Raaj de Silva
Patangatims:
The traditional sub-kings of Sri Lanka.
Raaj de
Silva
Patabändigé is one of the most prevalent gé name among the Karávas. A Patabända of the past was a titled military leader who had been honoured by a King for exceptional valour in war. Such honours had been conferred by tying a gold a forehead plate (nalalpata) which was one of the five insignia of royalty (pancha kakudha bhanda)[1]. The Patabändigé title was not lost with the demise of the recipient. It was an inheritable title and gave rise to a hereditary titled class, distinguished by Patabändi names[2] . Patabändigé is an exclusively Karáva name and is not found among other communities.
The Portuguese who arrived here in the early 16th century have described the Patabändas as Kinglets (subkings) of the Karávas who controlled not only one village but sometimes the whole coast as a master or ruler [3]. The Portuguese records refer to the Patabändas as Patangatims and early Portuguese writers mention five Kings stationed at important coastal towns with ears laden with jewels and claiming relationship with the King of Kotte. These five kings were evidently the Patabändas, the Kinglets of the Karávas referred to by others[4].
The King of Portugal, Don Joaő III, says the following in his letter of 20th March 1557 to the guardian of their religious order: I am much pleased to rejoice at the news you give me of how our lord has been pleased through the agency of the members of your order to illuminate the Nation of the Carias who you say live in the ports of Ceylon, and are said to exceed 70,000 souls, whose captain named Patangatim accompanied them [5].
Queyroz describes an early Portuguese battle in Sri Lanka as follows: At that time the Kinglet of the Careas appeared with the whole might of that kingdom which exceeded 20,000......[6]. Valentyn too notes that the chiefs of Sri Lanka were from among the Karávas [7]. It should however be noted here that the early Portuguese historians refer to the Patabändas as Kinglets, meaning sub kings, and not as mere chiefs as they later came to be referred to, after a century of European rule.
The principal kinglets were the Mahapatabëndás who were referred to as Patamgatim Major and Patamgatim Mor by the Portuguese. Two of the Mahapatabëndás of Negombo in 1613 were Kurukulasuriya Dom Gaspar da Cruz and Varnakulasuriya Afonco Perera [8]. The Portuguese Tombo of 1615 which deals with the ports , villages and lands along the coast from Puttalam to Dondra lists the chiefs of each village along with their land holdings, crops and revenue. It is noteworthy that the chiefs of most such villages which include Negombo, Kalutara, Maggona and Dondra were Patabëndás [9]
The early Portuguese missionaries concentrated on converting the Patabändas first as they were the leaders and rulers of the people. They were used as examples for other gentiles to follow [10]. The Portuguese have documented many instances where hundreds of others converted, following the Patabända’s conversion [11].
The European invaders as well as Sri Lankan Kings had approached the Patabändas for assistance in wars. As a result the Mahapatabëndá of Colombo was beheaded and quartered by the Portuguese in 1574 for treasonable communication with King Mayadunne of Sítáwake (AD 1535 - 1581) [12]. In 1656 the Patabända of Coquille (Koggala) was approached by King Rajasingha II of Kandy (AD 1635 - 1687) for assistance [13].
The earliest reference in Sri Lankan history to a Patabända is found at the 5th century citadel of Sigiri. Among the ancient graffiti on the mirror wall at Sigiri is a verse inscribed by ‘Bandi Dápul Ápa’ [14] (Patabändi ? Dápulu Ápa) . The title of Ápa denotes that he was a sub king and therefore it also seems to confirm that the Patabändas of this early period too were sub kings as they were in the late mediaeval period.
Pattabanda Mahothsava
Pattalattanan ( ) in Tamil had meant a consecrated king according to the Tamil dictionary Yálpana Periyakarádi [15]. Taylor too translates Pattangatti ( )as ‘crowned’ [16] which obviously means a King or a sub king. In ancient India too Patta and Pattâvali (note similarity to Patabëndi ) had meant ‘titles of honour’[17].
An inscription of King Sahasamalla (AD. 1200 -1202 ) who was one of the kings to use the royal fish emblem on his inscriptions, refers to ‘ senevirat patabandavá agra mantri kota’ ( Invested with the rank of Commander-in-chief and appointed as Prime Minister)[18]. The 15th century Ummagga Jataka too narrates the practice of honouring military commanders with forehead plates as: Senevirat patabandá ( Invested him with the rank of Commander-in-chief )[19]. The th century Kavyasekaraya refers to such forehead plates as ‘isa sevulu bändi’ ( tied around the head ?)[20]. The 16th century Gadaladeniya inscription[21] indicates that honouring a person was referred to as ‘patabändavíma’ in later times as well.
The Rajavaliya narrates that the three princes, Mayádunne, Raigam Bandara and Bhuvanekabahu, who were fleeing from their Father, Vijayabahu VI (AD. 1509 - 1521), lodged at the house of a Patabenda [22]. This shows the power and influence of the Kshatriya Patabendas of the period. This particular Patabenda may also have been related to the above three Kshatriya princes who were also from the Surya wansa.
When the Kotte kingdom was ceded to the Portuguese in AD. 1597 by the Malvána convention, A Patabënda was one of the three local nobles who signed it on behalf of the Sinhalese. Portuguese nobles who were known as Fidalgos signed it on behalf of the Portuguese king. The three had been selected by a council of nobles and people[23] and indicates the prominence of the Patabendas of the 16th century. Dona Catherina, the sole heiress of the Kandyan kingdom was also a Patabenda and bore the name Maha Bëndigé [24] (Mahapatabëndigé). Baldaeus refers to two other Patabëndigé princesses, Malabanda Wandige and Rokech Wandige, in chapter I of his book and to the Patabëndigé vice-admiral Wandige Nay Hanni who was a nephew of the Karáva Prince of Uva, Kuruvita Rala in chapter XIII [25].
