Living in Sri Lanka one gets used to the idea of seeing coconuts and various forms of coconuts everywhere. Coconuts are deeply embedded into our everyday lives and eventually, we stop realising how much of coconuts or various coconut products we use daily.
We are taught in school how every single part of a coconut tree is used for something or another. Coconut scrapings are used to make the popular dish, Pol Sambol, and almost every single dish in Sri Lanka which might involve gravy is made using coconut milk and coconut oil. Coconut oil is also applied to hair for better hair growth.
The various accessories such as necklaces and earrings are made out of coconut shells. Coconut shell spoons are most certainly the preferred utensil in Sri Lankan kitchens. Coconut shells are also used to bathe newborn babies as it is believed that they help to shape the head of the baby. Also not forgetting that as children, we would often use coconut shells to make various toys to play with.
Coconut fibre is used to make brooms, brushes, carpets, rope, etc. while the timber of the coconut tree is used for furniture, flooring, handcrafts, and so on. And if you haven’t been threatened by your mother to drink coconut water because it is filled with nutrients at least once in your life then are you even Sri Lankan? In other words, to be Sri Lankan is to drink, eat, apply, and use coconuts.
This leads to the question, has it always been like this? Were coconuts used in food during the times of Kings and Queens? Did they use coconuts as extensively as we do now?
The answer to that would be that coconuts were definitely there and there’s enough evidence to prove that they did to a certain extent play a pivotal role in the life of Royalty, the clergy, and the community in general.
Let us now go back in time to the second century before the birth of Christ.
The very first mention of coconuts or “coco-palms” in this case is found in the Mahavamsa.
As children, we are told stories of King Dutugemunu, how he was the first king to unite the whole island under one umbrella and how he actively worked towards the betterment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Of course, we are also told that he didn’t do it alone, in fact, he had the help of his ten mighty warriors who are well known as the Dasa Maha Yodayo in the colloquial tongue. Quite interestingly, the very first mention of coconuts is made with reference to one of the 10 warriors.
Gothaimbara, whose proper name happens to be Gotha, because he was, according to the Chronicles, dwarfish in stature and was known for his mighty strength even as a child. The Mahavamsa, when telling the story of Gotha, mentions that at the age of sixteen, his father made him a massive club using which Gotha knocked down palmyra or coco-palms by simply smacking them with his club. It was then that his true strength was realised and he would then be taken to King Kavantissa who commanded him to protect and serve Prince Gamani Abhaya.
The second mention of coco-palms in the Mahavamsa is also made with reference to Gotha, the mighty warrior. When King Dutugemunu and his army fought their way into Vijithanagara during the war with King Elara, after Kandula the elephant has broken down the gate to the city, he is followed into the city by the ten warriors of King Dutugemunu. Each of the warriors grabbed some sort of item which lay nearby to be used as a weapon and Gotha being the warrior that he is apparently seized a coco-palm which he was to use to attack the Damilas. It would definitely have been quite an interesting but also frightening sight to behold.
It is clear that coconut trees or coco palms were known for their strength and sturdiness during the 2nd century BC. While they do not mention how coconuts may have been part of their daily lives during this century, to a certain extent we can assume that there may have been coconut trees in abundance if Gotha was knocking them down just for entertainment.
Let us now step into the 7th century AD.
As mentioned earlier, we do not simply eat and drink coconuts but we also use all of its various parts as utensils or use them as raw materials to produce tools, ornaments, etc.
During the 7th century AD, the King in Anuradhapura was Kassapa II. His oldest son was Manavamma. It was with reference to Manavamma that the Culavamsa mentions coconuts but this time it is quite different to how Gotha decided to use coconut trees.
The author of the Culavamsa during his rather long introduction to Vijayabahu I (1055 – 1110 AD), where he goes on to explain who Vijayabahu I is descended from, he goes back 3 centuries from the birth of Vijayabahu I to the reign of King Kassapa II. According to the Culavamsa, Prince Manavamma seated himself on the bank of the Mahaveli River and prepared to do an incantation. He manages to summon the God Skanda who rides atop a peacock. In the chronicle, it is mentioned that the water filled in the coconut shell had drained out through its holes when the peacock attempted to have a drink. One might think the mention of a coconut shell insignificant, however, it is clear that the people of Sri Lanka utilised coconuts not simply as food but used various parts of the tree as tools and utensils. While the account recorded in the Culavamsa might sound fictitious, it also implies that coconut shells were used in religious rituals of importance. This, in an interesting way, gives coconuts a very divine character.
