{{Short description|Ancient region of Tamil settlements}} {{about-distinguish|the ancient territory|Batticaloa District}} {{Infobox former subdivision |native_name = மட்டக்களப்புத் தேசம் |conventional_long_name = Batticaloa region |common_name = Batticaloa region<ref name = dbmg /> or Mattakkalappu Desam |nation = Colonial Ceylon |subdivision = Territory |era = |year_start = ???? |date_start = |event_start= Tribal Native and settlements from Tamilakam |year_end = 1961 |date_end = |event_end= Bifurcated into two districts of Batticaloa District and Ampara District<ref>Partha S Ghosh (2203)"Ethnicity Versus Nationalism: The Devolution Discourse in Sri Lanka" p.269</ref><ref>Robert Muggah (2008)"Relocation failures in Sri Lanka: a short history of internal displacement and resettlement" pp.88, 91</ref> |event1 = |date_event1 = |p1 =Dominion of Ceylon |s1 = Batticaloa district |s2 = Ampara District |flag_p1 = Flag of Ceylon (1948–1951).svg |flag_s1 =Flag of Sri Lanka.svg |flag_s2 =Flag of Sri Lanka.svg |image_flag = |image_coat = |image_map = Matecalo Desam.jpg |image_map_caption = The map of former Batticaloa District based on a British Ceylon map of 1822 CE<ref>https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcartssrilanka/6102503485/ Ceylon Map 1822</ref> |capital = Sammanthurai till 1628, Puliyanthivu 1628–1961 |stat_area1 = |stat_year1 =1881 |stat_pop1 = 105,558 |stat_year2 = 1953 |stat_pop2 = 270,043 |footnotes = }}

'''Batticaloa region''' ({{langx|ta|மட்டக்களப்புத் தேசம்}} ''Maṭṭakkaḷapput tēcam''; also known as ''Matecalo'';<ref>Donald Ferguson (1927) "The Earliest Dutch Visits to Ceylon" pp.9,15</ref> ''Baticalo'';<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NkVRAAAAcAAJ|title=A Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Description of Hindostan, and the Adjacent Countries|first=Walter I.|last=Hamilton|date=31 January 2018|publisher=Murray|via=Google Books}}</ref>) in colonial records was the ancient region of Tamil settlements in Sri Lanka. The foremost record of this region can be seen in Portuguese and Dutch historical documents along with local inscriptions such as Sammanthurai Copper epigraphs written in 1683 CE which also mentions Mattakkalappu Desam.<ref>A.Velupillai (1971) "Ceylon Tamil Inscriptions" Part 01, p.62-64</ref> Although the region was bifuricated into districts of Batticaloa and Ampara Districts, the amended term "Batti-Ampara Districts" as well as “Keezhakarai” can still be seen in the Tamil print media of Sri Lanka.

== History == The Ancient Batticaloa region spread south to Verugal Aru and north to Kumbukkan Oya,<ref>Census of Ceylon, 1946 – Volume 1, Part 1 – p.112</ref><ref>Tambyah Nadaraja (1972), "The Legal System of Ceylon in Its Historical Setting" p.4</ref> and some researchers lengthen it from Koneswaram to the north and Katirkamam to the south.<ref>Vellavur Kopal (2005) "Maṭṭakkaḷappu varalāṟu: oru aṟimukam" (Tamil), p.15</ref> Brahmi Inscriptions and ruins related to Megalithic period observed in Kathiraveli, Vellaveli, Ukanthai and Kudumbigala pointed out the antiquity of the Batticaloa region.<ref>S.Padmanathan (2013) "Ilaṅkait tamiḻ cācaṉaṅkaḷ" pp.1-26</ref> Mattakalappu Purva Charithiram, the chronicle of Eastern Tamils, which was collected from palm manuscripts dated back to the 17th century CE, annotates the history of the kings who ruled this region with some historical background that is still in question. It narrates that this region was an ancient settlement of aborigines including Nagar, Thumilar or Iyakkar, and Vedar.<ref>F.X.C.Nadaraja (1962) "Mattakkalappu Manmiyam"</ref><ref>S.E.Kamalanathan, Kamala Kamalanathan (2005) "Mattakkalappu Purva Charithiram"</ref> Etymological research on some places such as Nagamunai,<ref>Nirmala Ramachandran (2004) "The Hindu Legacy to Sri Lanka" p.103</ref> and Mantunagan Saalai (present Mandur) indicated their association with Naga tribe of ancient Sri Lanka.

Mattakalappu Purva Charithiram also includes the settlements that arrived in this territory from various parts of present India in different time periods. The arrival of Virasaivite Priests for Nagarmunai Subramanya Swami Kovil from Srisailam of Andhra <ref>S.E.Kamalanathan, Kamala Kamalanathan (2005) ibid, pp.15,16</ref> is believed to be a contemporary example of the Vira Saivite renaissance that occurred during the 12th century CE.

== Capital == {{Unsourced|section|date=May 2023}} It is said that Sammanthurai, a town in the present-day Ampara district, was the primary capital of the Batticaloa region until the colonial period. The Portuguese built a fort in 1628 against the union of the Kandy kings and Dutch merchants at Puliyanthivu, where present-day Batticaloa is situated. However, the Portuguese were defeated in the war with the alliance of Kandyan and the Dutch East India Company in 1638, and the fort was captured by the Dutch. Puliyanthivu became the administrative capital of the district until the independence of the island in 1948.

