The Impact of Traditional Leadership for Sustainability in Cascaded Tank Villages In Terms of the Bellankadawala Cascade System in Sri Lanka

In this study, the principal researcher describes his current PhD research on socio-cultural aspect of traditional cascaded tank villages in Sri Lanka, which is the basis for this paper. Additionally, there is an examination of the traditional leadership system in cascaded tank villages based on the case of the Bellankadawala cascade system, as well as the socio-cultural impacts of this traditional leadership on the rural community. Further, it studied the informal rural governing system, social hierarchy, rituals, customs, beliefs, social norms, and practices in the community. It assesses the way they preserve traditional leadership systems with the formal government officials of the village. The research problem investigates the nature and socio-cultural consequences of traditional leadership with special reference to village headman (Gam Mahela), The Shaman who prepares rice for the Game Danaya Ritual (Muruthan Kapuwa), the chief shaman (Kapurala), In charge of paddy fields and tanks (Vel Vidane) in traditional cascaded tank communities. Those four traditional leaders were selected by considering their significant service to the villagers’ socio-cultural and economic lives. This research is an investigation of the Grama Niladhari Division of 593-Kelawa (Bellankadawala) in the city of Anuradhapura based on 22 qualitative interviews performed with a purposefully selected sample of traditional leaders, informative villagers, and irrigation officials. Secondary data collecting was based on the related literature. The narrative analysis method was used to analyze the data for this study. Still, traditional leaders are doing a highlighted task in this community for the existence of the society and the agriculture. This leadership is very important for the peasants to maintain their farming activities, water management, collective activities, social existence, and peace of the society. The study concludes that traditional leadership lays the foundation for a traditional agricultural economy and social existence based on agriculture.