Dowry for a Gypsy

My contribution to a dowry :-
Continuing my piece on the Gypsies of Sri Lanka, I had a young boy from the Gypsy tribe, who had a 'green-stick' fracture of his fore-arm, taking treatment in my surgical ward at Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The father of the child visited me at my residence in Batticaloa, to thank me for looking after his son. I had a long chat with him on the customs of his tribe. He told me that when they marry off their daughter, the dowry was, a bottle of arrack, a chicken and a dog. I had a very intelligent dog with me which was causing a lot of mayhem by bringing body parts of slaughtered animals home from a refuse dump close to our residence. I asked him whether he wanted that dog, to be given as dowry. He joyfully accepted. I told him that the dog might find its way back to our home from his residence, about 20 miles away. He said that they have herbs to give to the dog, to erase its memory. He led the dog away. A few weeks later I met him with his son in my clinic and inquired about the dog. His face broke into a broad smile. He said that the dog had a good hunting instinct and was happy in his new home.
It has been reported by Greek historians, writing around 100 AD that good hunting dogs, exported through the sea-port in Paanama, Sri Lanka, at that time were in big demand in Greece.

Gypsies of Sri Lanka

The wandering tribe of people called 'Ahikuntikayo' in Sinhalese or 'Kuravar' in Tamil is the only Gypsy tribe in present Sri Lanka. Each wandering group sets up camp almost overnight bordering a village. In the old days they used donkeys as a means of transport. After setting camp they wander in the nearby villages exhibiting, monkeys, Cobras and selling 'snake-stones' peddled as poison extractors after a snake bite.Their females read palms and do fortune telling. On a bright sunny day the man in the photo came to our house exhibiting a monkey and a cobra. The children in our house had a wonderful time, seeing the monkey's antics.Please click on the web-link below :-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Gypsy_people

Nagadipa Vihara, Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka.

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https://www.facebook.com/philip.veerasingam/posts/2659126454099625

 

Lagoon Park, Bar Road, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

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https://www.facebook.com/philip.veerasingam/posts/2662852587060345

 

Sorabora Wewa', Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka.

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https://www.facebook.com/philip.veerasingam/posts/2655365844475686

Sights of Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka.

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https://www.facebook.com/philip.veerasingam/posts/2653451578000446

 

The battle of Randeniya – 1630 August

While serving in Koslanda as the District Medical Officer in the year 1966 to 1967, I was in the habit of seeking out and visiting historic sights. Wellawaya  was an un-policed  area in the early 1950s but there was a police station in 1966. Mr. Werapitiya who retired as Deputy Inspector General of Police recalled in his later years, how he had to go from his post at Haputhalle as Inspector of Police and Officer in Charge, to conduct a murder inquiry  at Wellawaya.

          I had heard about a historic battle at a place called Randeniya, a few miles into a jungle track from Wellawaya  town, where a Portuguese army had been routed and its commander Constantine De Saa killed.

The expedition to Uva was made in 1630 by Constantine de Sa de Noronha, Captain-General of Ceylon

‘Constantine de Saa, the governor, stimulated by the reproaches of the viceroy at Goa, at this state of affairs, who inquired whether De Saa was playing  merchant or soldier, imprudently marched into the Oovah country with all the troops he could collect, 1,800 Portuguese and 9,000 low country Sinhalese’. After invading Badulla and burning the town he had withdrawn to go most probably to Balangoda where a detachment of Portuguese soldiers were present. Quite a few of the Sinhalese lascarins under his command deserted on a fiercely rainy day, while camped near a river, the waters of which were rapidly rising.

‘Kxox says that Constantine de Saa, rather than fall by the enemy, " called his black boy to give him water to drink, and snatching the knife from his side, stabbed himself."

Thus ended the life of Constantine de Saa, who was venerated by his compatriots. The Sinhalese poet of that time, Alagiyavanna Mukaveti,  composed the poem ‘Kustatinu Hatana’, celebrating the life of de Saa.

It is related that Prince Rajasinghe – later to become King Rajasinghe II - who was commanding the Kandyan forces, was bathing in a brook nearby, when they brought the severed head of de Saa to him. The head was placed in a drum and taken to the capital Kandy to be shown to Prince Rajasinghe's father, King Senarath. The King is supposed to have addressed, the severed head and said ‘How many times have I told you not to harass my Kingdom?’

In 1966 the tracing for the proposed highway from Ella to Wellawaya was being done. A young engineer called Mr. Wijedoru was in charge. He told me that the tracing had to go close to the Ravanella falls, on the instructions of the Minister in charge of the Public Works Department, at that time..

Farm produce was brought by ‘Pack Bulls’ from the hills in the 1960s, to the ‘Pola’ in Wellawaya.

Now there is an ill tended memorial of the site of battle at Randeniya, bordering the highway from Wellawaya to Ella. Well-tended paddy fields surround the area of the historic battle.

Click on the web-page below to get more details :-
 http://www.island.lk/2004/09/01/midweek3.html