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30-490: The Salagamas were also known as Saliya , also spelled Chaliya . The name is presumably derived from Chale of Kerala . The Salagamas trace their roots back to the Coromandel Coast and Malabar Coast of South India , and settled in the southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka . Their ancestors were a weaving community who were known as Saliya also known as Devanga Chettiar of South India. Some Salagamas also have

60-516: A group of Kandyans. The Buddhist monastic 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 reestablishments were short lived. Although hagiographies written within Sri Lanka avoid the issue, the foundation of the Siam Nikaya was closely linked to both

90-514: A new order was replacing the old. Mandarampura Puvata, a text from the Kandyan period, 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

120-742: 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) has been the custodian of the Tooth Relic, since its establishment during the Kandyan Kingdom. The Siyam Nikaya traditionally grants Higher ordination only to the Radala and Govigama castes, Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durawa) being

150-445: A unique tradition of a festival called Meenamrithu which is related to sea trading culture of the past. It was believed to have belonged to a merchant community called Valanjiyar belonging to left-hand caste group in the past. However, now Saliyas conduct this ritual. But relationship between Valanjiyar and Saliya communities at present is still a speculation. Siyam Nikaya The Siam (also Siyamopali and Siyam ) Nikaya

180-576: Is a monastic order within Sri Lankan Buddhism , founded by Upali Thera of Siyam, on the initiatives taken by Weliwita Sri Saranankara thera to revive Buddhism in Sri Lanka in the mid 18th century. At the beginning it was located predominantly around the city of Kandy but now has spread to the other parts of the country as well. It is named as 'Siyam' because it was originated within Thailand (formerly known in Sri Lanka as "Siyam Deshaya" and Europe as

210-561: The Galle district. The Salagamas were converted from a feudal caste into a modern proletariat .The Dutch demand for cinnamon was more intense than that of the Portuguese, and by the era of British control mortality rates among Salagamas had increased sharply. It became common practice for cinnamon peelers' children to be registered under the names of other castes in order to spare them a life of ever-growing misery. The census of 1824 identified

240-517: The Temple of the Tooth Relic , Adam's Peak , Kelaniya and over 6,000 other temples are now under the administration of the Siyam Nikaya. 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,

270-855: The independence struggle and became hotbeds of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and of the Communist Party . These areas were at the forefront of the Hartal of 1953. Saliya Saliya or Saliyar is a South Indian Hindu caste . Their traditional occupation was that of weaving and they are found mostly in the regions of northern Kerala , southern coastal Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu as well as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh . The oldest names for weavers in Kannada and Telugu regions were Saliga (or its variants, Sale, Sali, Saliya etc.) or Jeda (or its variants Jada, Jandra etc.). However,

300-859: The vasagama or surname "Nambudirige" meaning "of the Nambudiri", which Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere deems as a spurious attempt by the caste to elevate their status to that of the Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala (Due to caste competition with the Karava who claimed Kshatriya status). Like the other coastal castes such as the Karavas and Duravas , the Salagamas migrated to Sri Lanka between 13th to 18th century. Under Portuguese rule , many Karavas and Salagamas converted to Catholicism , which opened way to education and administrative careers. The Portuguese continued

330-438: The yajnopavita (the sacred thread worn by Brahmins), right to ride a palanquin, right to one's own flag and symbol etc... to Devanga weavers. Many of these privileges were later granted to Padmashali weavers too. According to Ramaswamy, Saliya were always part of right hand castes while Devanga , Kaikkola Sengunthar were part of left hand castes. In Kannur, Ashtamachal Bhagavathy temple part of Payyannur Teru has

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360-561: The "Kingdom of Siam"). The Siyam Nikaya has two major divisions ( Malwatta and Asgiriya ) and five other divisions within these two major units. The Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters have two separate Maha Nayaka theros or chief monks. On the initiative of Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero (1698–1778) the Thai monk Upali visited the Kingdom of Kandy in 1753 during the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy (1747–1782), and there performed upasampada for

390-509: The "Kurundukara's" enjoyed a high status in Sinhala society, before being punished by the King of Kotte in 1406 and downgraded to a lower status, who also imposed cinnamon as a tax, at one stage the tax exceeded their manpower, and became virtually unbearable, and it took a heavy toll in their mortality rate, some of them were subsequently forced to change their names to other castes to escape it. Today,