From the extensive use of coconuts today, we can assume that coconuts would have been quite an important if not central commodity in our past. However, this assumption can be supported based on several inscriptions from the 9th century onwards. The Pillar Inscription found in Mihintale, believed to have been inscribed during the reign of Sena II (853 – 887 AD), concerns the grant of lands and immunities to a vihara in Mihintale. According to this inscription, it was prohibited to cut down Coconut Palms within the villages under the vihara and if found guilty of doing so, then a fine would be charged on the guilty person/s. The “Raja Maligava Pillar Inscription” found in Polonnaruwa believed to have been inscribed during the reign of Mahinda IV also gives a similar instruction to the inscription above regarding coconut palms. This inscription, like the previous one concerned the granting of immunities to a village which belonged to a vihara. It is also interesting to note that another inscription found in Kapuruvaduoya belonging to the era of Gajabahu II (1131 – 1153 AD) from the Polonnaruwa Kingdom also prohibits any individual from cutting down “useful trees such as Coconut Palms”. It is, therefore, fairly obvious that coconut trees played a vital role in the life of Sri Lankans during the eras of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Kingdoms.
In addition to the above, the Culvamsa also mentions Coconut palms as “useful trees”. During the reign of King Jayabahu I (1110 – 1111 AD) who took the throne after the death of King Vijayabahu I, there followed a period of conflicts and turmoil because of the changes in the line of succession made irrespective of the wishes of the late king. The island was divided between King Jayabahu I, his 3 brothers, and King Vickramabahu I who was the son of King Vijayabahu I and was supposed to be the heir apparent to King Jayabahu I. But the heir apparent title was transferred to Prince Manabharana, a brother of King Jayabahu I. Eventhough open war ceased after a while, the conflicts at the borders continued and as a result of these conflicts, the author of the Culavamsa states that “all useful trees like the Coconut Palm and others” were pulled down. This further proves that Coconut palms were held in high esteem in the society of this period.
As mentioned previously, Coconuts have many uses and one of the more “intoxicating” contributions it has made to Sri Lankan society is toddy. Toddy is a mildly alcoholic drink made of the sap of the coconut flower and it is also known to be quite popular in the past and still is now. The Badulla Pillar Inscription believed to have been inscribed during the reign of Udaya IV (946 – 952 AD), makes a reference to toddy. The inscription in question concerns rules enacted for the administration of the village of Hopitigamu which experts believe to have been a center for trade. As per the inscription, “Royal officers who have come to the village should not receive liquor, meat, curd, or ghee [from the villages]; they should not enter gardens and demand toddy…”. Therefore it is evident that by the 10th century AD, the Sri Lankan society was well aware of the many uses of the Coconut palms if they were producing toddy to the point it had to be prohibited to a certain degree.
Considering how important the people of Sri Lanka considered Coconuts to be, it makes sense that they would take steps to grow more of it. And that is what King Parakramabahu I (1123 – 1186 AD) did. According to the Culavamsa, King Parakramabahu built a private garden equal in beauty and variety to the heavenly pleasure garden of Nandana and went as far as to name his private garden the same. It is stated that coco palms were also planted along with a wide variety of trees and shrubs. He also built gardens for the community in general so as to make all articles of food easily attainable to townspeople and he directed for coco palms to be planted in these gardens as well. In the Galapata Vihara Rock Inscription belonging to the period during which King Parakramabahu I reigned, many coconut gardens are mentioned when describing the boundaries of the land granted to a vihara by an administrator of King Parakramabahu I’s court with the permission of the king. The inscription also states that the revenue earned from the taxes imposed on coconut palms and areca palms in the fields in the area were to be given to the vihara. The fact that there were many coconut gardens and that they were taxed gives credibility to the assumption that coconuts were considered important to the lives of the people and were also a main source of income not only to the subjects but also to the King and the Viharas.
As you are well aware, the Rajarata Civilisation collapsed during the early half of the 13th century and the immediate cause for the collapse was the invasion by Kalinga Magha. As a result, the capital was established in Dambadeniya which then was moved to Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Gampola, Kotte and finally to Kandy. The period between the collapse of the Rajarata Kingdom and the establishment of the Kandy Kingdom is called the Transitional period because of how frequently the capital was moved. It is believed by historians that the move may have been also fuelled by the demand for coconuts. During the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa periods, though Coconuts were prevalent, they grew to a lesser degree than Talipot Palms. As such it was Sesame oil which was used to light lamps (Gitel was occasionally used as an alternative), cook food, etc. However, when the capital started moving southwest, there were fewer and fewer Talipot palms and the alternative available to them was Coconut Palms.
This takes us to the Dambadeniya Kingdom.
According to the Culavamsa, King Parakramabahu II chose the worthy individual who would carry out meritorious work in his name by recalling a miracle which was witnessed by Devapatiraja. It is mentioned that when Devapatiraja made the firm resolve to one day become a Buddha, three shoots sprang from the three holes of the coconut he had just planted. The miracle was manifested as a sign of the fulfilment of Devapitaraja’s wish. Similar to the peacock of God Skanda attempting to drink water from the coconut shell, the sign having manifested itself in the coconut gives the coconut a very sacred attribute.
King Parakramabahu II having chosen the minister Devapatiraja to carry out the good deeds in his name, instructs him to make the road to Adam’s peak more accessible, to renovate the vihara called Hatthavanagalla, and, most importantly, to plant a large garden of coconut and other trees in his name in the Bhimatitthavihara which the Minister duly accomplishes. It is mentioned in the Culavamsa that Devapatiraja built a great garden of coco palms which stretched out from the Bhimatitthavihara in Bentota to Kalutara and named it after his king.
