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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 11, 2019

In the Jaffna caste system, there was a historical categorization known as Kudimai
and Adimai. As pointed out by Rasanen (2015), those who worked as menials for the

Vellalah were categorized as Adimai (slaves), and those who lived around the

Vellalah and provided assistance in the Vellalah’s household matters were called
Kudimai (Rasanen, 2015, p. 82). According to Banks (1960), traditionally the

Vellalah people used to think that the Jaffna social system should be centered and
focused exclusively on them (Bank, 1960, p. 71). From the mid to late 19th century,

they had been living like tribal chieftains in the Jaffna society. The following

observation by Hocart sufficiently presents a picture of the Vellalah’s nature. “Like
a feudal lord with his vassals to serve him on all occasions, these slaves and vassals

came from different castes and served him in such capacity whenever the occasion
demanded. The vassals were called kudimai and the slaves as adimai” (Hocart,

1950, p. 07). This system of slavery was abolished by the colonial rulers in 1844.
But according to Tambiah (1954), “Although slavery was abolished legally, many of

the depressed classes remained as the de facto slaves of their masters for economic

reasons” (p. 85).

Among the above-mentioned castes, five castes were identified as the Panchamar
castes. They are Nalavar, Pallar, Paraiyar, Vannar (washers) and Ambattar

(barbers). They were called the depressed castes and during the 1960s and 1970s the

Vellalah hegemony over these five castes was immense (Rasanen, 2015, p. 83).
Also, except the Vannar (washers) other castes were referred to as “Untouchable.”

Traditionally, high caste Tamils identified “Untouchables” as unclean.
“Untouchables” made up about 18 percent of the Jaffna population as compared to

nearly 50 percent for the Vellalah population in the peninsula in the pre-war period
(Silva et al., 2009, p. 06). The Panchamar castes were highly discriminated against

by the dominant Vellalah caste in matters such as temple entry, education,

employment, land ownership, marriages, and ceremonial functions, etc. According
to Silva et al. (2009a), Pfaffenberger (1982) and Rasanen (2015), a series of

customary prohibitions were applied to the Panchamar caste community by the

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