420-580: The Buddhist Sangha in Kandy was suffering from a state of corruption, which included the practice of astrology and his efforts were aimed at "purifying" the practices of the monastic order. It was also through the efforts of Upali Thera that the Kandy Esala Perahera was reorganized in its present form. Annually in Kandy, there is a celebration which includes a parade in which the focus is the relic of

450-653: The Salagama predominance in cinnamon cultivation has declined, the higher status gained by the caste leading to its members abandoning their traditional occupation. Many Salagamas in the Hikkaduwa area became coral miners until the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 swept away their villages. The coral- lime kilns gave employment to many more. The Railway made access to employment in Colombo and other urban centres very much easier, and

480-601: The Salagamas as about 7.5% of the coastal Sinhalese population. However, they were concentrated in the Galle district, where about half of them lived and where they made up almost 20% of the population. Traditionally, the Salagama were divided into four sub-castes: However, in modern times there is a simple twofold division between the Hewapanne and the Kurundukara . The former are of higher status, including landowners in their ranks,

510-404: The aristocratic and caste politics of its era, including an attempted coup d'état that is unusually well-documented, due to the interaction of the colonial Dutch and the king of Kandy at the time: [T]he plot of 1760... occurred during the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasimha and shortly after the formal beginnings of the Siyam Nikaya in 1753. One group within the local aristocracy conspired to overthrow

540-677: The caste became a very important part of the working class. Its higher echelons became notable in the engineering profession, mainly due to the influence of Sir Cyril de Zoysa , who owned the South Western Omnibus Company (see Ceylon Transport Board ) and the Associated Motorways Group, and other businessmen in the motor trade. By the mid 18th century, upasampada (higher ordination, as distinct from samanera or novice ordination) had become extinct in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist order had become extinct three times during

570-553: The king and place a Siamese prince on the throne. The leaders are said to have included not only key lay administrators... but also some of the leading Siyam Nikaya monks. Valivita Saranamkara, founder of the Siyam Nikaya, and his chief student... were named among the conspirators. The plot was discovered, the Siamese prince was deported (with the reluctant assistance of the Dutch), and the lay administrators were executed. Upali Thera believed

600-471: The last non-Govigama monk to receive upasampada. This conspiracy festered within the Siyam Nikaya itself and Moratota Dhammakkandha, Mahanayaka of Kandy, with the help of the last two Kandyan Telugu Kings victimized 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 (Presently, an exception

630-486: 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 Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero (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

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660-428: 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

690-605: The present day names like Devanga and Padmasali . The original names simply meant weaver (spider). While Saliga is tadbhava of jalikha, spider or weaver in Sanskrit , Jeda is a Kannada word for spider. According to Ramaswamy, as part of the Virasaiva movement weavers initially championed caste negation or anti-casteism initially. However, as time passed even that movement became caste-ridden and various communities started claiming ritual superiority vis-a-vis other communities part of

720-400: The same religion and also against non-Virasaiva communities like Brahmins . As caste negation gave way to caste exaltation even weavers tried to obtain higher caste credentials and privileges. In 1231, at Chintamani (in the present day Karnataka region with a mixed Kannada/Telugu population) it is said (a dubious claim according to Vijaya Ramaswamy) that a king granted privileges like right to

750-629: The tooth of the Buddha . This procession was originally focused on honour to Hindu deities , particularly those incorporated into Sri Lankan Buddhism . Upali Thera believed this to be inappropriate in a Buddhist nation, and his influence led to the king declaring that "Henceforth Gods and men are to follow the Buddha". (Estimates from Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Sri Lanka) 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

780-477: The tradition of using Salagamas as cinnamon planters, who had to provide cinnamon as a tax. Queyroz mentions 'Chaleaz' as among the 'high castes' and that they prepared cinnamon for the 'great tax'. When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) took over the coastal areas, it re-organised cinnamon cultivation on modern capitalist lines, with plantations located within the boundaries of VOC rule, mainly in

810-579: 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 private homes and were called Ganinnanses. 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

840-515: 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. The principal places of Buddhist worship in Sri Lanka including

870-460: Was called the Siyam Nikaya after the "Kingdom of Siam". The traditional Salagama areas around Balapitiya, Kosgoda, Ratgama, Hikkaduwa and Boossa were centres of the pan-Sinhalese populist movement of Anagarika Dharmapala (who was not from the Salagama community). The key issues around which this movement emerged were anti-casteism and anti-colonialism . The same areas were in the vanguard of

900-522: 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 Radala and Govigama caste, Sitinamaluwe Dhammajoti (Durawa) being the last non-Govigama monk receive his upasampada. This

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