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by Padma Edirisinghe

Wickremesinghe Mudali is a recurring character in both the Rajavaliya and Alagakkonnara Yuddaya that chronicle the Sinhala-Portuguese wars fought in the eve of the 16th century. Tikiri Kumaru Rajasinghe, known also as Degambada Sinhaya (the lion who fought on the two banks) due to his fierce struggle waged on the Kelani banks against the foe was ably supported by this Mudali.

Some traditions ascribe to him the paternity of Raigama Bandara, brother of King Mayadunne and father of the Lion king.

Anyway the fact remains that the Mudali hailed from Raigam Korale and after the laurels of war were won went back to live in Kotelawala, a village off Bandaragama in close proximity to the ruins of the ancient palace of Raigama on which an ancient temple, a Raja Maha Vihara, sprawls today. The area is now known at Pathahawatte and valuable treasures that only a palace can own are unearthed now and then from the vicinity. A golden giraya retrieved from a deep well in the premises was one such finding.

Coming back to Wickremesinghe Mudali it is natural that after such a brilliant military career that he become the foremost citizen of the village of Kotelawala. As in many a country it was customary in ancient and medieval Lanka for the foremost family to take on the name of the village or particular terrain they live in. This accounts for the genesis of names as Bulankulama, Ellepola, Ratwatte, Amunugama, Mahawelatenna. So the Wickremesinghe family eventually began to be known as the Kotelawala family, according to tradition.

The family earns no historical mention in the next two or three centuries when Dutch rule replaced the Ferenghi rule and the British rule followed. Inevitably during this period, as all other prominent low country families did there was no escape from alien influences leading the Kotelawalas to taking on names of Johannes. However the Christianisation of the Kotelawala family seems to have been very short-lived. Perhaps they became nominal Christians during Dutch rule and reverted to Buddhism very early.

The 20th Impressions of Ceylon (edited by A. Wright) mentions a Kotelawala who acted as an Atapattu Mudaliyar of Colombo around 1780, and it can be inferred that at this time the family had gone over to the Dutch Reformed Church for titular gains.

The more modern period of the Kotelawala saga begins with Don Manuel Kotelawala who lived in Undugoda, Bandaragama. One of his sons, D. A. Kotelawala had a number of children, one of whom fathered the John Kotelawala line. Another was Don Abraham Kotelawala who had 3 sons, one of whom, Johannes Kotelawala married into the Kannangara family of Bandaragama.

D. C. Kotelawala, the outcome of this alliance born in mid 1880s in Bandaragama was an adventurous youth who decided to migrate to a strange unopened area in the island to carve out a novel career for himself. The area was Uva and the career was transport.

Uva had been a hotbed of rebellion and was still suffering from the ravages of British military action. They had taken revenge from the area by completely neglecting it economic-wise, transport-wise and education-wise. Even the much flaunted train service stopped at Bandarawela. There was only one English medium school, i.e. the Uva Collegiate School put up by missionaries that was established to cater to children of British planters and officers. Education of the socially lesser kids was completely neglected.

It is a moot point whether D. C. Kotelawala decided to act as the saviour of Uva but he ended up so, a fact much unpublicised. He began his mission via the transport career, a very risky venture as the forest shrouded Uva was stalked not only by bandits and gang robbers but by wild beasts.

Motor transport was unheard of. Meanwhile goods were pouring into Colombo harbour from all parts of the world and the rail traffic distributed them to many parts of the Island. Only the route to Batticaloa via Ratnapura, Badulla and Bibile ran along footpaths of the forest.

It was into such a set-up that DC entered with youthful bravado leaving the comforts of the ancestral house at Kotelawala, foolhardy bravado, his adults would have commented. He first introduced a fleet of double bullock carts to carry goods through the jungle maze. Stopovers or bivouvacs gradually emerged to tend to the carters and beasts from which the modern towns in the area emerged. A fearless, strong and well-built man, DC himself had personally supervised the transport network often sleeping at wayside lodgings.

The success led him to introduce the horse drawn carriage to cater to well-to-do passengers. The area slowly opened up leading to the eclipse of the bandits and robbers. The title of Muhandiram was conferred on him and an ancient family of the area, the Wijekoons conquered him as a son-in-law. A stately house put up at Hindagoda off Badulla became the family residence. DC Now launched into the social and educational arena. He became the first President of the Badulla Dharmadutha Society, so necessary for the moral uplifting of the area. Not only the British but Colonel Olcott's BTS movement too had neglected Uva English education, a gap soon filled by DC who put up the Dharmadutha College for boys and Sujatha Vidyalaya for girls. He also patronised and resuscitated Pirivena education.

One of his sons, Henry went on to end up as Sir Henry Kotelawala and represented Uva in the Legislature and State Council for a record number of years. One of his sons, Jack Kotelawala too to politics and it was he who introduced the Leftist Movement to Uva. His cousin, Sir John Kotelawala, son of the famous John Kotelawala, Senior, moved on to Kandawala off Ratmalana generating Kotelawalapura, the industrial town of Ratmalana and the Kotelawala Defence Academy. Needless to say he joined the galaxy of Lanka's premiers too. His premiership role however never flagged his strong individuality, a die-hard characteristic of the Kotelawala cum Wickremesinghe line.

Among the more prominent Kotelawalas living today are Lalith Kotelawala, head of the Ceylinco Group of Companies responsible for a vast gamut of social service activity. He is the son of Mr. Justin Kotelawala and nephew of Sir John Kotelawala.

(The genealogical facts of this article have been supplied to the writer by Mrs. Christobel Weerasinghe, only daughter of Sir Henry Kotelawala and wife of late Oliver Weerasinghe, who ended his career as SL ambassador to USA).

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