From Arabia to Thalduwa

by Jennifer Paladano

Wajya Waidyasekera Duwegoda Ranasinghe Mudiyanselage M. M. M. Irshad is an Ayurvedic

physician. What sets him apart, his impressive name notwithstanding, is the fact that he is a
descendant of the lineage of royal physicians who served King Rajasinghe 1 of Seethawaka.
Irshad belongs to the fourteenth generation.

How Irshad's ancestors came to Talduwa in Avissawella during the reign of Rajasinghe 1 is a
tale worth relating. The story goes that Rajasinghe's queen suffering from an incurable ailment
had been attended to by many renowned physicians without success. When Irshad's ancestor
arrived the king with a desire to test his competence had tied a thread to the foot of a table and
given it to the physician. He rightly recognised it as a lifeless nerve. Next the thread was tied to
the foot of a cat and yet again he identified it correctly. Thirdly the thread was tied to the queen's
hand and the physician recognised it as the nerve of a living being. The king taken up by his
cleverness assigned him the task of curing the queen. When the queen was cured completely, the
king as an act of tribute settled the Muslim physician and his family in Talduwa. Irshad claims
that almost half of Talduwa once belonged to their family. But today nearly after four centuries
have passed Muslims are spread all over Thalduwa. Although they are not closely related, Irshad
feels that they too must be descendants of his physician ancestor.

Even today one is bound to come across villages in Kandy and certain families in Avissawella
who are direct descendants of Muslim traders who served Sinhala kings. They still bear "ge"
names like Vedharalalage, Beth ge, Muhandiramralalage, Mudiyamselage, etc. These "ge" names
indicate the village they lived in or the position they held. With the end of the monarchy many of
them had to abandon their original occupations and opt for others. However there are still a few
descendants who continue with their traditional occupations. Descendants of Ayurvedic
physicians pass on their knowledge from father to son, and continue to treat patients according to
age old remedies.

The Muslim physicians of yester year opted to practise the Sinhala Ayurveda system under the
Buddhist monks. Although some practised the Middle Eastern "Yunani" system, most of them
gave it up in place of the local method.

Irshad claimed that all his ancestors even his father had studied under monks. He had studied for
three years in a temple. Most of their medicinal recipes are written on ola leaf in Sanskrit. They
are forced to learn Sanskrit to prepare the medicines. Irshad still possesses a number of ola leaf
writings in Sanskrit, Sinhala and Tamil. His ancestors specialised in curing skin diseases and
paralysis, and even today people arrive in their numbers from as far as Maldives to meet Irshad.

Irshad's story is symbolic of the rich and diverse cultural tapestry of social life in our little island.

When trail blazing travellers and enterprising Arab traders came to Sri Lanka thousands of years
ago, their pioneering spirit enriched our nation's history. Their advent paved the way for a once
secluded island to be exposed to a quantum of new experiences. Today a few Muslim
communities spread around the country symbolise this link with the past. These Muslims once
served the kings of Sri Lanka and to this day proudly maintain the royal titles bestowed on them.
Most of the Muslim traders impressed the monarchs of the past so much that the kings readily
settled them in Ô"nindagam" and engaged them in different royal departments.

According to historical records, although there were as contact with the Arabs in the early
Anuradhapura period, the real turning point occurred with the emergence of Islam in the seventh
century. At this juncture the Muslims were imbued with the spirit of entrepreneurship and a
desire to propagate their religion.

According to historian Dr. Lorna Dewaraja who has conducted extensive studies on the Muslims
of the Kandyan kingdom, Sri Lanka's location in the middle of the Indian ocean with
Mahathiththa, the great port of Mannar and Jambukola Pattanam of Jaffna connected through a
highway to Anuradhpura prompted traders to travel to the interior. Even today there are tomb
stones of some of these Muslims which bear witness to their travel.

Muslims also came to Sri Lanka as pilgrims. Just as Adam's Peak is important to Buddhists, so
was it to Muslims at one time. Some believed that Adam's foot print was at the top of the rock
while others thought that Adam's tomb was on the rock. Even the famous globe trotter Ibn Batuta
states that Adam's tomb on the rock attracted large numbers of Muslim pilgrims.

