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Kachchiwatta Mosque – Makuluwa, Galle

The Kachchiwatta ancient mosque located near the Magalla Bridge in Makuluwa, Galle may have been built around 1300. According to the opinion of others, this mosque was built in the seventh century, when the Arabs first migrated to Sri Lanka. It is difficult to determine the exact time of its construction without archaeological research. Its antiquity is evident when compared to other modernised Muslim mosques in Galle Fort and the surrounding area. The thick layers of plaster spread over its walls indicates that the Mosque may have been renovated several times. The old building belongs to the architectural tradition of either the Dutch period or the Kandyan era. Pilgrims from the southern province who left for the Hajj pilgrimage have stayed in this church before boarding for Mecca from Galle port. This church was originally called Hajjiwatta.

Preface

Sri Lanka, like many other countries in the world, is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-lingual state. But all of these diverse categories belong to same human family, the species to which all modern human beings belong. Various changes have occurred over time as cultures have undergone evolution. Beliefs and religious practices, customs and behavioural patterns, food and drinks, clothes and garments, and art and literature are diverse cultural expressions that were formed during the course of their evolution. This diversity is a natural phenomenon that can be seen in any geographical region of the world. These diverse expressions form "aspects of identity" that each group of people have developed on the basis of consensus. Underpinning this diversity is unity, and not division. Identity always rests on harmony. Nothing exists in isolation. Inter-relationships are at the core of every occurrence. It is a universal doctrine. Man is also one link in that natural flow.

There are about 20 different communities in Sri Lanka. Therefore, Sri Lanka’s ethnic fabric is quite exquisite. Sri Lanka’s ethic groups are classified as Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamil, Muslim, and Hill country Tamil, whereas religious groups are classified as Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, and Catholic. According to 2023 statistics, the total population of Sri Lanka is 21,913,921.

Historical Context

Asian and Mediterranean regions were connected by the Silk Road, by land and by sea, between 2^nd Century BC (136) and 14^th century (1453). The Silk Road connected China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy by land and connected Central-, Southern-, Eastern-, South-Western-, and Western-Asia with Eastern Africa and Southern Europe by sea.

The Silk Road was continued for nearly 1500 years until trade was abandoned with China by the Ottoman Emperor due to the black death pandemic that spread across Europe and Central Asia in the 14th century. China had a monopoly in silk trade as it was the only producer of silk at the time. The Silk Road integrated international trade and culture. Chinese traders used the Silk Road to export valuable goods to Europe and the Middle East, and to import various animals, spices, foods, cloth, gems and pearls, and ivory. Naturally, religious and philosophical ideologies, art and literature, mathematics, astronomy, and technology were exchanged along the Silk Road.

Through the Silk Road, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Catholicism, and Islam spread to Asia, and Buddhism spread to Central Asia. Along with traders, priests and preachers regularly travelled to the East and the Mediterranean via the Silk Road and they took their religious practices and teachings to the distant locations.

Past Travel Writings

In the past, Sri Lanka was called Taprobane (Taprobana) by the Greeks and the Romans and Serendip and Seylan by the Arabs. Later, the Europeans used the name Ceylon. The map created by Claudius Ptolemy in 139 AD refers to Sri Lanka as Taprobana. At that time Sri Lanka was a central trading point located in the Indian Ocean with several valuable ports. Sri Pada/Adam’s Peak is a sacred place located 2243m above sea level in the central mountains of Sri Lanka. Buddhist devotees believe that the foot imprint at the top of the mountain belongs to Lord Buddha. Hindus believe it to be Lord Shiva's Sivanolipaathamalai. Islamic and Catholic devotees believe that it belongs to Adam. Some refer to Adam’s Peak as Butterfly Mountain. The Adam’s Peak is mentioned in the travel records of the Chinese explorer Fa Hian in 411-12 AD, the Italian traveller Marco Polo in 1298 AD, and Ibn Battuta in 1344. In his sixth voyage, Sinbad the sailor mentions that he was shipwrecked and stranded on a very beautiful island where he went on a pilgrimage to the Adam's Peak. The Arab explorer Ibn Battuta’s ‘Al Rihla’ (The Travels) is a very important historical record. He is said to have visited Sri Lanka in 1344 AD. Born in Morocco, Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1368) is said to have travelled 73,000 miles in approximately 40 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China, and Central Asia.

Muslim Mythology

Historical records show that even in the distant pant, Mediterranean Arabs came to Sri Lanka for trade purposes. Perhaps the Arab traders who came may have started temporary or permanent residences in close proximity to sea port. Due to the oppressive rule of the Umayyad Caliph in the eighth century, the Arabs of the Hasim dynasty, who came from the southern part of the Euphrates River, migrated eastward along the Silk Road, chose southern India, Malacca, and Ceylon to establish the first Islamic colonies. They are considered close relatives of Prophet Muhammad. Those who migrated to Ceylon chose coastal areas such as Galle, Jaffna, Colombo, Matara, Trincomalee, Beruwela, Hambantota, Puttalam and Mannar to be settled in. Abu Sheid Hassan, who was an Arab traveller from Persia reports that groups of Jews came from Yemen in 815-916, a large number of whom settled in Ceylon. According to Codrington’s records, Muslim settlers are first mentioned at the beginning of the eighth century.

As Arab traders married the native women of Sri Lanka, Islam spread along the Coastal Belt where they had settled. At that time, trade in the Indian Ocean region was dominated by them. However, as Portuguese invaded Sri Lanka and subsequently took over the coastal ports and dominated the trade, many Muslims moved inland in search of safety. King Senarath, who was in Kandy, allowed them to settle in the Central Province and the East.