Book review:
Tracing families
Title: Atapattu Walawwa
Residence of Gooneratne and Dias Abeysinghe
Families of Galle
Author: Janaka Goonetileke
Atapattu Walawwa Residence of Gooneratne and Dias Abeysinghe Families
of Galle is a richly illustrated antiquarians miscellany on one of Sri
Lanka’s well preserved treasure trove walawwa’s – an ancient manor house
– found in Galle the Capital of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka.
Janaka Goonetileke, a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in
Britain, with his marriage to Dharshani Dias Abeysinghe the sole heir to
the Atapattu Walawwa – the ancient manor house, which has survived in
the family for well nigh 23 decades, has gone in search of his wife’s
roots and have documented same for posterity. The book states that the
other contributors of this work are Senaka Bandaranayake and Susil
Sirivardana.
I read and re-read this fascinating book what amazes me as a Gallean
is the designing part accredited to Albert Dharmasiri, the magnificent
photographs of Malaka Weligodapola, special portfolio of drawings
executed by Thushara Illeperuma and the two drawings of Babara Sansoni
from her Vihara and Verandahs. Atapattu Walawwa contains 172 pages of
pure bliss, with each page evoking the contributors affection for this
unique manor house.
You cannot open this book without wanting to go there. Just after the
book launch at the Barefoot Gallery, Bambalapitiya on July 3 at 6.00 pm,
the following Saturday morning it whetted my curiosity to be in Galle to
visit Atapattu Walawwa to find out the indeciphered date inscription
bearing 1742 that is found at the entrance of the floor of this edifice
which was embedded in my memory. Apparently it is a later inscribed
inscription.
There are several salient features found in the contents to this book
entitled Atapattu Walawwa sub titled Residence of Gooneratne and Dias
Abeysinghe families. They are namely: a Protected monument, The setting,
Architecture, Stage of Construction, Technology, Garden and Courtyards,
Furniture, Daily life, Social Background, Edmund Rowland Gooneratne A
Biographical sketch, The Gooneratne Mudalindarama, The Cemetery and the
selected writings of E R Gooneratne.
The most remarkable salutary feature found in the book is the
biographical sketch (from page 136 to 161) of that foremost erudite
oriental scholar Edmund Rowland Gooneratne the 19th-20th century diarist
of par excellence, who bestrode like a mighty colossus in the Sri Lankan
nationalist Buddhist renaissance and carved niche in the annals of
national resurgence in the country. The book contains a rare photograph
of the Sri Maha Bodhiya of Anuradhapura dated 1917.
From the word Atapattu a term used in feudal administration the title
of the book – it appears that it is a misnomer. Atapattu though there is
a family name in existence has no connection with the Sinhala word ATA
(eight). There are no eight pattus in Galle. This is the holder of the
post of chieftain or Mudaliyar in the officialdom or Mudaliyardom who
was in close proximity to the Governor. The other part of the title of
the book is Walawwa. According to the Sinhala Dictionary it is derived
from the Tamil word “walauw” which denotes that it is the residence of
an aristocrat.
What I have learnt that, when learnt on Galle, that there were de
facto Walawwa’s and de jure Walawwa’s. The Atapattu Walawwa is a de jure
walawwa. The family has held it by virtue of their office for several
generations.
At page 8-9 of this book refers to China Koratuwa (Chinese Quarter)
more commonly known as China Gardens or Cheena Koratuwa. This is the
place where in 1810 the British got down the Chinese to cultivate their
vegetables. The Sinhalese word Koratuwa denotes the place where they
cultivate vegetables. The other shortcoming found in the book vide at
page 9 is that: “the ‘China Koratuwa’ the Chinese quarter probably
recalling a time before the Dutch intervention disrupted the intra-Asian
trading networks”. Also please refer to pages 18-20 of Gaalu Ithihasaya
(History of Galle) by E V G William 1967 which also supports this
position. Somasiri Devendra has erred in his article titled: Trilingual
Inscription of Galle that Cheng Ho’s visit in 1409 is connected with
China Gardens or Cheena Koratuwa of Galle.
At page nine in paragraph 2 parenthetically the book states that:
“(Valuvatta – the land of Walawwas today a municipal ward of that
name).” The municipal ward system was repealed abolished in 1976.
Walauwawatta was never a municipal ward of the 15 municipal wards that
prevailed in the Galle Municipal Council. The ward No. 2 was China
Gardens and the ward No. 3 was Bazaar (Kadaveediya) to which the area of
Walauwwatta belonged.
According to old deeds and plans “Kekiribokkawatta” in China Gardens
where the Mahagala walauwwa (vide page 11 of the book) is situated is
the place where the Chinese grew the Sinhalese vegetable kekiri. This
book Atapattu Walawwa (vide: page 11) bears ample testimony to the fact
that there had been seven walauwwas in the vicinity of the Walauwwa,
that the list of Walauwwas in Sri Lanka ( Sri Lankave Walauw Namawaliya)
written by Dr. Mirando Obeysekera is a haphazard incomplete work not
only pertaining to Galle but on the Waluwwas of Sri Lanka.
Once E.V.G. William told me that the Atapattu Walauwwa originally
owned a large extent of land that went up to Minuwangoda junction where
the tortoise shell shops in this junction drew income to the Walauwwa.
