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History of the Maradana Mosque

The Arab’s came to Ceylon in the pursuit of trade and also to visit Adam’s Peak. The earliest record, by a Moor, of the existence of a Prince in Colombo is that of Ibn-Batuta in AD 1343-1344.

He states, “We took our departure for the town of Kaly (Galle), a small town, six parasangs from Dinewer (Dondra). A Muslim called, Ship Captain Ibrahim, entertained us at his house. We then took the route for the town of Colenbou (Colombo), one of the largest and most beautiful in the Island os Serendib (Ceylon). There dwelt the Vizier, Prince of the Sea, DJALTESTY, who had about five hundred Abyssinians.”

In 1505, when the Portuguese, piloted by the Moors, came to Colombo from Galle, they saw two white-washed Mosques there. (See Surveyor General’s Map Historical Series No.1, Portuguese Period). It is recorded, “The first Portuguese to put into Colombo did so by accident. Don Laurenzo de Almeida, son of the Viceroy, Fransisco de Almeida of Goa, set out from Cochin, in the month of November 1505, with nine sailing ships and made for the Maldive Islands, hoping to intecept Moorish ships bound for Makkah. Being carried away by a storm and reaching the Port of Galle, and after victualling, the ships followed the coastline, Northwards, to the Port of Colombo in which the anchored, causing much astonishment to the natives and tremendous grief to the Moors.”

“Passing coconut gardens and thatched roofs, as Colombo came into view, they saw the white walls of the two Mosques, sailing ships and fishing craft.”

The precise location of these Mosques are doubtful. There was one at Gabokka where the new lighthouse stands. The other could have been the Grand Mosque at New Moor Street, being situated on a hill and hence visible from the sea. According to another version, there was a Mosque on the hill at Wolvendhal, and that part of Colombo was an open space fully visible from the sea. This Mosque was being used by Arabs for prayer, who had their go-downs, moored, in the harbor. The had complete freedom in the Island and a large majority of them monopolized the coastal areas in rder to be in close contact with their sailing vessels. The advent of the Portuguese brought intolerance and business rivalry and the Moors had to move to the outskirts of Colombo by a “Road to Cotta”, now called Maradana Road, and settled therein. The more powerful and wealthy of them mustered strongly at Moorish quarters at Grand Moor Street (ie the Pettah section of of Main Street), New Moor Street, Old Moor Street, Dam Street and Messenger Street.

Among those settled in Maradana were physicians, master masons, and branch business agents of those at the Moorish quarters. There was also a colony of Moors in the vast areas known as Mankaratotam, on the lower side of Darley Road where the railwa tracks have been laid. This land was on level with Maradana Road and was occupied by the Government. It was expanded during the year 1877 and the de-housed shifted to Vauxhall Street, Temple Road and several other parts of Maradana. Arab Place (then Stanley Place), now called Arab Passage, was fully occupied by the Moors from which they managed their Mosques.

The Sinhalese were very cordial in their relationship with the Moors. They had much reverence for Arabia. They also believed that the Buddha had left his footprint, among other places, in a certain part of Arabia as quoted as follows:-

“His footprint is on the sandy bank of the river Nadia; on the summit of the hillock Buddehiri, on the top of Mount Samane, and in the city of Yonakapura, that radiant footprint of the eminent sage do I salute with a bow of my head”

which is sung by the many Buddhists during their pilgrmage, climbing the mountain of Adam’s Peak, on which is a footprint, the claim as that of the Buddha. Yonakapura is a twon in Arabia as the people of Aaba were then known as “Yonas” and arried in Sri Lanka in “Marakkalam” boats. Hence the term “Marakkala Minissu” for Sri Lankan Muslims emerged. There were eminent physicians amongst the Moors who held hih positions as Roal Physicians. On May 7, 1019, the Sinhalese King had granted a Charter to the ancestors of Bastamiar Lebbe Meera Lebbe alias Ahmed Leva (Madleva), Chief of the Moors in 1760, as follows:-

“Periya Mudaliyar Marikar and his descendants are hereby exempted from punishment of either imprisonment or death, and His Majesty, being highly pleased with their services to his Government, they shall at all times be protected from all troubles and difficulties. They shall be free to follow their own religion, and build Mosques and such places of worship on any land they choose. It shall be allowed them to build ships, and trade thereby with oher countries.”

The Maradana Mosque land was such a grant t the Moors, and a Mosque was built as permitted by the early rulers.

About the year 1770, Ahmed Lebbe, brother of Cappodear Lebbe and Shekadi Marikar (Moorish Doctor), sons of Bastamiar Lebbe Meera Lebbe alias Ahmedleva, (shortened by the Dutch, who came later on, as Madleva. Other names similaly shortened were Drahman for Abdul Rahman, Lye for Malye etc.) Chief of the Moors, was in possession of the Marakkala Palliyawatte - Mosque, Land, and the Priest - Segu Mohideen Sinne Mira Audeka Lebbe - and was in chage of a small Mosque thereon. The land called Kajugahawatte was known as MarakkalaPalliyawatte in 1770 on account of the fact that a Mosque had stood thereon, under the control of he residents of Maradana, long before that date. The Mosque land abutted Maradana Road, and, its rear, the Beira Lake. The water of the lake was drained into a pond, “Kanmany Kolam”, with steps on the side of the Mosque. The title to the land accrued, by it being in continued possession of the Moor Capitalists, by their patronage of the Mosque and the use of the land for the burial of their dead.

Governer Fredrick North, in his report on, “The People of Ceylon in 1798”, wrote of the Muslims as follows:-

“There are two very numerous ones of the Mohammedans. The first is that of the Lebbes or African Merchants who were always considered by the Dutch as aliens, though numerous and industrious, and were subjected to the payment of a poll tax of twelve Rix Dollars, or twenty four Shillings, per anum in lieu of personal service..... I have an idea of drawing from these people, nearly, the same evenue to the public, and at the same time of procuring for them the comforts of a correct and respectable Government, by bringing into the Island a Mufti to be consulted by me on all points of Mussalman (Mslim) Law and, half a dozen Qazies, as Judges in the different parts of the Island, where are now many Moorish inhabitants collected under chiefs whose want of knowledge, manners, morality and religion render them a disgrace to the Government which employs them, a scourge to the people subjected to them. The expense of this establishment will be more than defrayed by a contribution of the Mussalman smaller than that levied in the Dutch time..... These Lebbes form the greatest number of small capitalists and active merchants in the country. They are industrious, and, apparently, peacable, and if they sometimes have disputes among themselves, it is not extraordinary, as there is not one of common knowledge of their law who can decide for them. Another remakable class of Mussalmans in Ceylon is that of the Malays. They may be sub-divided into three distinct sorts; viz; Princes, Soldiers and Robbers, though, I by no means wish to assert that the third class exercises its profession to the other two. “ (Times of Ceylon, 4th february, 1950)

The following are the Commissioners appoined by the Government to draft the Mohammedan Code of 1806:-

1. Mamoenepoela Suleyma Lebbe Marikar
2. Segu Ismail Lebbe Naina Marikar
3. Oduma Lebbe Maestriar Shekadie Marikar (g

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