The Portuguese had not altered the traditional position of the Patabendas and the Portuguese tombo of 1613 ranks the Patabendas above the Mayóráls[26] who were the local equivalents of European city mayors. The Dutch who succeeded the Portuguese, stripped most of the Karávas of their powerful official positions as they suspected the Karávas to be more loyal to the Kshatriya kings of Kandy or to the Portuguese whose religion many of the Karávas professed. The Dutch elevated persons of mixed origins to replace the traditional Karáva chiefs and many such families of mixed origins appear to have identified themselves with the Govi caste as they could not be accommodated within any of the higher castes. Disfavoured by the Dutch, the position of the Patabëndás dropped sharply during the 18th century Dutch period to the level of a Muhandiram[27].
The gradual displacement of the traditional Patabëndigé chiefs of Sri Lanka with others during this period is quite clear in contemporary colonial records. The Patabëndas who figured prominently in early Portuguse records as kinglets and principal chiefs at the time the Portuguese arrived, fade away gradually during the Dutch period and are hardly mentioned by the British period. Nevertheless the practice of honouring nobles with headbands had not been totally forgotten and a Dutch envoy of 1612 refers to the ‘gold headband of a Sinhala dignitary’[28].
A few of the Patabändas of the late Dutch period who figure in the Dutch tombos are: Chikoe Patabändigé Thome Silva Kurukulasuriya, Pattangatyn of Kalutara, A. D. 1760; Mahabadugé Jasientoe Fernando Kurukula Jayasuriya, joint Pattangattyn of Barberyn. A. D. 1759; Bastian Pieris Rasa Manukula Warnakula Ditadipadicear, joint Pattangattyn of Colombo, A. D. 1761; Steeven Fernando Weerawarna Kurukulasuriya, Pattangattyn over the Rue Grande (Grand street, Negombo), A. D. 1763; Luis Fernando Varuna Kurukula Áditya Adapannár. Pattangattyn of Colombo, A. D. 1769 [29]. In 1762 the Dutch refer to the Basnáyaka of Devundara as Bandáranáike Suriya Pattangatyn [30]. Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the last king of Kandy (AD. 1798 - 1815) is also described as a Pattangattyn in a South Indian source[31].
The foregoing illustrates the former power and rank of the traditional chiefs of Sri Lanka, the Karáva Patabändas.
The Patabëndi names which are still in use among Karáva families in Sri Lanka are:
Abeydíra Gunaratne Patabändigé,
Abeysúriya Patabändigé,
Abeyavarna Patabändigé,
Abeydíra Viravaruna Patabändigé,
Alut Patabändigé,
Arketti Patabändigé,
Árukutti Patabändigé,
Abedíra Jayawickrama Liyana Patabändigé,
Asuramána Patabändigé,
Bála Patabändigé,
Chandiram Patabändigé,
Colomba Patabändigé,
Colomba Mahá Patabändigé,
Edirivíra Jayasúriya Liyana Patabändigé,
Edirivíra Jayasékera Kurundu Patabändigé,
Edirivíra Patabändigé,
Ediriwickremasúriya Patabändigé,
Gikiyana Patabändigé,
Gintota Sarukkala Patabändigé,
Gunasekera Árachchi Patabändigé,
Hettiyá Patabändigé,
Ingiri Mahá Patabändigé,
Jayasekera Patabändigé,
Jasenthu Patabändigé,
Jayawardhana Sembukutti Patabändigé,
Jayawickrema Patabändigé,
Jayavira Liyana Patabändigé,
Jayawarna Patabändigé,
Hátagala Patabändigé,
Kahakachchi Patabändigé,
Kálingapura Patabändigé,
Kalutara Patabändigé,
Kánchipura Patabändigé,
Káriya Karavana Mahá Patabändigé,
Káriyawasam Patabändigé,
Kodippili Patabändigé,
Kosma Patabändigé,
Kotte Patabändigé,
Kumára Patabändigé,
Kurana Patabändigé,
Kurukulasuriya Patabändigé,
Kalutantri Patabändigé,
Mututantri Patabändigé,
Mahá Patabändigé,
Madduma Patabändigé,
Loku Patabändigé,
Lamábadu Varnakulasúriya Patabändigé,
Manampéri Mahá Patabendirálalágé,
Maha Marakkala Patabändigé,
Módera Patabändigé,
Mahá Nátha Patabändigé,
Málamí Patabändigé,
Mathangavíra Patabändigé,
Moratu Patabändigé,
Nilavíra Patabändigé,
Nágasúriya Kumára Patabändigé,
Panchashíla Patabändigé,
Patabëndi Maddumágé,
Patabendi Maha Vidánagé,
Penkutti Patabändigé,
Podi Marakkala Patabändigé,
Rajapaksa Patabändigé,
Ran Patabändigé,
Rana Patabändigé,
Ranavíra Patabändigé,
Rénda Patabändigé,
Ratnavíra Patabändigé,
Samarakon Patabändigé,
Sinhapura Patabändigé,
Súriya Patabändigé,
Vijayapura Patabändigé,
Vijesekera Patabändigé,
Vijesuriya Patabendi Muhandiramgé,
Varunakulasuriya Patabändigé,
Varnasuriya Patabändigé,
Veeraratna Jayasúriya Árachchi Patabändigé,
Veerawarna Patabändigé,
Vira Konda Patabändigé,
Vitárana Patabändigé, Weerakon Patabändigé,
Weerasuriya Patabändigé,
Wickremasuriya Patabändigé,
Wickrema Kodippili Patabändigé,
Wijayanáyaka Patabändigé,
Wijeweera Patabändigé,
Yápané Patabändigé.
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