In the process of conducting trade the Arabs settled and integrated into the larger fabric of
society. They lived amicably with the other communities until the Portugese arrived. The
Portugese and the Arabs were political and trade rivals at that time, and hence the Portugese
were all out to persecute the Muslims and curb the spread of Islam.

The Muslims in turn took refuge in the Kandyan Kingdom. It was here that the Muslims were
'naturalised' and settled in different parts of the island. The men married Sinhala women and this
helped them easily integrate into the Sri Lankan culture. These settlements grew with women
and children becoming Muslims. Dr. Dewaraja stressed that the Kandyan King was tolerant
towards other religions.

The real integration of Muslims into the Sinhala social structure took place between the 16 and
18 centuries in the Kandyan region, while Rajasinghe 1 of the Seethawaka Kingdom donated
land to Muslims in the 16 century.

"They were integrated into the "badda" system of the kingdom. The king as the upholder of the
social system had the right to assign anything to even aliens or indigenous people. Different
people were assigned to the king's various departments. The newly settled Muslims were handed
the "Madige Badda" or the transport department." explained Dr. Dewaraja.

Ò Some say that the Muslims carrying memories of their Camel driven caravans substituted it
with a local "thavalama". This once trading community had close ties with the coast, which the
Sinhala monarchy lacked as the Portugese and later the Dutch held the monopoly. They bartered
arecanuts for salt and fish. They collected necessary articles from every harbour in the island.
The Kandyan King realising the advantages treated them kindly."

The Sinhalese have traditionally occupied the status of agriculturists. They were never clever at
trade. The monarch realising this as a drawback in exporting local resources, considered the
industrious and enterprising Muslims to be an appropriate substitute. There are even a few
recorded instances where Muslims were sent as envoys on special missions abroad. The Muslims
were well versed in Sinhala, Tamil and even Portugese. The Kandyan king usually selected very
loyal Muslims to be sent on missions to South India.

"When the Muslims fled from Portugese persecution and settled in areas of their choice, the king
readily welcomed them as agriculture had declined considerably and the importance of trade
came to the forefront."

A sign of religious tolerance is evident during this period for Muslims were allowed to live not
only in Nindagam but also in Viharagam, land belonging to the temple. According to Dr.
Dewaraja the Ridi Viharaya in Kurunegala owned the Rambukkandana village, where up to date
Muslims continue to live. The monks had generously given vihara land to build a mosque. Extra
land had been given in addition for a Muslim holy man to reside so that he could look after the
spiritual needs of the people.

In return for the land given to them, the Muslims cultivated their fields and carried the grain to
the royal granary. This was part of the tax they had to pay the monarchy for occupying royal
land.

"The services provided by the Muslims to the Temple was highlighted as a sign of religious
tolerance by a British Service Tenure Commissioner. This concept of peaceful co-existence is
unique in the annals of history. For we must view this in the background of the entire world
where blood was shed in the name of religion", said Dr. Dewaraja. It is important that the
Muslims came to Sri Lanka not as a conquering people and it is natural that the King to tolerated
them. They did not have traditional villages and were moreover flexible. They were involved in
the socio-economic-political fabric of the Kandyan kingdom.

Since the Muslims were in charge of transport there are still villages in Kandy bearing the name
"Madige Gama" where only Muslims live. Dr. Dewaraja pointed out that the Muslims socialised
with all segments of Sri Lankan society, but they would never compromise their religious beliefs
with anything. In fact the king allowed them to maintain their own laws and try their offenders
accordingly.

Dr. Dewaraja said that the Muslims not only served the king as physicians, but also as traders
,soldiers, lekams and Disavas. They were often given the title Madige Badda Disava and Madige
Badda Lekam.

The Muslims who carry their royal titles up to date are proud to retain a link with history.
Muslims with Sinhala "vasagam" are to be found all over the country. For instance Fr. Queyroz,
a Jesuit Historian complained that the king of Kandy had settled 4000 Muslims in Batticaloa
with land. He complained that the king was strengthening the enemies of the Portugese. Thus
similar Muslim communities are in existence not only in Kandy, but also in the South and
several other areas of Sri Lanka. These people have no intention of changing their "ge" names
because as in the past they have had no hindrance in practising their religion. After all what's in a
name.