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Udappu(Tamil UDAIPPU) is a traditional Tamil fishing village situated 65
miles and two hours north of Colombo.
The people of the village are Hindu Karawa of South Indian origin, whose culture and
lifestyle are altogether different from other people engaged in deep-sea
fishing living along the coast of Chilaw
District. It is situated few miles north of Chilaw city and the ancient
Munneswaram Hindu temple, one of the five ancient Siva Temples (Pancha
Eeswaram ofSri Lanka).
Hindu karava fisherfolk of Indian descent are believed to have settled
Udappuwa in the 17th century, having migrated from RAMESWARAM, TAMIL NADU, in
southern India.
According to local legend, the king there intended to marry the beautiful
daughter of a fisher family, but his reputation for cruelty made the girl`s
family reluctant to give her to him.
On the night before the planned wedding, the entire village abandoned their
homes and put out to sea in a fleet of seven boats. They made landfall on Sri Lanka at
Mannar, but it was at Udappuwa that they found fresh water just beneath the sand.
So they settled here and built temples for their gods and goddesses,
transplanting their traditional legends and rituals to their new home. Most
of the villagers still live by fishing and related occupations.
THE STORY OF UDAPPU THE MARAVAR SUITOR
In the Tamil month of Avani, which corresponds with the latter half of July
and the first part of August in the English calendar, is an eighteen day
festival which commences with the Divajarohanam (flag hoisting) and ending
with fire walking in front of the Draupadi Amman Temple, in the village of
Udappu.
The people of the village are Hindu Karawa, with a cultural life that is
altogether different from the rest of the people living along the coast in
the Chilaw District and engaged in deep-sea fishing. They take pride in
claiming descent from Kurukulather Chiefs of the Varnakulasuriya clan, who
came over from India
with their Makara flag and pearl umbrella, under circumstances caused by an
unfortunate romance.
Their king had a beautiful daughter, named Kamalakanni (Eyes like a lotus
flower in Tamil), who was sought after as a bride by the King of the Maravars
(Part of Thevar, the dominant caste in Tamil Nadu today). But this her father
would not agree to in view of the wild ways of the suitors people which have
given the Sinhala language the word `MARAVARAYA`, meaning a desperado.
Fear of the persistent and powerful lover Kamalakanni`s father finally agreed
to the marriage and he even built the nuptial halls and pandals as was
customary at that time.
But he fled with all his people and their belongings the night before the
wedding and the arrival of the would be bridegroom.
The angry man was made more angry when he found that instead of a bride
waiting for him there was a bitch left tied to the Arasanikal (Bridal Post)
and swore to avenge the humiliation and loss of honour he thus suffered.
The Karawe party landed at Mannar but came Down South to Kalpitiya and from
there to Puttalam, finally traveling through Mundel to settle down at Udappu,
some of them later shifted to villages nearby, such as Munneswaram, Gojjaragama and Mandanmunai.
DROWNED:
Hearing that the disappointed suitor was determined to claim his bride her
people drowned her, with her consent, so doing away with the prize he
intended coming for. The unfortunate lady was deified as the Kula Devata or
protector of her people and is remembered annually with an almsgiving where
she is represented by means of a pot of water.
History was repeated with a difference, when at a later date the Karawe Chief
Manika Talaivar sought the hand of the daughter of the Mukkuvar Chief, Veddi
Arasan and was refused.
This led to fighting between the two peoples concluding with the defeat of
the Karawe forces after a fierce battle fought on the plain between
Mangalaveli and Kattakaddu.
This is said to be one of the reasons for the communal flag and insignia
being removed to Mannampitiya near Pollonnaruwa, where the descendants of
those who went there with their Kuddimakal (personal attendants), such as the
washerman and barber, are still to be met and the flags still in evidence.
One flag has a white elephant as the centre motif and the other has an
elephant with the sun and the moon above and three fish below.
LEADERS:
People of this village have always been in the forefront of affairs in the
Chilaw District and served on the panel of trustees of the Munneswaram Temple,
which is probably the reason for the fish being prominently carved on the
roof of the beautiful stone Mandapam above the main shrine.
The victory by the Mukkuvars enabled them to establish themselves in the
Puttlam District and to obtain grants of land and office from King Tanavila
Bahu of Madampe and King Buvenake Bahu of Kotte.
A record available is the Sannasa (deed of gift) in which a Mukkuvar Chief
named Navaratne was gifted all the land between Kudremalai and Puttalam by
King Tanavila Bahu.
A council known as the Muramaddu and composed of eighteen Mukkuvar Chiefs
with a Dissawe presiding was appointed to manage the affairs of the people
and the area. The more sedate and business minded Muslims have bought up the
lands of the Mukkuvars and slowly but steadily gained control of the area
since then.
Mundai Lake which extends from Udappu up to
Puttalam, provides pleasant scenery along the stretch of road between Chilaw
and Puttalam, with coconut and palmyrah, palms, towering above scrub jungle
through which cattle and ponies are followed by asses.
Fishermen wading in it sink almost up to their knees to come out coated with
a blue mud that is rarely seen elsewhere and earned the Dutch soldiers the
nickname of Blue-Boots when they marched through.
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