Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery (ජාවත්ත පොදුරාජ්‍ය යුද සොහොන් පිටිය)

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Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery

There are four Commonwealth war cemeteries found in Sri Lanka. Two are located in Colombo, one is in Kandy, the country’s hill capital and one is in Trincomalee. The Department of National Botanic Gardens maintains these four cemeteries with funding from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Additional Commonwealth war burials are found in the Nuwara Eliya Holy Trinity Churchyard (3 gravestones), Jawatte Muslim Cemetery (27 gravestones), Kuppiyawatte Muslim Cemetery (25 gravestones), and Kandy Mahaiyawa Cemetery (3 gravestones) ¹.

The two Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Colombo are found inside the Borella Kanatta Public Cemetery with 364 identified casualties and Jawatta Liveramentu Public Cemetery with 610 identified casualties¹.

Jawatta Liveramentu Public Cemetery lies on an old church built by the Portuguese. This is believed to be the site of the shrine of Our Lady of Deliverance (Nossa Senhora do Livramento) mentioned by Portuguese historians. There was also a well at the shrine which the water was believed to have miraculous healing powers². [see here for more information on this well]

The Portuguese work Santuario Mariano, compiled by the Augustinian Agostinho de Santa Maria and published in Lisbon in 1720, references this shrine in its discussion of Marian shrines in Asia and Africa. This reference highlights the veneration of the miraculous image of the Mother of God under the title Ret and the widespread use of the waters from a health-giving well. The shrine was situated at Marupety (Portuguese for Narahenpita), about half a league from Colombo. It is obvious that the name Liveramentu got its name from this shrine².

When Colombo surrendered to the Dutch in 1656, Catholic missionaries who were banished from the island took sacred images and relics with them. Over time, this church, along with other Catholic churches, fell into ruin.

At one corner of the cemetery, lies the area dedicated to Commonwealth War Graves. The entrance to the cemetery features Memorial Tablets honouring over 300 men who died while serving in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). These men’s graves could not be found, or, if found, could neither be permanently maintained nor moved to cemeteries where they could be cared for indefinitely, due to religious or other reasons. Additionally, the Liveramentu Cremation Memorial within the cemetery commemorates over 150 Hindu men who died while serving in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and were given their religion’s last rite—cremation. Moreover, a memorial stands within the cemetery commemorating 28 Italian prisoners of war who died during 1939-45 and are buried in Sri Lanka ¹.

The entrance to the cemetery incorporates the Memorial Tablets commemorating over 300 men who died while serving in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), whose graves either could not be found or, if found, could neither be permanently maintained nor (for religious or other reasons) moved to cemeteries where their maintenance for all time would be assured. The Liveramentu Cremation Memorial also stands within this cemetery and commemorates over 150 men of the Hindu faith who died while serving in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and who were accorded the last rite required by their religion – committal to fire¹. The memorial is in the form of a stone pylon crowned with a stone urn, with wing walls inscribed with the servicemen’s names⁴. In addition, a memorial commemorating 28 Italian prisoners of war who died during 1939-45 and who are buried in Sri Lanka, stands within this cemetery¹. Therefore it is interesting to note that none of the bodies of those remembered at the Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery is buried at the site.

References

Cwgc. (n.d.). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission | CWGC. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved June 19, 2024, from https://www.cwgc.org/
Forbes, R. (2022, March 3). Holy Well Among Jawatta Graves. The Sunday Times. Retrieved June 19, 2024, from https://www.sundaytimes.lk/020303/plusm.html
Topping, P. (2023, January 4). City cemetery with no bodies . . .Colombo. Linkedin. Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/city-cemetery-bodies-colombo-paul-topping/
Liveramentu Cemetery. (2021, March 7). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liveramentu_Cemetery
Cordiner, J. (1807). A Description of Ceylon, Containing an Account of the Country, Inhabitants, and Natural Productions : With Narratives of a Tour Round the Island in 1800, the Campaign in Candy in 1803, and a Journey to Ramisseram in 1804 (Vol. 1). Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster Row and A. Brown, Aberdeen.

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Map of Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery

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References

Also See

Map of Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery

Travel Directions to Jawatta Liveramentu Commonwealth War Cemetery

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