== Administration == During the colonial period, the Batticaloa region followed Vannimai chieftainship, the same as in the Vanni region of northern Ceylon. There were three or four Vannian chieftainships as observed by Portuguese historians like Bocarro and Queroz – Palugāmam, Panova, and Sammanturai, along with Eravur.<ref>Michael Roberts, (2004) "Sinhala consciousness in the Kandyan period: 1590s to 1815" p.75</ref> By the end of the eighteenth century, the Dutch colonial territories comprised eleven separate sub-chieftaincies, or as Dutch called them, provinces as well as seven Mukkuvar controlled districts of Eravur, Manmunai, Eruvil, Poraitivu, Karaivaku, Sammanturai and Akkaraipattu, plus Panama in the south, Nadu Kadu (or Nadene) in the west, and Koralai and Kariwitti to the north.<ref name = dbmg>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MgHIiEtdVFAC&dq=kariwitti&pg=PA66|title=Crucible of Conflict: Tamil and Muslim Society on the East Coast of Sri Lanka|first=Dennis B.|last=McGilvray|date=16 April 2008|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822389187|via=Google Books}}</ref> A total of eleven provinces were in the Batticaloa territory. Nadukadupattu, the last pattu inhabited by the people who came from Sitawaka in the 17th century,<ref>Nadukadu Paravani Kalvettu</ref> was abandoned by its inhabitants at the end of the 19th century<ref>S. O. Canagaratnam (1921) "Monograph of the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province, Ceylon" p.81</ref> and its residual populated area was later identified as "Wewgampattu". In the 1950s, there were nine D.R.O divisions (Divisional Revenue Officer Divisions – present Divisional secretariat Divisions) in Batticaloa District: Panamapattu, Akkaraipattu, Nintavur-Karaivakupattu, Sammanthuraipattu, Manmunaipattu North, Porativu – Manmunai South – Eruvilpattu, Bintennapattu, Eravur-Koralaipattu, and Wewgampattu.<ref>Census of Ceylon, 1953, Volume 1, p.42</ref>

== Bifurcation of the ancient territory == After independence, the Gal Oya scheme was proposed by the Dominion of Ceylon to increase the rice productivity of the southeastern part of the country in 1949, which caused the creation of many settlements in the Nadukadupattu region within the end of that scheme in 1953.<ref>G. H. Peiris (2006)"Sri Lanka, challenges of the new millennium" p.228</ref> According to the new proposal of electoral reforms in Ceylon in 1959, Nadukadu – Nadene pattus were introduced as a new electoral district with the name Digamadulla on 19 March 1960. At the end of 1960, Batticaloa District consisted of four electoral districts in its southernmost part – Pottuvil, Kalmunai, Nintavur, and Ampara.

Subsequently, the government declared a new administrative district including Pottuvil, Kalmunai, and Ampara electoral districts on 10 April 1961. Ancient Batticaloa region was thereby divided into two administrative districts where the northern part remained under the same name, and the southern part got a new name, "Amparai".<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A8Q3twAACAAJ | title=Ethnicity Versus Nationalism: The Devolution Discourse in Sri Lanka | publisher=Sage Publications | author=Partha S. Ghosh | year=2003 | pages=269 | isbn=9789558095324}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1848137699 | title=Relocation failures in Sri Lanka: a short history of internal displacement and resettlement | publisher=Zed Books Ltd. | author=Robert Muggah | year=2013 | pages=88–91 | isbn=978-1-84813-769-1}}</ref> According to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka, the four single-member electoral districts of Ampara were replaced with one multi-member Digamadulla electoral district.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JAotAAAAIAAJ | title=Law of Parliamentary Elections | author=Jayatissa De Costa | year=1985 | pages=25–28}}</ref>

Pattu divisions of the newly formed Batticaloa district kept their old names, though they disrupted to following divisions in modern Ampara District.

*Akkaraipattu – Divided into four divisions today; Akkaraipattu, Addalaichenai, Alayadivembu and Thirukkovil. *Panamaipattu – Lahugala and Pottuvil divisions. *Karaivakupattu – Navitanveli, Karaitivu, Kalmunai Tamil, Kalmunai Muslim<ref>{{cite book | title=Census of Ceylon 1911 | publisher=Dept. of Census and Statistics, Ceylon | author=E.B.Denham | year=1912 | pages=176–177}}</ref> and Sainthamaruthu<ref>Report of First Delimitation Commission of Ceylon September 1946, p.149-150</ref> *Sammanturaipattu – Sammanthurai, Irakkamam and Nintavur *Nadene -Nadukadupattu / Wewagampattu – Ampara, Damana and Uhana<ref>Mu Cin̲n̲attampi (2007) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=za4OAQAAMAAJ A glimmer of hope: a new phase in constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka]". South Asia Peace Institute (Colombo, Sri Lanka). p.110. {{ISBN|9789551702007}}</ref> * Bintennapattu – Pathiyathalawa(Bintenna West) and Maha-Oya (Bintenna East)<ref>S. L. Gunasekara (2002) "[https://books.google.com/books?isbn=9558552011 The Wages of Sin]". Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya. p.101. {{ISBN|9789558552018}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Batticaloa Category:Ampara District