histoy G-10 E

thought about the villages as ‘our village (the
village where they live)’, neighbouring village
(adjoining village) and the outside villages (the
villages existed far away). The one, who acted
representing each village in the affairs between
villages such as marriages, exchanging goods, as
well as solving problems, was named as Gramika.
Its meaning is the chief of the village.

A chief, to represent a village, was selected
among the householders. In the selection, the
priority may have been given to the wealth and
the possessions of the householders. The Jathaka-
Attakathawa tells us a story of borrowing a bag of
paddy by a poor man, who lived in an ancient
village, from the Gamika in the same village
on the promise that he would return it on the
following season. It reveals that Gamikas were
rich enough even to help others.

To control a group properly, the person who
has won the common trust of that group should
provide the leadership to it. Our ancient villagers
had acted to appoint the richest and the most
powerful person as the chief of the village in the

Map. 3.1. The tanks in the villages were connected
through canals in order to widen the use of small tanks
which obtained rain water. The word ‘prolapsed-tanks’ is
used to introduce that kind of a tank-system. The people
in the dry zone of Sri Lanka use the word ‘Ellangawa’ to
name it. This map shows that kind of a ‘prolapsed tank
existed in Hambantota district.

agreement of the householders instead of

taking decisions by all the householders in the

village getting together. Buddhagosha Thero

has mentioned in Samantha Pasadika that the

Gamika was one who was appointed among the

householders themselves.

Providing leadership to the common activities in

the village was especially important among the

tasks done by the Gamikas. Maintaining the tank

of the village and distribution of water from it

was prominent among his tasks. It is clear that a

ruling power was built around him as a result of

solving problems in villages, giving leadership to

the activities and the wealth he possessed.

As the chiefs of those villages acted mutually

with each other, they were able to maintain the

peace and the co-existence between the villages.

An evidence to prove this was discovered in a

cave in the area called Korawkgala belonging

to the ancient Buddhist temple situated in

Sithulpawwa in Hambanthota district. Three

people had participated in cleaning that cave and

offering it to the Bhikkus; they were Gamika Siva,

Gamika Sumana, and Gamika Thidana. These

three people must have been the chiefs of the

neighbouring villages adjacent to Sithulpawwa.

The origin of such chiefs of villages was a decisive

milestone in developing the political power of

this country.

The Parumakas

We mentioned earlier that a group of chieftains

called Parumakas was important regarding the

development of the political power in the society

of this country in the ancient time. Here, it is

important to find how such kind of a class of

chieftains emerged and how power was claimed

by them.

The notion of all the scholars, who have studied

about this fact, is that there was a relationship

between the emergence of the chieftains and the

maintenance of ancient tanks. Certainly, how