| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | |
| Languages | |
| Sinhala language | |
| Religion | |
Predominantly:  Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sinhalese people, South Asian ethnic groups |
Walauwa or walawwa is the name given to a feudal/colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a native headmen. It also refers to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era.
The term walauwa is derived from the Tamil word valavu, which denotes a compound or garden, and by implication, a large house with aristocratic connotations.[citation needed] The pinnacle of walauwas in the Sinhala social stratum is the wasala walauwa. Wasala is derived from the Tamil vaasal, which means an entrance.[citation needed] In the Sinhalese social hierarchy, a wasala walawa would typically be the ancestral residence of a mudaliyar.
Walauwas vary in style, elegance and uniqueness depending upon the financial resources of the individual families and in the village or area's social structure. Most walauwas tend to incorporate aspects of traditional pre-colonial Ceylonese architecture, as well as Dutch and later colonial influences. A walauwa usually consisted of a cluster of buildings linked by verandahs, with an internal courtyard (medamidula), which separated the private life of the family from the headman's public duties.
The walauwa were traditionally associated with the homes of the courtiers (radala), members of the royal court in Kandy. It was displaced by their colonial equivalents following the dissolution of the Kingdom of Kandy by the British.[3][4]
Rambukkana, Sri Lanka
- ^ Knox, Robert (2004-12-13). An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-1846-7. OCLC 57236571. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Jayawickrama, Sarojini (1998). An historical relation of the Island Ceylon (Thesis). The University of Hong Kong Libraries. doi:10.5353/th_b3123864 (inactive 2024-04-12).
{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of April 2024 (link) - ^ "Sri Lanka - Decline Of The Sinhalese Kingdom". Countrystudies.us. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ Scriver, Peter; Prakash, Vikramaditya (2007). Colonial Modernities: Building, Dwelling and Architecture in British India and Ceylon. Routledge. pp. 206–207. ISBN 9781134150267.