Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="001flyD" data-source="post: 12293536" data-attributes="member: 311432">මෙන්න පුස් යාළුවේ මෙයාල ගැනත් අපේ ගොඩක් කට්ටිය දන්නෙ නැ Appuhamy Appuhamy,Appuhami (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhala_language" target="_blank">Sinhala</a>:අප්පුහාමි) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhala_language" target="_blank">Sinhala</a> term/name used in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka" target="_blank">Sri Lanka</a> (Ceylon) as a title of respect to persons of high caste and sons of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudaliyar" target="_blank">mudaliyars</a>.Equivalent terms for a wife of an Appuhamy are Hamine,Manike,or sometimes Kumarihamy. Kandyan Era (Feudal title) Those members of three families of the King’s men referred also as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlain_%28office%29" target="_blank">Chamberlains</a> who rendered their services in their capacity as Watchmen or Guardsmen (In-charge of) at Barrier of Royal Bed Chamber called Hathapenage,and those at The Royal Time Keepers Point barrier watchmen (or in-charge of) or guardsmen called Atapattu Murapola and then The Royal Gold Weaponry or Armory guardsmen (In-Charge of) called The Ran Avuda Mandapa, all of whom were allocated as a mark of Respect and a title of appreciation,the General appellation called Appuhamys respectively.It was in referring to them that the title called Dugaganna Rala or Dugaganna Nilame  was also applied to.Those officers were derived from families with  proven loyalty and sacrificial devotion to his Majesty and from those  traditional families commanding high respect and honour from the  countrymen.As these posts were starting points for other vital and  strategic posts in his Majesty's services,they were highly competitive  or contested.Although King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vira_Narendra_Sinha_of_Kandy" target="_blank">Veera Parakrama Narendra Singha</a>  contemplated that it suffices if these officers were made to serve his  Majesty every other month-like all other King’s officers-and that going  by shifts.But when the Appuhamys pointed out that,with this shifts  system,they too would fall into the same despicable level as the other  officers of the King,and consequently appealed to his Majesty-that they  be allowed to or grant them permission to-render their services to him  continually,and as and when they wanted releasment for personal reasons  they would make themselves absent,of course with prior approval from the  Throne.Just adhering to the literary meaning of the Sinhala word  Dugganna Rala,these King’s men were even alert to-never hesitated  to-sacrifice their own lives for the good of His Majesty The King.The  last Kandyan King,deserted by his own ministers and country men,and when  on his fleeing to Madha Mahanuwara,when taking rest at Gallahawatte <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammuladani" target="_blank">Arachchi</a>’s home,that Bed Chamber was guarded by a Hathapenage Appuhamy. In King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajadhi_Rajasinha_of_Kandy" target="_blank">Rajadhi Raja Singha</a>’s  time in his Hathapenage Murapola,there were 112 Appuhamys in  service.But at the time of the last King of the Sinhala people this  number was reduced to 48 only,In fact,they did their Guard duty at the  verandah of the Hathapenage .Of them 12 guards were holding a stabbing  implement named Illukkole.It was their custom to wear a mouth  guard (mask) when in Majesty’s service.This was a white cloths ribbon  about one inch in breadth.Earlier,this mouth guard was two inches in  breadth.In this garment the piece exactly covering the mouth was red  piece of cloth called Paccawadam,while the rest of the clothe was white.The Hathapanage Appuhamys served under officers named Muhandiram Nilame of the Maha Hathapenage,the secretary and Kankanama. Those Appuhamys serving at,At the Atapatthu Muarapola (Time Keepers Point),also called The Water Clock Gate,were known as Atapattu Appuhamys.Earlier  they were 50 to 60 in number but the last Sinhala King brought it down  to 48.Putting the Water Clock Plates in position and also to accompany  him when the King is roaming the country or doing Royal Tours,was their  duty.The Atapattu Maduwa was a building placed close to the Royal  Palace.Those serving here placed four Water Clock Plates in the pond and  to inform the time rang a bell.They had divided the daytime into parts  and the night into four Jamas or Phases. It was this way:- From dawn to the end of eighth Sinhala hour                         1st Phase From ninth Sinhala hour to end of fifteenth hour (mid day)   2nd Phase From Mid day to end of 7th hour                                         3rd Phase From 8th hour to end of 15th hour                                     4th Phase The night also was thus divided into 8-7-7-8 hourly four  phases.According to this the bell was rung  once,twice,thrice,4-8,6,5-1,times etc.Auspicious times for each function  was declared via this medium.During daytime more than three Appuhamys  did serve rarely.Half number from those who came for the night shift  slept while the rest did guarding duty. Earlier there were more than 100 Appuhamys (Guardsmen) in-charge of the  Royal Gold Weaponry or Armory but that number was brought down to 48 by  the last Sinhala King.They served under the charge of secretary of the  Royal Gold Weaponry or Armory,tended to keep a record of the weapons  available and they also got them repaired by the Smiths of his  Majesty.As and when the King did his outings and Royal tours,it was  their duty to accompany him carrying those equipments like the Mobile  Weaponry and the Golden Bow & Arrows.The Lacquer-craftsmen Archers  living in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matale" target="_blank">Matale</a> Hapuvida Village did supply lacquer-worked decorated handles for these items. Privileges conferred on the Appuhamys They can go past the Queens.They were not under the charge of the High Officers like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adigar" target="_blank">Adikaram</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissava" target="_blank">Dissawe</a>  etc.Without doing any sort of duty Appuhamys enjoyed rights and incomes  etc.of their granted lands fields etc.But all of them were bound to  perform bringing the Pingo of rice (Kath Hal) Rajakariya-the Duty to the Royals.At given times,they were exempted from this duty.Yet,in case this was not stated down in the Lekampotha  (the Secretarial Book),the exemption was only temporary.For each of  these Duggannarala,a village and a Man was allocated.The Village folk  did the cultivation work free,in his fields;they looked after his lands  and Repaired his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walauwa" target="_blank">Walauwa</a>-The stately Mansion.Also the villagers supplied to Kandy his monthly requirement of Rice,A month’s requirement was termed Barak (a weight),namely 60 Hundus (Hundu=4/1 measure).A hundu contained 8-at times 9 or 10 palm fulls. A King’s man called Agubalana Nilame (The Royal Taster),tested  the prepared Royal Victuals which were supplied to his Majesty's  consumption.This tasting was effected as a pre-testing as to whether the  victual were contaminated with any poison,Agubalana Nilame was also  considered as a Duggannarala. In the coastal areas the term Appuhamy was applied with a difference a.The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govigama" target="_blank">Govi Vamsa</a>  had two divisions called Highest strata known as Appuhamy and the  Secondary strata known as Saparamadu Appuhamys.That is in the words of  Baldius (LCS P 99). b.As a Surname-members of respectable High caste families such as  Yapa Appuhamilage,Epa Appuhamilage,Wijayasundra Appuhamilage etc. c.As a part of a personal name-Don Bastian Appuhamy,David de Silva Appuhamy,etc. can be quoted. In later periods,Prince Don John,who later became Don John Appuhamy prior to his winning the Kandyan Throne under the name of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimaladharmasuriya_I_of_Kandy" target="_blank">King Wimaladharmasuriya</a>,was renowned as above,That is according to Baldius. d.As an honorary title name-Persons of respectable families were  addressed as Appuhamys as a mark of respect.That is in extant even to  day. SOURCE <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appuhamy" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appuhamy</a> </blockquote>

Verification: Dawasata paya keeyak thibeda?

Top Bottom