05/09/2025
Balapitiya Maha Kappina Walawwa
(බලපිටිය මහ කප්පිණ වලව්ව)
In Sri Lanka, if there is a place with the most number of mansions, it is believed to be in Balapitiya. More than thirty-five mansions are located within Balapitiya. When exploring the history of the mansions inhabited by noble families in Sri Lanka, prominent among the mansions in Balapitiya are the Brahmanawatta Walawwa, where Senpathi Don Cosmo Wijesekara, the leader who led the massacre of the Portuguese at Randeniwela in Uva, was born, and the Maha Kappina Walawwa, where nobles descending from the Brahmins who arrived at Sri Lanka in the 11th century lived.
Walawwa is a large resident of a village headman or a wealthy person signifying his importance in the village’s social structure. It usually consisted of a cluster of buildings connected by verandas. It often included a courtyard space which isolated the private life of the family from the headman’s numerous public life duties. Walawwa furniture would be simply built in timber and rattan (වේවැල්), without upholstering and the veranda space would be the primary area of habitation. Although Walawwa was originally associated with the home of the Radala (courtiers) who had been members of the royal court of Kandy, it was displaced by the colonial equivalents following the dissolution of their authority by the British. (Scriver & Prakash, 2007)
According to a copper plate inscription granted by King Vijayabahu I (1070-1110) to Periya Mudali Marikar, who lived in Gorakaduwa of Beruwala, it describes the grants given to him for bringing seven Salagama Brahmins from Saliyamangalam in India. The grant, given by the King on May 7th, 1088 CE, names the seven Brahmins who arrived at Beruwala as Nambudiri, Kappinai, Weerasingi, Weerakkodai, Idirimuni, Walimuni, and Edirisingi. The inscription further states that these seven were taken charge of by the great King, as His Majesty desired them. Therefore, they must be well cared for and prepared to be supplied with presents and land, without deficiency (De Silva, 2012). These Brahmins settled in and around Balapitiya to build their residences and businesses.
When the Portuguese arrived, the southern and western coasts were already supplying the best cinnamon and the Salagama Caste had become cinnamon planters. During the Portuguese era, many Salagamas adopted Portuguese names as their last names, such as de Silva (or Silva, Zylva), de Zoysa, Abrew, Thabrew, Mendis, etc.
Just before the town of Balapitiya lies the village of Welithara. Some meters before the 78th km post at Welithara, lies the Maha Kappina Walawwa Road. Right after crossing the railway track on this road, you would see a board directing you to “Maha Kappina Walawwa Seema Malaka Viharaya”. Traveling a further 300 meters following directions will bring you to this temple which is also the head office of the Amarapura Siri Saddhammawansa Nikaya. It is inside this temple premises that Maha Kappina Walawwa proudly stood for hundreds of years. The ancestors of this walawwa are said to be descendants of Brahmana Kappina, one of the seven Brahmins who came to Sri Lanka in the 11th century.
The oldest name of this lineage is “Kappina,” and the title “Rajapakse” was bestowed upon them by the English. Generations of lineages from Magaliyan, Ranhulu, and Haljothi had lived in this mansion, and the final generations to own this Walawwa were of the Kaluhath lineage. (De Silva, 2018)
During the time the Portuguese ruled Sri Lanka, the area from Puttalam to Kumbukkan Oya was divided into six divisions known as “totamunas.” Among these, the chiefs of totamunas of Welithara, Welisara and Kaluwamodara were nobles of the Kappina lineage and they held chief positions in the cinnamon plantation administration. During the Dutch era, the most prominent Mudaliyar of the Kappina lineage was the Mudaliyar of Governors Gate (Maha Mudali), Kaluhath Peter de Abrew Wijayagunaratne.
After his death in 1810, the position of the Mudaliyar of Governors Gate was passed on to his son, Mudaliyar Adrian de Abrew Wijayagunaratna Rajapakse. Assuming the position in 1811 at the age of forty-four, he holds the distinction of being the youngest Mudaliyar of Governors Gate in Sri Lankan history.
After his death at the age of fifty-seven in 1824, the position of the Mudaliyar of Governors Gate was taken over by his cousin, Galwehera Kaluhath Adrian de Abrew Wijayagunaratne Rajapakse (Junior) Mudaliyar.
