Senarath Adahasin was king of the
Kingdom of Kandy from 1604 to 1635. He is said to be the successor to king
Wimaladharmasuriya I of
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
. However first hand accounts are not available concerning what happened after the death of Vimaladharmasuriya I. He is said to be a cousin or brother of Vimaladharmasuriya according to most sources. He was not a legitimate ruler hence he married not only the deceased king’s widow
Dona Katherina but also her two daughters, in order to legitimize his claim to the throne.
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. During his reign several rebellions rose up against him and to quell those he aligned with the Portuguese.
[Kandy Fights the Portuguese, C.Gaston Perera, Vijithayapa Publications,2007] Many of his military campaigns ended in failure with the exception of the
Battle of Randenivela, the success of which was however largely due to Prince Kumarasinghe, his son.
When the time came for him to divide his kingdom between his two stepsons & his own son, he tricked the other two & made
Rajasinghe II
King Rajasinghe II, also known as Rajasingha II (pre coronation, Prince Deva Astana), was a Sinhalese King, reigned 1629 – 6 December 1687; third king of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Rajasingha requested Dutch aid to help expel the Portu ...
(his own son) inherit the main part of his kingdom including Kandy. His two stepsons died shortly afterwards - some say Senerath was responsible for this elimination of potential heirs. Rajasinghe II thus became the sole heir to his kingdom.
See also
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Mahavamsa
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List of monarchs of Sri Lanka
The Sinhalese monarch -- anachronistically referred to as the Kings of Sri Lanka—featured the heads of state of the Sinhala Kingdoms, in what is today Sri Lanka.
The Sinhalese monarchy originates in the settlement of North Indian Indo-Ar ...
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History of Sri Lanka
The history of Sri Lanka is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean.
The early human remains found on the island of Sri ...
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Kingdom of Kandy
References
Sources
Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka
Sinhalese kings
1635 deaths
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Monarchs of Kandy
Year of birth unknown
House of Dinajara
17th-century Sinhalese monarchs
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