Rodiya
Encyclopedia
Rodi or Rodiya are one of the widely reported untouchable social group or caste
amongst the Sinhalese people
of Sri Lanka
. Their status was very similar to all the Untouchable castes of India with segregated communities, ritualized begging, eating off the refuse of upper castes and refusal for the women and men to cover their upper bodies. Just like all debased lineages across India, they too claim one time Royal
ancestry.
But why as an untouchable versus the assimilation of many Veddas as Govigama
or the highest castes of the land? That question is also generally answered by the alleged cannibalistic past of the caste. Either the community itself indulged in cannibalism or were propitiating their deity Ratnavali
also known as Navaratna Valli with human sacrifice. Valli
is the name of the tribal consort of Hindu deity Murukan in South India
and Sri Lanka.
"Many times when the king (i.e. Rajasinghe II) cuts off great and noble men against whom he is highly incensed he will deliver their daughters and wives unto this sort of people reckoning it as they also account it to be far worse a punishment than any kind of death."
Some believe that the later Kandyan dynasty was ruled by Hindu Nayaka
royal family and the status off Rodi worsened during these years as the Nayaka dynasty imposed restrictions it has seen in South India
on similar groups of people. The fact is further corroborated by the name of their settlement. Which is called a Kuppam, a typical Tamil term for a settlement of lower castes in Tamil Nadu
.
Ratnavalli seems to have been a goddess worshipped in the north-central area of the island. Tradition has it that her abode was a telambu tree at Anuradhapura, and when the site was chosen for the construction of the magnificent Ruwanvali Dagoba in the 2nd century BC, the mastermind behind it, King Dutugemenu, is said to have offered sacrifices to appease the goddess. Indeed, the dagoba was apparently named after Ratnavalli, for ruwan and ratna have the same meaning - golden or precious.
If a Ratnavalli cult existed then the exile status and the stigma attached to the Rodi might be due to their membership of it. Buddhism
was going though a period of consolidation during Dutugemenu's reign, and a cult that involved human sacrifice would have been anathema to the Budhist population. However, the Rodi have not worshipped Ratnavalli for a considerable time, even though the women are still able to recite the invocatory verses to their former goddess. Nowadays, the Rodi are mostly Buddhist by faith and they insist that Ratnavalli was nothing more than a princess, the daughter of king Parakramabahu, and not a deity
.
, near Chilaw
, for the annual festival during July and August.
Seated in a row, they ritualistically spin their plates while reciting the invocatory verses to Ratnavalli, hoping that the devotees' hearts will melt towards them, Curiously, although the myth is generally learned by both sexes, the verses are almost exclusively handed down through the female line. The women would sing hymns in praise of their legendary ancestress Ratnavalli and spin brass plates while the men played a one-sided drum known as Bum-mendiya.
However, the value of such traditions is rapidly diminishing in Rodi eyes. In a more enlightened age, with a new social and economic order, many Rodi are rejecting their former status - although they risk losing with it many of the positive aspects of their past that afforded them a distinct group identity. Now many wish to assume a new identity, mostly as crafts-persons engaged in cane-work in which they have long excelled. These changes are not new but part of a process that began in 1815 with the capitulation of the Kandyan kingdom to the British, after which the social structure, including the occupational demarcations of the caste system, began to erode. Representing far less than one per cent of Sri Lanka's population, the Rodi today are poised for assimilation.
In former times, the Rodi in the Vanni regions were divided into 12 exogamous clans. Some of the clans are,
while those in other areas also had distinct clan identities. Certain persons are still devoted to particular services, In the Kandayn Kingdom known as Villi or Villi Durea. These Villi Dureas inhabit several large and important villages such as Maduve, Malie-Elle etc., whose services to the king under Kandyan Government consisted in the supply of venison to the palace.
The Rodi are found concentrated in the up-country areas of the former Kandyan kingdom especially in the central north western Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
amongst the Sinhalese people
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Their status was very similar to all the Untouchable castes of India with segregated communities, ritualized begging, eating off the refuse of upper castes and refusal for the women and men to cover their upper bodies. Just like all debased lineages across India, they too claim one time Royal
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
ancestry.
Origins
There is a great deal of mystery surrounding their origins and their former debased status. Many sociologists and anthropologists and even linguists have documented and commented on their status. The common theory is that at one time Rodiya were like the Veddas of Sri Lanka, hunting and gathering tribe that eventually came to survive on the margins of civilized society and got incorporated as a caste.But why as an untouchable versus the assimilation of many Veddas as Govigama
Govigama
Govi, Govigama, Goigama, Goygama, Goyigama, Goviyo is the most influential and the dominant Caste in Sri Lanka and certainly comes as the leading cast in the hierarchy of cast system in Sri Lanka.The term Govi denotes farmer.From time immemorial the Govigama have been the landlords and have been...
or the highest castes of the land? That question is also generally answered by the alleged cannibalistic past of the caste. Either the community itself indulged in cannibalism or were propitiating their deity Ratnavali
Ratnavali
Ratnavali is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha . It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text...
also known as Navaratna Valli with human sacrifice. Valli
Valli
Valli is a Goddess and the divine consort of the prominent Hindu God Murugan, according to Hindu mythology. She represents the "Ichha Shakti" , and Goddess Deivayanai depicts "Kriya Shakthi" , and the Vel embodies "Gnana Shakthi" .Valli in Tamil language means a creeper and is also used as a title...
is the name of the tribal consort of Hindu deity Murukan in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
and Sri Lanka.
