Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Uduma Lebbe

Sri Lanka Moor Family Genealogy

Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Uduma Lebbe Family #237

1 Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Uduma Lebbe

2 Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Uduma Lebbe Ahamedu Lebbe

3 Ahamedu Lebbe Mohammedu Lebbe

4 Mohammedu Lebbe Meera Lebbe

4 son

4 Mohammedu Lebbe Muhammad Zain JP MMC

4 daughter

3 Ahamedu Lebbe Uduma Lebbe

Muhammad Zain, JP MMC, is a native of Udu Nuwara in the Kandy District. His great grandfather was known as Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Uduma Lebbe, who was a well respected man in the Muslim villages of Udu Nuwara, viz; Daskera, Boovelikada, Elamaldeniya, Wellamboda, etc. He was also recognized and respected by the Government of that era as he was holding an important position among the Muslims of these villages. In addition to being a leader of the community, he was also a reputed physician for which the Government awarded him with the title of Vaidyaratne. The family was also referred to as "Vaidyaratne Mudiyanselage". He also occupied his fathers position as a teacher and was known as Gurunansey and the people of these villages flocked to him for advice and information. His residence was, always, an open house for all those who came to seek knowledge and assistance. Uduma Lebbe was also called "Matticham". This name was given by Muslims to men of standing who took up leadership within the community in those times. In addition to his way of imparting knowledge he was also a very generous and charitable person. His presence, always amongst Muslims, was very dignified and he was even considered a dignitary amongst the Muslim community within the village.

He had one son, named, Ahamedu Lebbe, who succeeded him in all respects and led his father's position and profession. He gave up his residence in Boovelikade and moved to reside in Daskera, an adjoining village, where his famous cousin Liyamagahe Kotuwe Wederala Sulaiman Lebbe lived. Sulaiman Lebbe and Uduma Lebbe were very active and reputed native doctors within the whole of Udu Nuwara amongst the Sinhalese and Muslim communities. It is interesting to note that these Vedarala's and his cousins. including Meegahayata Gedera Gurunanselage Ahamedu Lebbe (Muhammad Zain's grandfather), had been wearing a "KONDE" (hair knotted into a ball at the back of the head) of their hair as the local Sinhalese gentlemen of the area used to wear at that time.

Many other Muslims within the community also used to wear their hair in a Konde at the back of their heads. With this exception, Muslims who lived in all these villages of Udu Nuwara seem to have similar physical characteristics, customs, habits and language. Their way of speech was also very similar, and although their main language of use was Tamil they were still very fluent in Sinhala.

Ahamedu Lebbe had two sons, named, Mohammedu Lebbe and Uduma Lebbe (father of Muhammad Zain). Mohammedu Lebbe was the older of the two sons and did not embark on his father's profession of medicine. He was a very devout and pious man, kind hearted, gentle, slender, fair and also very handsome. He took to spending his time in the study, practice, and service of religion. He, later, left his village and took up the position of Pesh Imam of the Polgahawela Mosque.

His other son, Uduma Lebbe, became a businessman and took up the leadership of the Daskera village. He was also called a "Matticham". He had no male issue. While Mohammedu Lebbe spent his time in a religious life and settled down in Polgahawela, Uduma Lebbe took up his father's position and lived in his own village.

Mohammedu Lebbe had four sons and three daughters.

Although there are no written documents available to prove the beginnings of these Muslim communities in these villages, there are many stories that are being related, from generation to generation, to confirm that they came to live here during the Portuguese Colonial era. It must be noted that when the Portuguese army occupied the coastal areas of Ceylon they began to persecute the Muslims and even tried to forcibly convert them to Catholicism. In order to avoid this oppression and persecution, by the Portuguese, the Muslim communities left their abodes on the coastal belt and found their way into these remote Sinhala villages. The community had left in batches at various points of time and moved in several directions inland seeking safety and security. The Sinhalese people in the villages to which they entered were kind and hospitable and had welcomed them with open arms and assistance and even protected them from the Portuguese oppressors. The Muslims, thereby, joined the Sinhalese army to fight the Portuguese, who was their common enemy. The name "MUDIYANSE" was given to some Muslim families who joined the Sinhala army..