The great-grandson of King Parakramabahu II, King Parakramabahu IV is also recorded to have built a park with five thousand coco palms in Titthagama where he had renovated and built a vihara.
Moving on to the Kingdom of Kandy, the Culavamsa states that King Sri Vira Parakrama Narendrasinghe (1707 – 1739 AD) laid out a suburb named Kundasale in a great cocopalm plantation and went on to live there. It is recorded that King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1782) built a temple in Kundasale and to this temple he gifted many fields and villages but also a garden of coco palms, mango trees, and other fruit trees.
Coconuts in their various forms were also used as decorations and offerings.
King Parakramabahu I after having built a temple to house the Tooth relic, proceeded to decorate the area surrounding the temple and the streets with flowers, trees, triumphal arches, etc. It is recorded that the two sides of the street were embellished with fruit-bearing trees such as coco palms and sanniras (king coconut). The description in the Culavamsa goes on to say that he was attempting to adorn the road similar to the “street Sudassana of the lord of the thirty gods”.
Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe of Kandy is said to have organised a grand festival in view of furnishing and repairing the Temple of the Tooth Relic and it stated that he placed coconut blossoms and other flowers around the temple, in the royal court and the streets as decorations. Interestingly, the story mentions that the King wanted to build a new temple to house the tooth relic despite the ominous warnings from the people that great evil would befall if he were to place the relics in a new temple. The King, however, moved to another town and ordered his ministers to build a new temple. The ministers unfortunately failed to open the reliquary though they had tried all night and eventually had informed the king of the misfortune. King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe arrived at the scene and opened the reliquary with no special effort. The king who was simply delighted by it ordered the renovation of the already existing Temple of the Tooth and the festivities which followed.
The Culavamsa also records a list of items that King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe of Kandy brought as offerings whenever he went to worship the sacred Tooth Relic and among the offerings were dishes made with yellow and green coconuts. It is interesting to note that nowhere else has there been any indication of “yellow and green” coconuts.
There is also evidence from travellers’ accounts to suggest that there was a flourishing coir industry in the vicinity of port cities after about the 12th century AD. According to the records of a traveller by the name of Al Idrisi, Arab ships from Oman and Yemen came to Sri Lanka and other islands in the neighbourhood to procure ropes, trunks of coconuts for masts, coconut timber for planking and to place orders for ships built in these islands. There is also evidence from foreign accounts indicating the export of coconuts from Sri Lanka to other countries from the 15th century onwards. It was recorded in the memoirs of Gaspar Corea that when Don Lorencio de Almeida landed in the Colombo port, there were many Muslim ships in the harbour which were being loaded with cinnamon, small elephants, dry coconuts, and other commodities.
It is evident that other than being a vital commodity within the island Sri Lankan Coconuts also had an international demand.
From being a central part of the daily life of every individual on the island to playing a key role in rituals, incantations and miracles to being used as a weapon and build ships to having the honour of being presented to the Tooth Relic as an offering, the coconuts of Sri Lanka have been part of the history of the island for centuries. This is reflected in the lives of the people today, who wear coconut shell jewellery, eat pol sambol and pol roti, use coconut shells to make toys, and use coconut oil in their hair. To be Sri Lankan is to find every single way to use coconuts.
1. Mahavamsa XXIII verse 59
2. Mahavamsa XXV verse 46
3. Culavamsa LVII verse 8
4. Epigraphia Zeylanica Vol. V (No. 29)
5. Epigraphia Zeylanica Vol. II (No. 10)
6. Epigraphia Zeylanica Vol. V (No. 38)
7. Culvamsa LXI verse 65
8. Epigarphia Zeylanica Vol. III (No. 04)
9. Culavamsa LXXIII verse 99
10. Culvamsa LXXIX verse 3
11. Epigraphia Zeylanica IV (No. 25)
12. W.I. Siriweera, ‘History of Sri Lanka’, 2002 (p. 73)
13. Culavamsa LXXXV verse 5
14. Culavamsa LXXXV verse 17
15. Culavamsa LXXXV verse 45
16. Culavamsa XC verse 93
17. Culavamsa XCVII verse 34
18. Culavamsa C verse 218
19. Culavamsa LXXIV verse 204
20. Culavamsa XCVIII verse 41
21. Culavamsa C verse 5
22. W.I. Siriweera, ‘History of Sri Lanka’, 2002 (p. 208)
23. W.I. Siriweera, ‘History of Sri Lanka’, 2002 (p. 226)
References
Epigraphia Zeylanica Volume II
Epigraphia Zeylanica Volume III
Epigraphia Zeylanica Volume IV
Epigraphia Zeylanica Volume V
Mahavamsa translated by Wilhelm Geiger
Culavamsa Part I translated by Wilhelm Geiger
Culavamsa Part II translated by Wilhelm Geiger
History of Sri Lanka from the Earliest Times up to the 16th Century by W.I. Siriweera