Caste of the unwanted
According to Robert KnoxRobert Knox (sailor)
Robert Knox was an English sea captain in the service of the British East India Company. He was the son of another sea captain, also called Robert Knox....
"Many times when the king (i.e. Rajasinghe II) cuts off great and noble men against whom he is highly incensed he will deliver their daughters and wives unto this sort of people reckoning it as they also account it to be far worse a punishment than any kind of death."
Some believe that the later Kandyan dynasty was ruled by Hindu Nayaka
Nayak (ethnic group)
-History and origin:The word nayak means a head of a regiment. This word is derived from the Sanskrit senanayaka, which means head of a regiment. The community trace there descent from the Vaghela Rajputs who converted to Islam in the 12th Century. They established a number of petty states in...
royal family and the status off Rodi worsened during these years as the Nayaka dynasty imposed restrictions it has seen in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
on similar groups of people. The fact is further corroborated by the name of their settlement. Which is called a Kuppam, a typical Tamil term for a settlement of lower castes in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
A cannibalistic cult
As the anthropologist M. D. Raghavan pointed out in a 1950s' study, the references in these verses to the worship of Ratnavalli in a sacred grove of trees, her braided hair and frightening necklace of human skulls, together with the offering of human flesh, are all aspects associated with the cult of Kali. Significantly, the cult has its origin in the early forms of worship practiced by tribal groups in India.Ratnavalli seems to have been a goddess worshipped in the north-central area of the island. Tradition has it that her abode was a telambu tree at Anuradhapura, and when the site was chosen for the construction of the magnificent Ruwanvali Dagoba in the 2nd century BC, the mastermind behind it, King Dutugemenu, is said to have offered sacrifices to appease the goddess. Indeed, the dagoba was apparently named after Ratnavalli, for ruwan and ratna have the same meaning - golden or precious.
If a Ratnavalli cult existed then the exile status and the stigma attached to the Rodi might be due to their membership of it. Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
was going though a period of consolidation during Dutugemenu's reign, and a cult that involved human sacrifice would have been anathema to the Budhist population. However, the Rodi have not worshipped Ratnavalli for a considerable time, even though the women are still able to recite the invocatory verses to their former goddess. Nowadays, the Rodi are mostly Buddhist by faith and they insist that Ratnavalli was nothing more than a princess, the daughter of king Parakramabahu, and not a deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
.
Entertainers
During former times the Rodi entertained devotees attending many of the island's religious festivals. Even today, Rodi women travel from villages in the northwest province to the famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at MunneswaramMunneswaram
*Munneswaram temple - The Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva*Munneswaram - The village in which the Munneswaram temple is situated...
, near Chilaw
Chilaw
Chilaw is a western seaboard town on the island of Sri Lanka.It is a bustling town with a famous fishmarket and beach...
, for the annual festival during July and August.
Seated in a row, they ritualistically spin their plates while reciting the invocatory verses to Ratnavalli, hoping that the devotees' hearts will melt towards them, Curiously, although the myth is generally learned by both sexes, the verses are almost exclusively handed down through the female line. The women would sing hymns in praise of their legendary ancestress Ratnavalli and spin brass plates while the men played a one-sided drum known as Bum-mendiya.
However, the value of such traditions is rapidly diminishing in Rodi eyes. In a more enlightened age, with a new social and economic order, many Rodi are rejecting their former status - although they risk losing with it many of the positive aspects of their past that afforded them a distinct group identity. Now many wish to assume a new identity, mostly as crafts-persons engaged in cane-work in which they have long excelled. These changes are not new but part of a process that began in 1815 with the capitulation of the Kandyan kingdom to the British, after which the social structure, including the occupational demarcations of the caste system, began to erode. Representing far less than one per cent of Sri Lanka's population, the Rodi today are poised for assimilation.
Nation apart
In the past, the Rodi chieftain was known as Hula-valiya (torch-bearer), which Raghavan believes is 'a traditional institution from the days when the Rodiya was a tribe of hunters.' Today, the Rodi have lost their sense of clans.In former times, the Rodi in the Vanni regions were divided into 12 exogamous clans. Some of the clans are,
- Mahappola
- Vapolla
- Alpaga
while those in other areas also had distinct clan identities. Certain persons are still devoted to particular services, In the Kandayn Kingdom known as Villi or Villi Durea. These Villi Dureas inhabit several large and important villages such as Maduve, Malie-Elle etc., whose services to the king under Kandyan Government consisted in the supply of venison to the palace.
The Rodi are found concentrated in the up-country areas of the former Kandyan kingdom especially in the central north western Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.