Of Sinhala royalty

Fingers may point at the writer as to who said so or wrote so. If I wrote so, that was no assertion but just a poser, a query. Are they there? If so where are they? And I must hasten to add the objective was and is not to enthrone any of them in this modern age when we are knee deep in democracy. Opposing elements may argue that democracy as practised today in the island is just a farce but we know better as its aligned ideals are put into action to the maximum level. At least an attempt in this direction is quite visible however much rabble rousers may decry such attempts.

Democracy as a form of governance is prevalent almost universally today that we are never witness to any form of government in any country receding from democracy to "rule by traditional royal families."

Even where royalty exists at the helm as in England, Japan, Thailand, Nepal and the Netherlands, it is common knowledge that it is a nominal show of power that it exudes. And even in such countries Banshee cries are raised from time to time as "Down with royalty" "Don't sit on the throne and eat up poor man's taxes".

Anyway this prologue has as its motive to illustrate that however royalty may sound unpalatable to modern society there is nothing wrong in "digging", especially in the context permeated by the idea that there is nothing to dig in this sphere. However, I am developing this essay within the boundaries of our own island.

Remnants

Nothing to dig as to the remnants of Sinhala royalty and perhaps of the upper aristocracy. No less a person than a medical doctor has taken up the challenge. Without sacrificing his ordained profession or the time allotted to it, the researcher in him with the help of some team mates had thrown up nine lines percolating down times that claim to either royalty or the top rungs of aristocracy with marriage bonds to royalty.

Here it must be mentioned that our kings being polygamous had several queens in the harem and while the main queen was usually procured from illustrious royal families of the sub-continent of Bharatha, a practice begun right down from the first king Vijaya, a good many of the lesser queens were "home grown", yet owning to a very high pedigree.

The late historian J. Dias Abeysinghe, who extricated Archival data while in pursuit of this same topic mentions that Keerawella in Sathara Korale was a rich source for providing queens for the harems of our kings. Though these queens who graced the spouse position of Lanka's crowned heads due to their beauty or pedigree are long dead and gone, the territorial division of Keerawela Pattuwa yet remains. But this singular fact finds no mention in the good doctor's own research.

Dynasty

Perhaps he was not so much in pursuit of queens as of the dynasty lines that run up to this day, yet gone underground.

Is it modesty or the phobia of getting branded as "Raja Pampori" that have made these royalists go into hiding except when a writer connected to these families extricates matter to nourish his or her literary baby. Anyway the doctor himself has yet to produce his own book on his findings.

Just now he is content with sieving out relevant matter which contain a list of ten dynasty lines. Out of these nine still go on. The extinct line is the Maurya royal line or Kandavuru Kula to which the famous prelate Sri Rahula thera too belonged. Yet from the maternal side it maintains connections with other dynastic lines.

The other nine (some given concisely) are Ramachhandra Koliya Bandara dynasty, Menevara dynasty, Okkaka Lenawa dynasty (credited with the bringing over of Sri Maha Bodhi), Okkaka Datta Prince Keerawella dynasty, Vidiya Bandara Tudugala dynasty, Chandravamsa Katmita Don dynasty (As Don is a honorary suffix attached during the Portuguese period one has to assume that the addition occurred during the modern period), Ganga Brahmana Dynasty, MalalaHerath dynasty and Ratakorale dynasty inclusive of the Vanniyars.

I must add that these much researched details were supplied to me in response to my Musings article titled "Vidiya Bandara's Royal house".

Dormant

Have these dynasties become dormant? Surprisingly no. In fact they have formed an association named the Sinhala Shastriya Mandala.

Ramachandra Soliya Bandara Ge Punchi Bandara Alawattegama leads this association. Since he is ailing at present. Most of the actual work aligned to activate the association is handled by Tikkama Mahinda Kumara of Tikkama Dapulusena Menevara dynasty.

It is interesting to peruse as to what this association performs. Their main objective seems to be the preservation of royal ritual as enacted in ancient and medieval times.

The Aluth Sahal Mangalya (New rice festival) signals the annual commencing of these rituals. At the end of this Mangalya, all the members of the dynasty lines gather at Natha Devale in Maha Nuwara.

Here they take the oath of Panchatantra (Oath regarding the duties of the Sinhal royalty). These include certain injunctions and even taboos such as, it is their sacred right to preserve Buddhism at any cost. Secondly, no one in the Shastriya Mandala shall marry outside it. (It is interesting to find out how or whether in this fast mingling society, this binding has never been overlooked).

Areas

Certain areas have been allocated to certain dynasties. Some examples are:

Administration to Menuwara Vamsa, Protection of Sri Maha Bodhi to Lenawa dynasty, Protection of Dantha Dathu to Keerawella dynasty and Provincial rule matters to MalalaHerath dynasty.

Just now about 500 of those belonging to those clans roam Lanka's earth mainly the terrain of Raigam Korale, Ratnapura district, Keerawella Pattu, Matale and Medawala and Kekirawa Anuradhapura districts. Acknowledging here the main sources of the researching Doctor which are the writings of Chamika Munasinghe and Matugama Seneviruwan.

Hope runs eternal in the human breast. So it is natural that some or most members of the above dynasty lines keep their fingers crossed for a resuscitation of royalty in the island.

That would be tantamount to a process known as "Swimming against the tide"

The popularity of democratic rule has gained over monarchical rule in the past centuries. Many a king's and queen's neck has suffered on the scaffold or guillotine for the enthronement of democracy and the sacrifice was not in vain.