Demalagattara ({{lit

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

serf) are a

social group In the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. F ...

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

amongst the Sinhalese of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Demalagattara are mostly Theravada Buddhists by religion. They are generally considered Sinhalese but proclaim their

ethnic origins, whereas all other

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

-derived castes such as

Karave Karava () is a Sinhala language, Sinhalese speaking ethnic group of Sri Lanka, whose ancestors migrated throughout history from the Coromandel coast, claiming lineage to the Kaurava royalty of the old Kingdom of Kuru in Northern India. The Tamils ...

Salagama Salagama (also known as ''Saliya)'' is a Sinhalese people, Sinhalese caste found mostly in the southern coastal areas of Sri Lanka. The community was traditionally associated with the cultivation and management of cinnamon and were formerly also ...

, Durave and Berava do not emphasise their Tamil links as part of their assimilation into Sinhalese society.

Origins

As the mainstream Sinhalese speakers claim

North Indian North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

ethnic origins the presence of many South Indian type Jatis like the Demalagatara indicate a complex migration history from India to Sri Lanka. Demalagatara do not indicate any tribal origins like the other, formerly untouchable, caste of Rodiyas. Their place in the caste structure is related to a primary function associated with formerly martial origins. They were classed as a sub-caste of the

Govigama Govigama (also known as Goyigama, Govikula, Govi Vansa or Goyi Vansa) is a Sinhalese caste found in Sri Lanka. They form approximately half of the Sinhalese population and are traditionally involved in agriculture. The term Govigama became popula ...

during the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

period. Many are agriculturalists and workers throughout the country.

South Indian roots

Some

anthropologists An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

believe that the early society of Sri Lanka has looked to neighboring South India for manpower to fulfill functional needs as land was cleared and many new villages found. Demalagatara are believed to be descended from

Maravar Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title '' Thevar''. ...

or Kallar like martial castes of South India who also play an important role as mercenaries medieval Sinhalese kingdoms. Similar caste exist in Kerala as Tamil padai nayar has roots from Maravar caste of Tamil Nadu.

Etymology of Demalagattara

‘Demala’ is the Sinhala word for

and ‘Gattara’ is the word used in ancient Sri Lankan rock inscriptions and literature to refer to

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...

. Thus Demalagattara translates into English as ‘Tamil serfs’. ‘Agricultural serfs’ were part of the feudal

land tenure In Common law#History, common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land "owned" by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement betw ...

system of Sri Lanka. There were also ‘domestic serfs’.

Origin myths

The community says that they descended from soldiers who accompanied a 2nd-century BCE Tamil

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

King named as Ellara. But in reality the story is partly true, they are South Indian soldiers who got to settle down due royal grants but the actual time and the king(s) who granted them these privileges happened much later than indicated by their origin myth. Research on origins was carried out during the

Colonial period and is dated. (See

Caste in Sri Lanka The caste systems in Sri Lanka are social stratification systems found among the ethnic groups of the island since ancient times. The models are similar to those found in Continental India, but are less extensive and important for various reasons. ...

)

References

* Bryce Ryan, Caste in Modern Ceylon, Rutgers University Press, 1953. Sinhalese castes Sri Lankan Tamil society