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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



The gold and silversmiths, including painters and workers 

 in ivory and brass, but not the brassfounders, are known as 

 Gamladdo or Galladdo * and hold the first rank. The name 

 is to be explained by the large extent of lands held by these 

 people on grants from the King. For lands held the silver- 

 smiths had to furnish the royal stores with silver chunam 

 boxes and gilt and silver rings, while the blacksmiths 

 provided arecanut cutters, billhooks, and coconut scrapers. 

 All were bound to work for the King, when required, without 

 compensation, with the exception of the carpenters and stone 

 cutters, who were allowed provisions. 



The men of the caste are entitled to wear the cloth below 

 the knees, and the women the ohoriya (cloth thrown over one 

 shoulder) but separate from the regular cloth. 



Certain names are peculiar to the caste, e.g., Abharana, 

 Sonandare, Jiwan, Dewendra, Jiwendra, Vijendra, and 

 Hittara. In the Uda-rata, Muhandirama is frequently met 

 with. Other names are common to the smiths and other 

 Nay ides. Among the families of Indian descent in the sixteenth 

 and seventeenth centuries Tamil names occur mixed with 

 Sinhalese, e.g., Ponnaide. 



The women of the caste are styled Ndchchire or Ndchchille, 

 and by inferiors Eland. 



The goldsmiths alone of Kandyans, other than Vellalas, 

 held slaves, but these, though not of a superior caste to their 

 masters, were very impatient of their thraldom to them.f 



In the Uda-rata the principal smith families are descended 

 from Pandiyan and other Indian craftsmen settled in Ceylon 

 by the kings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It may 

 be noticed here that the sannas of Bhuvaneka Bahu V., 

 Parakrama Bahu VI., and Vijaya Bahu VII. show unmistak- 

 able signs of Dra vidian influence. 



* Gamladdd (so written in the Lekammitiya of Three Korales) are 

 holders of land, gallat wasama or gallat gama , the tenure of which 

 resembles that of a nindagama, and are not necessarily Nawandanno. 

 There were also Galladdo of the Kiiruwa. Gallat gam still exist in the 

 Three Korales. 



t D'Oyly. 



