Saram Mudali Walawwa (Sinhala: සරම්මුදලි වලව්ව) is an old manor house situated on the premises of Rahula College in Matara District, Sri Lanka.
History
This Walawwa was constructed by Mudaliyar David de Seram Wijayasekara Jayatilakaratne, popularly known as Saram Mudali during the latter part of the 18th century A.D. (Abeyawardana, 2004; Wikramaratne, 2015). He was the son of Dumingu de Seram Wijesekera Abhayaratne Gardige and the Dutch assigned Mudali of the Matara Gaṃgābadapattu and Batgam areas since 1760 for about 50 years (Rathanasara & Gamage, 2023). He was married to the daughter of Don Abraham Illangakoon Mudali of the Illangakoon Walauwa in Matara (Rathanasara & Gamage, 2023). He is also known for conducting a special Buddhist religious festival named Gaṃgārohaṇa Pūjā which was held in association with certain places in Matara such as Nilwala Ganga River, Hiththetiya Rajamaha Viharaya, Godapitiya Jethavanaramaya, and Saram Mudali's Walauwa (Rathanasara & Gamage, 2023).
Saram Mudali Walawwa was constructed in a grandiose style that was fashionable during the 18th century (Rathanasara & Gamage, 2023). In 1923, the ownership of the building was transferred to C.A. Odiris De Silva, the former Manager of Rahula College (Abeyawardana, 2004). In 1939, Silva donated this precious property to house Rahula College (Abeyawardana, 2004).
Presently, the building is a property of Rahula College and they use a part of that as a boarding house for the students (Abeyawardana, 2004; Wikramaratne, 2015). A small museum has also been established in another part of the building (Abeyawardana, 2004; Wikramaratne, 2015).
A Protected Monument
The old Sarammudali Walawwa located in the premises of Rahula College in Nupe village in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Matara is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 9 April 1999.
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References
Books, Government Gazette Notifications, Journal Articles
1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Ruhuna: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-073-4. p.69.
2) Rathanasara, K. and Gamage, G.C.L., 2023. Exploring the Role of the Gaṃgārohaṇa Pūjā in Sri Lankan Religious, Social, and Political Contexts. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 10(3), pp.51-67.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, no: 1075. 9 April 1999.
4) Wikramaratne, I., 2015. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Matara Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-54-2. pp.61-62.