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Govi, Govigama is the largest and the most influential caste in Sri Lanka. The term Govi denotes (paddy) farmer, deriving from the root word 'goyam', meaning paddy plant.〔(15th century Janawamsaya on caste )〕 From time immemorial the Govigama have been responsible for the cultivation of the lands (along with Bathgama) of the island country in accordance with the traditional Rajakariya system (Sri Lanka’s Tenurial system of land holding). However, 'Govigama' is a Dutch period creation as traditionally there was only 'Govi. Traditionally all land was owned by the king and the rajakriya system meant you were duty bound to work the land.〔(An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies by Robert Knox, p. 122 )〕 Private land ownership by ordinary folk came about only after European colonization (). Sri Lanka has like most other countries traditionally been an agrarian civilization for 2500 years and hence the relationship between cultivator, land-owner and feudal authority is understandable. Cultivation common to most human societies was so important to the sustainability of kingdoms, that the kings even built reservoirs in villages throughout Sri Lanka. The specialist craftsmen/builder caste known as Navandana(Viswa bramin), soldiers and slaves had played a crucial role in the construction of these ancient dams and Stupas. Another definition for govigama is that it was the cast that provided the kings with the officer cadre, that's why almost all Kandyan govigama families have mudiyanse name, meaning officer, like herath mudiyansalage tikiri bandara. ==History== The traditional occupation of this caste is paddy cultivation, and they were the tenant farmers in the Sri Lankan feudal system. It is considered as a caste〔(Sri Lankan Caste System )〕 in what is now sinhalese society.〔(Castes & Tribes at the time of Sanghamitta (Populations of the Saarc Countries: Bio-Cultural Perspectives By Jayanta Sarkar, G. C. Ghosh, p.73) )〕 The Sinhalese caste system was based on the service to the king or 'raja kariya',〔 and land ownership. King literally owned all the lands in the island and govigama people cultivated these lands at the behest of the king. The contribution to rice production and service in royal service gave govigama people an important role in the ancient agrarian society. Kings are said to participate in harvesting festivals held end of each Yala (dry) and Maha (wet) season and there is a traditional saying:"Once cleaned the mud (from paddy cultivation) off, a farmer can be a king" is of recent time. Kings participated in all festvals of the land, but to drag the king to the mud is highly disrespectful. The traditional saying common in feudal times was; ''hene kumbure weda'' (the burden of work / hardship of life & limitations imposed on their dwellings)〔(The Adaptable Peasant, by Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, p. 246 )〕() Only in the present era, it has been the norm that the head of the country is a Govi caste member, though President Premadasa was not.〔(Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka )〕〔(THE ROYAL EMBLEM OF ANCIENT SINHALA KINGS )〕〔(Ksatriya Royalty in Sri Lanka )〕〔(KOTTE KINGS to VIMALADHARMASURYA )〕 Some Anglican Govi that turned Buddhist in the past century popularized the myth that the colonial occupiers, including the Portuguese, Dutch and British, tried to change Govi dominance by giving prominence to other castes by granting government posts and education under them. Yet the evidence points other wise and the post monarch colonial era saw the rise of the ordinary/majority caste populace〔(Nilaperumal Kalukapuge )〕〔(Don Bartholomews Senanayake )〕 The Dutch and the British introduced the ideas of Republicanism Many members of the Govigama community are still farmers in villages throughout Sri Lanka. However, some farmers other than rice farmers are not considered to be govigama. A good example is the caste Salagama. Bathgama farmers are apparently a 'lesser' brand of rice farmer. The Govi women are also made to do the awful back-breaking harvest work. An important characteristic in Sinhalese caste system is that the family name or the surname details the ancestry of the name bearer. The original name was given based on where one lived. As some castes of southern India do. Later honorary terms, granted by the king based on his/her service to the kingdom at a certain rank in the royal service or at a personal capacity, were added to the original name. This continued for generations resulting in very long names. In general, 'Mudiyanselage', 'Appuhamilage' among up country people, and 'Arachchilage' among low country people, considered names taken up by Govigama and others to improve their social standing. The ranking in the service of the kingdom introduced further categorization within govigama people based on their names. Yet some variations are found at present due to the changes during the colonial perios. Historic literature and inscriptional evidence from the feudal period show that the above hierarchy prevailed throughout the feudal period until the collapse of Sri Lankan kingdoms and social structure under the onslaught of European colonialism. However, even in the modernday, Sinhalese people look at surnames and ancestry when it comes to marriages. In traditional Sinhalese society Buddhist monks are placed at the top; in fact, monks were considered not to be a part of the laymen society. Irrespective of the birth caste of a monk, even the king had to worship him. However, this led to some Buddhist sects in Sri Lanka allowing only Govigama people to join, contrary to Lord Buddha's instructions. Other castes such as Karava, Durava, Salagama and Wahumpura have their own Buddhist sects, but they do not impose any restrictions based on caste creed or race, upon anyone who wishes to join. These practices imposed by the govigama only sect against the wishes of the Buddha had brought a negative reputation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, especially when the largest Buddhist converts today are the Indian Dalit community, a practice that had also been common in the history of Buddhism. Though largely overlooked, the Govi caste too have incoperated south Indian migrants throughout history till recent times.〔〔(''J.R. Jayawardena family'' History of the Colombo Chetties, edited and compiled by Deshabandu Reggie Candappa, Reviewed by Anne Abayasekara (Sunday Times, 08.07.2001) )〕〔( Buddhism Betrayed?: Religion, Politics, and Violence in Sri Lanka By Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, p. 152-3 )〕〔(A SHORT HISTORY OF LANKA by Humphry William Codrington, CHAPTER I; THE BEGINNINGS 'The princess and her retinue/dowry (service castes)' )〕〔( 'Pandyan retinue of Prince Vijaya': Sea: Our Saviour By K. Sridharan, p.19 )〕〔(Pre-Vijayan Agriculture in Sri Lanka, by Prof. T. W. Wikramanayake )〕〔(Genetic affinities of Sri Lankan populations, by Kshatriya G.K. (1995) )〕〔(Mitochondrial DNA history of Sri Lankan ethnic people: their relations within the island and with the Indian subcontinental populations, L Ranaweera, et al; Journal of Human Genetics (2014) )〕 As for name and religious conversions, Govi families too became Christian and had Portuguese/Christian names (some strangely adopted during British/Dutch times) such as Don Davith (Rajapaksas)()(), Barthlamew (Senanayakes)(), Ridgeway Dias (Nilaperumal/Bandaranaykes)(), Arnolis Dep (Wijewardane), de Sarem, de Alwis, etc. It is also why all elite Lankans of the British period be it farmer or other wise had English first names. The above is a classic indication of how recent history has been misrepresented by the aspiring classes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「govigama」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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