Demala Hatpattu

Demala Hatpattu (Tamil Seven Regions) or Demala Pattu or Demala Pattuva was a medieval and pre colonial division of Sri Lanka. It was a regional political division formed by royal land grants. There were number of such Pattus across the country. Demela Hatpattu was named as such because at its time of creation, it was exclusively governed by Tamil hereditary chiefs. The land was granted to Chiefs of Kerala Tamil Mukkuvar chiefs initially, later on given to Karava chiefs migrated from Coromandel Coast for services rendered or as a result of conquest by Mukkuvas.^[1] (See Mukkuvar and Vannimai)

The Pattu consisted of the following subdivisions

Panditha Pattuva
Kirimettiya Pattuva
Karamba Pattuva
Periavelli Pattuva
Muneswaram Pattuva
Anevilundan Pattuva
Kumaravanni Pattuva
Rajavanni Pattuva^[2]

Of which Muneswaram Pattuva alone had approximately 63 inhabited villages. It was believed that Chiefs of Munneswarm Pattuva began the Munneswaram temple as a village guardian temple to Munisvaran around 1000 CE.^[3] Within the Mueswaram Pattuva, Maradankulama provided the political leadership for the area.^[4] Demala Hatpattu formed a large division within the current Puttalam District.^[5] During the British Colonial period Demala Hatpattu transferred between numbers of provinces. In 1873, when the North Central Province was created, Demala Hatpattu was detached from the North Western Province but in 1875, Demala Hatpattu was reattached to the North Western Province.^[6]

Notes

^ Bastin, pp.17 - 18
^ Chitty, p.86
^ Bastin, pp.20-22
^ Bastin, p.158
^ Samarasinghe, L.M. "Reminiscences of an Administrative Officer:Looking back". Daily News. Lake House Publishing House. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
^ Arudpragasam, Arular (18 August 2010). "The British demarcation of Tamil Homeland". Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2011.

References

Bastin, Rohan (December 2002). The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in Sri Lanka. Berghahn Books. ISBN 1-57181-252-0.
Chitty, Simon Casie (1834). The Ceylon gazetteer: containing an account of the districts of Ceylon. Gotta Church Mission. ISBN 1-57181-252-0.