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INTRODUCTION

The encounter between different social formations is one of the most fas- cinating aspects of human history. It has sparked the curiosity of histori- ans and widened their imagination. Historians have provided many examples of these encounters.1 Perhaps the most significant may be those between Europeans and the peoples of Asia, Africa, and America, starting in the last decade of the fifteenth century. The possession of guns and par- ticularly cannon, naval power, advanced knowledge of geography, map- making and navigation, aggressive enthusiasm for disseminating Christianity and, above all, the commercial interest in obtaining lucrative commodities for the European market at cheaper prices introduced Europeans into the social structures of these Asian, African, and American social formations. As this process of European expansion integrated itself with capitalism, arguably the most dynamic and all-encompassing eco- nomic phenomenon in human history, it became an indispensable part of society in these parts of the world.2 This study attempts to reconstruct some aspects of an early stage of this encounter in a part of the small island of Sri Lanka in the mid-eighteenth century, by which time it had been exposed to two colonial powers, the Portuguese and the Dutch. Its primary focus is the peasant social forma- tion in the western maritime possessions of the Dutch United East India Company (VOC). The historical setting is the encounter between the Company and two major historical actors on the local scene: the peasant- cultivators and the indigenous chiefs. It investigates how these groups responded to the Dutch intervention, and the significant changes they underwent as they adapted to change. The regional focus of the study is, however, somewhat narrower than the entire region in which the historical forces under investigation were at work during this period (Map 2). The entire region covers the southern and western maritime possessions of the VOC in Sri Lanka (Map 1). Administratively, it consisted of the Colombo Dis¯avany, administered by the Dis¯ava of Colombo stationed in Hulftsdorp, just outside Colombo Fort. The southern districts came under the Commandment of Galle, which also included Matara, administered by the Dis¯ava of Matara, the fort cities of Colombo and Galle, and some other pockets such as Colombo’s Vier Gravatten (Four Gravets). Negombo District and Kalutara District had separate administrative arrangements. Several physical characteristics gave significant homogeneity to the region. A relatively high degree of annual rainfall throughout the year, the 4 INTRODUCTION soil conditions, and geographical features made the region a single ecolog- ical zone. The average annual rainfall was in excess of 100 inches.3 There are generally uniform soil conditions throughout the region, with some exceptions which will be mentioned below. Another geographical feature of the region ‘is a series of low ridges running in a north-south direction more or less parallel to the coast and increasing in height the further their distance from the coast. The rivers flowing into the sea from the central highlands cut across these ridges.’4 Some areas of the region, however, do not fully match this general description. The coastal belt has its own geographic character which was quite significant in terms of social, economic, and political developments, as we shall see in the following chapters. Some areas of the Matara Dis¯avany belonging to present-day Hambantota District are also excep- tional. Ecologically this area belongs to the so-called dry zone. This study, however, does not cover this entire socio-historical region- al unit. While arguing that major historical developments of the time more or less affected the entire region, it focuses mainly on four regional divisions of the Colombo Dis¯avany: Salpity K¯orale, Hina K¯orale, Alut- kuru K¯orale, and Hewagam K¯orale.5 There is a special reason for this focus. This particular region, consisting of present-day Colombo and Gampaha Districts, has been of great significance in the recent history of Sri Lanka. It became the main hinterland of the growing Colombo metropolis. It also became the breeding ground for a number of the major ruling families which dominated Sri Lanka’s political scene in the twen- tieth century. But the attention that this region has received from researchers is gravely inadequate and it has not yet sparked the curiosity of historians, sociologists, and anthropologists interested in matters relat- ing to the colonial impact. The main temporal focus of the study is the mid-eighteenth century, particularly the time of the new tombo (land register) compilation, which is our chief source of information. Nevertheless, the latter part of the eighteenth century will be given due attention, as will certain develop- ments—and data—of the preceding decades.

Historical setting

Although European intervention is the predominant historical force that shaped Sri Lanka in the last five centuries, several other factors also had a decisive impact. After the thirteenth century, we see a fascinating demo- graphic configuration brought about by the convergence of several move- ments of people. These involved both the island as well as the southern part of the Indian mainland. Two major movements of people have so far