarkar, G. C. Ghosh, p.73)
  6. ^ Dewasiri, Nirmal Ranjith. The Adaptable Peasant. p. 246.
  7. ^ "The Rajapaksas and Ruhuna". Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ http://www.asiantribune.com/node/7175
  9. ^ Nobodies to somebodies: the rise of the colonial bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka by Kumari Jayawardena (Zed Books) p.190-191 ISBN 1-84277-229-5
  10. ^ J.R. Jayawardena family History of the Colombo Chetties, edited and compiled by Deshabandu Reggie Candappa, Reviewed by Anne Abayasekara (Sunday Times, 8 July 2001)
  11. ^ Buddhism Betrayed?: Religion, Politics, and Violence in Sri Lanka By Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, p. 152-3
  12. ^ A SHORT HISTORY OF LANKA by Humphry William Codrington, CHAPTER I; THE BEGINNINGS 'The princess and her retinue/dowry (service castes)'
  13. ^ 'Pandyan retinue of Prince Vijaya': Sea: Our Saviour By K. Sridharan, p.19
  14. ^ Pre-Vijayan Agriculture in Sri Lanka, by Prof. T. W. Wikramanayake
  15. ^ Sinhalese Naval Power, C. W. Nicholas (1958)
  16. ^ Pre-Nayake kings of Kandy (children of Kusuma Devi) and their marriages to south-Indian Nayakes
  17. ^ Description of the Great and Most Famous Isle of Ceylon, Philip Baldaeus, p. 693-7
  18. ^ Ceylon of the Early Travellers, by H. A. J. Hulugalle (1965); 'Kuruwita Rala, a relative of our last royal Queen'
  19. ^ Two Great Needs of Buddhists
  20. ^ Buddhism in Sinhalese Society, 1750–1900: A Study of Religious Revival and.... By Kitsiri Malalgoda, p. 84-87 & 91
  21. ^ Fonseka, the political arriviste–a historical irony
  22. ^ Social Change in Nineteenth Century Ceylon, pg 45, Patrick Peebles
  23. ^ a b c Premadasa Exceptionalism and challenges it currently faces...
  24. ^ How Mrs. Bandaranaike became Prime Minister in 1960 - Elections
  25. ^ Saga of Nilame and Kumarihamy by Lakmal Welabada. Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka), Retrieved on 10 December 2006.
  26. ^ "Black July: A Note On Buddhism, Caste & The New Sinhalese Nationalism". Retrieved 12 June 2015.

Bibliography

  • Abhayawardena H. A. P. Kadaim Poth Vimarshanaya, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka
  • H. W. Codrington, Ancient land tenure and revenue in Ceylon
  • Darmapradeepikava Sri Dharmarama edition, 1951
  • Epigraphia Zeylanica (EZ) Colombo Museum, Sri Lanka
  • Gammaduwa, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka
  • Jayathilake D. B. Dambadeni Asna saha Kandavuru Siritha
  • Jayawardena Kumari 2000 Nobodies to Somebodies – The Rise of the Colonial Bourgeoisie in Sri Lanka [1]
  • Journal of Asian Studies 1990 Articles by Patrick Peebles, Amita Shastri, Bryan Pfaffenberger
  • Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka (JRASCB)
  • Kumaratunga Munidasa 1958 Parevi Sandeshaya
  • Niti Nighanduva The vocabulary of law 1880 LeMasurier C. J. R. and Panabokke T. B.
  • Peebles Patrick 1995 Social Change in Nineteenth Century Ceylon Navrang ISBN 81-7013-141-3.
  • Pfaffenberger Bryan 1982 Sudra Domination in Sri Lanka Syracuse University
  • Pujavaliya
  • Roberts Michael Caste conflict and elite formation
  • Sahithyaya 1972 Department of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka
  • Sarpavedakama Colombo Museum publication, 1956
  • Sri Lankáve Ithihásaya Educational Publications Department Sri Lanka
  • Ummagga Játhakaya 1978 edition Educational Publications Department, Sri Lanka
  • Wickramasinghe Nira 2001 Civil Society in Sri Lanka: New circles of power

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