THESAVALAMAI

traditional law of the Tamil country of northern Sri Lanka, codified under Dutch colonial rule in 1707. The Dutch, to facilitate the administration of their colonial territories in Ceylon, established there an elaborate system of justice based on Roman-Dutch law and the customary law of the land. A Dutch official spent three years in the Tamil country collecting their traditional law; this collection, after a revision by a group of prominent Tamils, was promulgated as authoritative in 1707. Although partially outdated, much of the Thesavalamai is still observed today as law in parts of Sri Lanka. Most historians consider these legal contributions to be the main legacy of Dutch rule there.