It would have been a worthwhile study to go into the adjacent regional
Survey General’s maps and plans on the area for the study to the extent
of land originally owned by the Atapattu Walauwwa.
My indefatigable, passionately curious study on Galle has found the
least references on Atapattu Walauwwa the ancient manor house in books
on Galle. The details are abound on Goonaratne and Dias Abeysinghe
families in the All Saint’s Church records (Church minutes, Baptism
registers, Marriage registers and the Burial registers) which
substaintiates their allegiance to the Anglican Church and the British
rulers. All Saint’s Church Fort Galle has had a vicar named Felix Dias
Abeysinghe (1965-1975) Vernon Dias Abeysinghe (vide page 124) was also a
warden of the Church. The rebel of the family of Mudaliyar Edmund
Rowland.
Gooneratne “Gentleman – Scholar of the Sri Lankan Renaissance” his
fight against the system it appears that the British rulers have shown a
sense of antipathy towards the family by not appointing any one
thereafter for the said appointment.
Furthermore, the History of Methodist Church in Ceylon edited by Rev.
W.J.T. Small 1964 records the First Methodist School was found at the
upper storey of the Atapattu Walauwwa. This is another point to the fact
that the Walauwwa had a pride of place for liberal thinking. It was the
family Gooneratne who was instrumental in establishing the Batemulla
Sinhalese mixed school in Imaduwa which was later taken over by the
Government in 1957.
However, the remains interred in the vault of the Dutch Reformed
Church of Fort Galle of “Don David De Alvis Attepattoe Modiliar of
Galle” whose tombstone is paved on the floor of the Church who departed
this life 5th October 1817 aged 43 years, 3 months and 17 days’ is
cogent evidence to the fact that the post of Atapattu Mudaliyar did not
remain with Gooneratne and Dias Abeysinghe families. J.P. Lewis in his
monumental work, ‘List of Tombstones and Memorials’ does not record this
tombstone. Furthermore, E.R. Gooneratne’s genealogy does not establish
that the Atapattu Mudaliyar De Alvis belongs to their family. His tenure
of Office it appears that it was only for 5 years after Don Bastian.
All these evidence establish beyond doubt that the name Atapattu
Walauwwa emerged as a manor house after the Atapattu Mudaliyar title was
invested in Don Bastian Jayatilleke Gooneratne (1758-1812). This
provides some credence to the legend that is recorded by Janaka
Goonetileke on the origin of the Atapattu Walauwwa.
The chapter that deals on furniture found from pages 109-116 of the
book should have been written with the perusal of two authoritative
works on the subject. Viz: Dutch Furniture – R.L. Brohier and European
Furniture – Joseph Pearson J.R.A.S. (CB) article. None of the
photographs depict furniture in a bedroom of the era. The timber should
have been identified with the botanical names.
The contributors have extensively used Sinhalese words in their
contributions in the book. Had these Sinhalese words were identified
with diacritical marks it would have been convenient in the interest of
the readers. Arnold Wright, the editor of the Lloyd’s Press, in his
prestigious monumental record. “Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon”
published by the Lloyd’s Great Britain company in 1907, sheds more light
on the Atapattu Walauwwa.
Mudaliyar E.R. Goneratne in this account (at page 754 -755) recounts
that the Atapattu Walauwwa was built by his grandfather which
substantiates the position maintained by Janaka Goonetileke. The
photographs of the fascade of the Walauwwa in the era depicts that it
still remains in its pristine glory (figure 1) The others that portray
in the book from this manor house are Arthur Alfred Dias Abeysinghe (at
page 764) Eugene Godfred Dias
Abeysinghe (at page 758-759) together with a photograph of Maha
Mudaliyar Nicholas Dias Abeysinghe (Figure 2) and Abraham Dias
Abeysinghe (at page 768), whose wedding photograph with Eva Tagora
Gooneratne is amongst the few rare Sinhala Govigama elitists prominent
ceremonies celebrated in 1903 in Galle is published in the rare opus,
Janaka Goonetileke’s Atapattu Walawwa.
The other only known elitist Karawa wedding ceremony recorded from
Galle is provided by Norah Roberts in her compendium entitled Galle as
quiet asleep. (at page 404) where that affluent aristocrat Charles Henry
Soysa’s son, Arthur Soysa’s betrothal to Regina Perera Abeywardena of
Closenberg fame held at the All Saint’s Church Galle which was reported
in “London Daily Graphic” on 2nd March 1899. They were indeed landmarks
in the heydays of Galle.
The Atapattu Walauwwa has withstood the vagaries of time. It is a
unique architectural legacy gifted to posterity. The families of
Gooneratne and Dias Abeysinghe should be commended for their unremitting
perseverance and the exemplary conduct to preserve this manor house for
the future generation. Janaka and his wife Dharshani who continues the
family tradition deserves from the Sri Lankans and the Galleans a
special word of appreciation for bestowing this monumental saga,
undoubtedly a veritable mine of information on Galle. Goonetileke’s
Atapattu Walawwa is a kind of enthusiast’s guide’ to the unique Sri
Lankan real estate in the by-gone era.
- Hemantha Situge
[email protected]
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