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old houses. As villagers faced frequent rains, rotten straw was replaced seasonally to

maintain the house roofs (Perera, 1991).

Elder villagers recall ancient rice varieties used in Ranamure fields, such as white

rice, Heen Vee (a type of Samba), Heenati, Kalu Heenati, and Akuramboda Sudu
Heenati (Matale type).

In earlier times, paddy land ownership was with Vel Vidane and Vedarala families,
while tenant farmers worked the lands under traditional rental arrangements. A day

before the Earth Breaking Ceremony, buffaloes were collected and cared for
overnight with fodder such as grass, jackfruit, and sedges. After cleaning the Wanatha

(field boundaries) and diverting water into the fields, buffaloes ploughed the lands.

Before beginning the Maha season's earth-breaking, it was customary to worship the

Buddha, soaking seeds before ploughing the muddy fields using buffalo-driven
ploughs (Gunawardana, 1971).

During the flowering and fruiting stage of paddy, the villagers traditionally perform
Ravana Yakkama—a ritual to protect crops from pests and forest hazards. Betel

flowers are hung in paddy fields for protection, and sand is sprinkled to control fly

damage. The use of Water Sokkada, akin to the water ghost, has historically helped to
scare away animals such as pigs and deer (Seneviratne, 1984).

02.2 Traditional Methods of Protecting Paddy Fields

Fencing the paddy fields was a traditional method used to protect crops, with fields
often surrounded by forests growing in the mountainous regions. Since these were

village areas, the paddy fields were frequently threatened by wild animals and natural

hazards (Silva, 2005). During the growing season, crops suffered damage from flies,
while during the harvest season, wild animals and birds became a major threat. Unlike

today, the villagers did not use chemical pesticides; instead, they utilized various
plants, nuts, and other natural resources found in the forests and gardens to prevent

diseases and damage caused by microorganisms to the crops (Perera, 2003).

Villagers who used plant-based methods for pest control also employed traditional

fertilizers to enhance their harvest. Materials such as fertilizer, discarded straw,

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