Kingdom of Kandy
Sri Lanka, 1469–1815. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Kandy was a Sinhalese monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries. The kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectorate following the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817.
Seat of power: Kandy
Rulers
Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1469–1511
Vikramabāhu founded the city of Kandy, and during the reign of Parakramabahu VI, Kandy became a separate entity seceding from Kotte. He reigned for four decades, setting an example of longevity and stability for the new kingdom.
Portrait of Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Jayaweera Astana of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1511–1552
He succeeded his father Senasammata Vikramabahu as king and was succeeded by his son Karalliyadde Bandara.
Portrait of Jayaweera Astana of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Karaliyadde Bandara of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1552–1582
During his reign, Banḍāra publicly embraced Catholicism, brought to the island by the Portuguese. He and his infant daughter princess Kusumāsana Devi fled the kingdom with his retinue.
Portrait of Karaliyadde Bandara of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Rajasinha I of Sitawaka
King of Kandy, 1581–1591
He was a king of Sitawaka, known for his patriotism and fight against the Portuguese invasion of Sri Lanka. He received the name Rajasinha, meaning the Lion King, after the fierce Battle of Mulleriyawa.
Portrait of Rajasinha I of Sitawaka: Wijaya Kumara, CC0, file
Dona Catherina of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1581–1581
After the death of her father in 1581, the Portuguese installed her as a client ruler in the Campaign of Danture. She was deposed by Rajasinha I of the Kingdom of Sitawaka in the same year she ascended the throne.
Portrait of Dona Catherina of Kandy: Johannes Janssonius Waasbergen, Public domain, file
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Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1592–1604
He is best known for successfully repelling two major Portuguese offensives: the Battle of Danture in 1594 and the Battle of Balana in 1602, in both of which the Portuguese suffered decisive defeats.
Portrait of Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy: Alain Manesson Malle, Public domain, file
Senarat of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1604–1635
He did not possess the qualities of a king and during his time Portuguese forces laid waste to Kandyan territory in frequent invasions, which he could not effectively repulse. He was not a legitimate ruler hence he married not only the deceased king's widow Dona Katherina but also her two daughters, to legitimize his claim to the throne.
Rajasinghe II of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1635–1687
Rajasingha requested aid from the newly formed Dutch East India Company to help expel the Portuguese from the island, which they successfully did in 1656. By this time it had become clear to the Kandyans that the Dutch not only intended to expel the Portuguese but to replace them as the major colonial power on the island.
Portrait of Rajasinghe II of Kandy: The-jadeboy, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Vimaladharmasurya II of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1687–1707
He was a peaceful king of Kandy who succeeded his father, Rajasinghe II, on 7 December 1687.
Portrait of Vimaladharmasurya II of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Vira Narendra Sinha of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1707–1739
He was the last Sinhalese King of Sri Lanka of the Kingdom of Kandy. He was the successor of his father Vimaladharmasurya II.
Portrait of Vira Narendra Sinha of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Sri Vijaya Rajasinha of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1739–1747
He was a member of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty and succeeded his brother-in-law Vira Narendra Sinha as the King of Kandy. He contracted marriages with an influential royal family from Madurai, and his father-in-law Narenappa Nayaka later became one of the most powerful persons in the court.
Portrait of Sri Vijaya Rajasinha of Kandy: Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, file
Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1747–1782
He played a crucial role in reviving Buddhism in Sri Lanka and maintaining the independence of the Kandyan Kingdom during a period of increasing European colonial influence. He also built the existing inner temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Raja Maha Vihara (Gangarama) in Kandy.
Portrait of Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0, file
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Rajadhi Rajasinha of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1782–1798
He was known as a poet-king, with at least one poem written by his hand still known. His brother died from a fall off a horse in 1781 and Rajadhi Rajasinha ascended to the throne in early 1782.
Portrait of Rajadhi Rajasinha of Kandy: Jan Brandes (1743-1808), CC0, file
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy
King of Kandy, 1798–1815
Being crowned king in 1798 with the backing of Pilamathalawe Adikaram, his capture by the British in 1815 effectively concluded the 2,300-year Sinhalese monarchy on the island. The king was eventually deposed by the British government under the terms of the Kandyan Convention in 1815, ending over 2,300 years of domination by the Sinhalese crown on the island.
Portrait of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- From the 1590s, Kandy became the sole independent native polity on the island of Sri Lanka.
- Much of the Kandy Kingdom's territory was in Sri Lanka's mountainous and thickly forested interior, with mountain passes to the capital providing plenty of opportunities for defenders to stage ambushes.
- The Nayak Kings were of Telugu origin and practiced Shaivite Hinduism and were patrons of Theravada Buddhism.
- Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.
Picture
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.