Sri Lankan Chetties

Sri Lankan Chetties, also known as Colombo Chetties, Colombo Chittis or Colombo Hetties, are a formerly endogamous Sri Lankan social group or caste.

Origins

Colombo Chetty are mostly converted Roman Catholics or Anglicans and are found in niches throughout Sri Lankan society. Members trace their origins to traders of various ethnicities from South India. Most traders were Tamil speakers with a smattering of Malayalee or Telugu speakers. Colombo Chetties are descendants of traders who came to Sri Lanka during the Portuguese colonial era, post 1505. These traders converted to Catholicism and married women of various backgrounds including their own from India, Sri Lankan Tamil, Sinhalese, Portuguese Creoles and later Dutch, English and Eurasian Burghers.

Independent identity

The ethnic distinction between Burghers and Colombo Chetties is somewhat blurred. Famous Sri Lankans such as the Ondaatjes trace their family to a Hindu South Indian native doctor and married freely amongst Colombo Chetties though they were a Burgher ethnic admixture (See Michael Ondaatje.) Until about 75 years ago most Chetties were educated in the Tamil language and considered a caste of Tamil people. However, Sri Lankan Chetty families married into elite Sinhalese, Burghers and Sri Lankan Tamil families.

Colombo

Colombo (Sinhala: කොළඹ, pronounced [ˈkəlɐmbɞ]; Tamil: கொழும்பு) is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo has a population of 5.6 million metropolitan area, and 752,993 in the City proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a satellite city of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of Western Province, Sri Lanka and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982.

Due to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East-West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.

Colombo (disambiguation)

Colombo may refer to:

See also

Colombo (soccer)

Colombo was an American soccer club based in Staten Island, New York that was a member of the American Soccer League. While only in existence for one year, the team took the ASL title under the direction of player-coach, and future Hall of Famer, Jack Hynes.

Coach

Manager

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