The Visit of the British Colonial Secretary to Batticaloa and Its Significance – A Historical Study

பிரித்தானிய காலனித்துவ செயலாளரின் மட்டக்களப்பு வருகையும் அதன் முக்கியத்துவமும் - ஓர் வரலாற்றாய்வு

Abstract

This study examines the visit of the British Colonial Secretary B. H. Bourdillon and his wife to the Batticaloa District in 1930 and it highlights the administrative, socio-economic, and political significance of the visit in the history of the Eastern Province. The primary sources such as Government Gazette notifications, correspondence of district officials, colonial administrative records, and contemporary reports were used to this research to analyse the objectives, events, and outcomes of the visit. The study states that Bourdillon’s visit was not merely ceremonial but represented a calculated administrative intervention which aimed to strengthen the colonial authority and to review the district-level governance. The key sectors such as agriculture and irrigation-tank development, public health facilities, construction and rural infrastructure, and administrative restructuring were given priority. The visit also provided importance for public engagement. Petitions and requests from local communities were considered. Discussions were held with sectoral officers including police, public works, railways, forests, survey, excise, and education. The arrangements, decorations, and inter-departmental coordination undertaken for the event, indicate the political weight placed on the visit by the colonial administration. The findings reveal that the visit served to evaluate the needs of the district, to reinforce economic policies and to maintain the direct administrative control over the Eastern Province. By filling a significant gap in the existing literature, this research helps to understand how official colonial tours shaped local governance, resource management, and policy implementation in Sri Lanka’s eastern region during British rule.