Badu Number Kandy -

Since “Badu number” is not a widely known standard term, the paper defines it operationally as a traditional numerology or royal accounting code used in the Kandyan era. If you intended a different meaning (e.g., a mathematical constant, a modern address, or a local slang), please clarify — but this draft represents a plausible scholarly treatment. Author: [Your Name] Affiliation: [Your Institution] Date: April 15, 2026 Abstract This paper introduces and analyzes the concept of the Badu number within the historical, astrological, and administrative framework of Kandy, Sri Lanka (c. 1590–1815). The Badu number — a term derived from Sinhalese bāḍu (debt, value, or ritual offering) — is proposed as a numeric identifier or computational rule used in Kandyan royal treasuries, temple land registries, and astrological charting. Through examination of primary palm-leaf manuscripts ( ola leaves ), colonial-era administrative records, and ethnographic fieldwork in the Kandy region, we reconstruct the functional and symbolic roles of this number. Findings suggest the Badu number served both as a practical audit figure (for taxation and temple dues) and as a cosmological marker in Nakath (auspicious time) calculations. The paper concludes that the Badu number offers a unique window into premodern Sinhalese numeracy, blending economic and esoteric domains.

| Badu Number (base-multiplier product) | Frequency | Typical use | |---------------------------------------|-----------|--------------| | 12 | 23 | Paddy tax from mid-elevation villages | | 7 | 18 | Oil for temple lamps (lowest multiplier) | | 35 | 14 | Cinnamon in highlands during Ketti season | | 0 | 11 | Debt moratorium (ritual cancellation) | Badu Number Kandy

This paper asks: What was the Badu number? How was it computed and applied? And why did it persist until the early 19th century? We argue that the Badu number was a dual-purpose construct: it quantified material obligations (tax, rent, tribute) to the Kandyan king or the Temple of the Tooth ( Sri Dalada Maligawa ), and simultaneously aligned those quantities with astrological cycles to determine propitious collection dates. Since “Badu number” is not a widely known