Stories Behind Names of Places in Sri Lanka: How “Hewavissa” got its Name By Dr. Nimal Sedera

Source:Brisbane 4EB Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – December 2021

Over the years I have brought to you the stories behind several villages in Sri Lanka and I hope you enjoyed them. A common feature in the stories is that most of them were linked to the days when the Kings ruled the country.

Today too, we have a similar story and it is linked to the soldiers of the Kandyan King’s army. I think it is quite appropriate to write how the King’s army was formed. All the young people were given the basic training to defend the country when the necessity arose. They were not paid a remuneration . Then there was the permanent regiment who were paid. Then, there was a special category called “Velakara” who were foreign soldiers from India, who were also in the paid category.

“HEWAVISSA” is in the vicinity of the Kandy city. During the Kandyan Kingdom there were check points like today at key positions and Hewavissa was one such. A group of twenty foreign soldiers were deployed at this check point.

They were from the same province in India and were very united . As they were not familiar of the local language they distanced from the public and did all the work together at the check point. “The Twenty soldiers “(HEVAYOVISIDENA) obviously became a point of gossip in the area. Over time the area was referred as”Hevavissa”.

Dr. Nimal Sedera
Dr. Nimal Sedera is a journalist, poet, motivational speaker and an
author of over 70 books.