The Kandyan Peasantry: How British Land Policy Shaped Sri Lanka

In this episode of The Story of Sri Lanka, Lucas and Luna step away from kings and battles to trace the quiet but seismic shift in land ownership under British rule. They explore the Crown Lands Encroachment Ordinance of 1840, which turned communal highland farming into a system of private property and dispossession. The conversation follows the rise of the ‘mudalali’ landlords, the decline of the ‘goyigama’ peasantry, and the slow-burning resentment that fueled the 1848 rebellion and later movements. With references to the Paddy Lands Act, the 1848 Matale rebellion, and the writings of historian Nira Wickramasinghe, this episode reveals how colonial land policy turned the island’s rural heartland into a powder keg. Lucas and Luna also reflect on how these policies echo in Sri Lanka’s modern land disputes, making clear that the past isn’t just prologue—it’s still in the soil.

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