It is said that the Kappina Walawwa came under the ownership of Kaluhath lineage following the marriage of Maha Mudaliyar Galwehera ' Kaluhath Adrian de Abrew Wijayagunaratne Rajapakse ' to Haljothi Caroline De Soysa Wijaya Siriwardhana. (De Silva, 2018)
The Colebrooke-Cameron reforms (1832-1835) significantly impacted Sri Lanka’s plantation landscape. The government sold off all its cinnamon and coconut plantations, including the famed Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo. These lands were largely acquired by a single family – the Rajapakses. In 1824, Maha Mudaliyar Adrian de Silva Rajapakse purchased most of the cinnamon and coconut plantations, with his son Samson, Mudaliyar of Governors Gate, overseeing their management (Rajapakse, 2023).
The Kappina Walawwa, which evolved through various architectural styles over different periods, was last renovated in the Dutch architectural style by Mudaliyar Adrian Rajapakse. (De Silva, 2018)
At the auspicious moment of laying the foundation stone for the mansion, a flapshell turtle (කිරි ඉබ්බා) emerged from the ground, astonishing everyone present. Although this incident during the foundation-laying ceremony initially worried the Mudaliyar, the astrologers present reassured him, explaining that this was a good omen, as the turtle, is considered the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu’s ten avatars. Elated by this explanation, the Mudaliyar decided to build the mansion around the path taken by the turtle, as recorded in folklore.
The mansion was constructed grandly and impressively, with a long verandah extending along three sides, supported by large, tall columns. The Kappina Walawwa had a central courtyard and included three living rooms, a large dining room, a sizable kitchen, and rooms designated for servants and workers. The dining room featured a thick, ornate ceiling over the dining table, with a rope extending outside. When a servant pulled this rope, it created a breeze, functioning like an electric fan, while the family dined. Elders still remember the large workforce employed for the upkeep of the mansion and its estate.
The Mudaliyar of Governors Gate Adrian Rajapakse‘s only son, the Mudaliyar of Governors Gate Samson Rajapakse, was born on December 30, 1830. It is said that he was given the name “Samson,” meaning “strong one.” Another story suggests that the name “Samson” was also chosen to honour an English captain who was a close friend of Adrian Rajapakse Mudaliyar.
In 1856, Samson Rajapakse married Lady Johana Dorathiya Ambaliya, the daughter of the Mudaliyar of the Lunupokuna Walawwa in Colombo. He had two children from this marriage and after his wife’s sudden death, he later married his cousin, Lady Caroline de Soysa Sri Wardhana (De Silva, 2018).
His son, Tudor Dedrick Nathaniel de Abrew Wijayagunaratne Wasala Mudaliyar, continued the service, and in 1956, he transferred the Maha Kappina Walawwa along with its religious buildings and land to the Saddhammawansa Nikaya. Tudor Rajapakse Mudaliyar’s wife, Violet Rajapakse, subsequently fulfilled these responsibilities (Colombage, 2022).
Maha Kappina Walawwa, was later used to shoot several films and teledramas such as Gamperaliya. Sadly this monumental mansion was destroyed due to lack of maintenance. However, post year 2000, this land was registered as a Buddhist Temple and a replica of Maha Kappina Walawwa was built with funds from the government. A Baddha Seem Malaka has been built on the Madu Ganga Lake with the help of the Sri Lankan Navy. It is also a fully functional Bhikku School today.
References :-
Colombage, D. (2022, April 16). අමරපුර සිරිසද්ධම්මවංස මහා නිකායේ මූලස්ථානය බලපිටිය මහා කප්පින වලව්ව මහා විහාරය. budusarana.lk. Retrieved July 5, 2024, from https://www.budusarana.lk/budusarana/2022/04/16/tmp.asp?ID=temp01
De Silva, H. (2018, December 8). සුද්දන්ටත් අණදුන් බළපිටියේ මහමුදලි. lankadeepa.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024, from https://www.lankadeepa.lk/Rasawitha/සුද්දන්ටත්-අණදුන්-බළපිටියේ මහමුදලි/57-541700
De Silva, N. (2012). Flags : Flag Traditions of Sri Lanka. Padmapani Publishers.
Rajapakse, N. (2023, January 26). A Forgotten Son of Lanka. Daily Mirror. Retrieved July 7, 2024, from https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/news-features/A-Forgotten-Son-of-Lanka/131-252950
Scriver, P., & Prakash, V. (2007). Colonial Modernities – Building, Dwelling and Architecture in British India and Ceylon. Taylor & Francis.
