Sri Lankan society

The social structure of Sri Lanka has clearly changed with the centuries and it is difficult to adequately discuss the topic in a single article. However, there are specific class names, castes, and categories that are helpful to define.

Much like other South Asian countries Sri Lanka has a complex caste system and as a result extensive caste discrimination, even though its constitution states that all men and women are equal. The history of the caste system in Sri Lanka is unclear since there is very little historical evidence and many research carried out into the subject have been criticized as been biased.

The Sinhalese and Tamil people who make up majority of the population have their own distinctive caste system and veneration of these also exist based on geographical lines.

The last native Kingdom of the island saw the caste system forming a social structure, since occupation was hereditary and such persons of a common occupation formed a unique social culture. The Kings of the kingdom descended from the immediate relatives of the former king, hence the Royals were limited to the Royal family, this meant that often Royal Princess were brought from South India. The aristocrats who carried out affairs of state were from the caste of Radala. Others in the kingdom belonged to different castes according to their occupation. Social mobility was impossible.

With onset of the colonial rule in the country different castes emerged with new occupation. However social mobility was present since the colonial rulers didn't impose hereditary occupations as was the case in the Kandy Kingdom. Therefore, it is identified that this is the point in which the caste began to be limited to a social culture rather than an occupational group. Newer castes originated at this point such as the powerful Mudaliyar class who loyally served their colonial masters.

By the late 19th century the upper class natives of Ceylon (called Ceylonese by the British) formed a second class group in their own land, serving their colonial masters. The finest example of this would be the famous second class and third class carriages use by the Ceylonese on the trains due to the first was reserved only for Europeans. This upper class of Ceylonese derived their wealth from land holdings that were passed down the generations and derived their power from severing in posts in the British colonial administration. At first these were limited to post special posts reserved for natives such as Rate Mahattaya in the central highlands and the Mudaliyars in the coastal areas, letter as new generation of these native chieftains grew up educated in the Christian missionary schools, public schools modeled after their English counterparts and at British Universities they were taken in to the Ceylon Civil Service, others took up places in the Legislative and later the State councils. Entering into this upper class were successful merchants who gained wealth in the lucrative mining industry of the time.

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Wikipedia