Sri Vikrama Rajasinha ( Sinhala:ශ්‍රී වික්‍රම රාජසිංහ, Tamil:ஸ்ரீ விக்கிரம ராஜசிங்க; 1780 – January 30, 1832, born Kannasamy Nayaka) was the last of four Kings to rule the last

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language prima ...

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy ...

of the

Kingdom of Kandy The Kingdom of Kandy was a 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 Kin ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The Nayak Kings were of

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

origin and practiced Shaivite

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

and were patrons of

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

. The Nayak rulers played a huge role in reviving Buddhism in the island. They spoke

and Tamil, and used Tamil as the court language in Kandy alongside Sinhala. The King was eventually deposed by the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

under the terms of the

Kandyan Convention The Kandyan Convention ( Sinhala: උඩරට ගිවිසුම ''Udarata Giwisuma'') was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British Governor of Ceylon Sir Robert Brownrigg and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon (no ...

in 1815, ending over 2,300 years of domination by the Sinhalese crown on the

island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

. The island was incorporated into the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

, and Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was succeeded by

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, as monarch of British Ceylon.

Early life

Prior to his coronation in 1798, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was known as Prince Kannasamy Naidu. He was a member of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty and the nephew of

Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha ( Sinhala:ශ්‍රී රාජාධි රාජසිංහ, Tamil:ஸ்ரீ ராஜாதி ராஜசிங்கம்; reigned 1782–1798) was a member of the Madurai royal family and succeeded his brot ...

. He succeeded his uncle as the King 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 ...

in 1798 at the age of eighteen.

Reign

Early reign

There was a rival claimant to succeed

, the brother of Queen Upendrama, who had a stronger claim. However, Pilimatalauwa, the first

Adigar The Mahâ Adigâr ( si, මහා අධිකාරම්) (also known as Adikārama, Adikār) was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. The office was sec ...

(prime minister), chose Prince Kannasamy, reportedly with deep-seated plans to usurp the throne to set up a dynasty of his own. Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was faced with numerous conspiracies to overthrow him and reigned through one of the most turbulent periods in Sri Lanka's history.

Internal conflict

Capture of HM Sri Vikrama Rajasinha in 1815

During his time, the British who had succeeded the Dutch in the Maritime Provinces had not interfered in the politics of the

. But Pilimatalauwa, the first Adigar of the King, desiring British control over the island, covertly worked with the British administration to provoke the King to acting aggressively towards them in order to give Britain a ''

casus belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one ...

'' against the Kandyian Kingdom. The Adigar manipulated the King into starting a military conflict with the British, who had gained a strong position in the coastal provinces. War was declared and on March 22, 1803, the British entered Kandy with no resistance, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha having fled. The ''Adigar'' massacred the British garrison in Kandy in June and restored the King to the throne. Pilimitalava plotted to overthrow the King and seize the crown for himself, but his plot was discovered, and, having been pardoned on two previous occasions, he was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...

. The disgraced ''Adigar'' was replaced by his nephew, Ehelepola Nilame, who soon came under suspicion of following his uncle in plotting the overthrow of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. A rebellion instigated by Ehalepola was suppressed, after which he then fled to

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

and joined the British. After failing to surrender (after 3 weeks of notice), the exasperated King dismissed Ehelepola, confiscated his lands, and ordered the imprisonment and execution of his wife and children. A propagandised account of the execution was widely circulated by sympathisers. Queen Consort Venkata Rangammal Devi of Kandy

Queen Consort Venkata Rangammal Devi of Kandy

Ehelepola fled to British-controlled territory, where he persuaded the British that Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's tyranny deserved a military intervention. The pretext was provided by the seizure of a number of British merchants, who were detained on suspicion of spying and were tortured, killing several of them. An invasion was duly mounted and advanced to Kandy without resistance, reaching the city on February 10, 1815. On March 2, the Kingdom was ceded to the British under a treaty called the

. Regarding the King's reign, the historian Louis Edmund Blaze states that "He was not as ardent a patriot as his immediate successors; nor did he show those mental and moral qualities which enabled former Kings to hold their own against rebellion and invasion. To say he was cruel does not mean much, for cruel Kings and nobles were not rare in those days; and it is questionable whether all the cruel deeds attributed to Sri Vickrama Rajasinha were of his own devising or done by his authority. It might be more fair to regard him as a weak tool in the hands of designing chiefs than as the monster of cruelty, which it is an idle fashion with some writers to call him. He did a lot to beautify his capital. The lake and the Octagon in Kandy have always been considered the work of the King."

Death

On March 2, 1815, the Kingdom was ceded to Britain and Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was deposed and taken as a royal prisoner by the British to Vellore Fort in southern India. He lived on a small allowance given to him with his two queens by the British colonial administration. He died of dropsy on January 30, 1832, aged 52 years. His death anniversary has been commemorated as Guru Pooja by descendants at Muthu Mandabam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, since 2011. File:Grave of Vikrama Raja Singa and Consort, Vellore.jpg, Grave of Vikrama Raja Sinha and Consort, Vellore File:Grave Headstone of Vikrama Raja Singa, Vellore.jpg, Grave Headstone of Vikrama Raja Sinha, Vellore File:Vikrama Rajasinha Kandy.jpg

Family

Parents * Lord Venakatha Perumal – father * Lady Subbramma Nayakkar – mother Siblings * Prince Sri Perumal – brother * Prince Dawala Kumara Sami – brother Consorts * Queen Consort Sri Venakatha Rangammal Devi – Spouse 1 * Royal Concubine Venakatha Jammal Devi – spouse 2 * Royal Concubine Venakatha Ammal Devi – spouse 3 * Royal Concubine Muttu Kannammal – spouse 4 * Royal Concubine Pilimathalawe Devi – spouse 5 * Raani Thayarammal Devi – according to some legends. * Raani Sitammal Devi – according to some legends. Children * Prince Rajadhi Rajasinghe (son) + Princess Consort Savithri Devi (daughter-in-law) * Princess Rajaratne Kamsalya Devi (daughter) * Princess Sri Raja Nachchiyar Devi (daughter) + Lord Alagiri Sami (son-in-law) * Princess Sinhala Gauri Devi (daughter) * Princess Raja Lakshmi Devi (daughter) + Lord Ranga Raja (son-in-law) Grandchildren * Prince Sri Dharmaraja (grand son), son of Princess Sri Raja Nachchiyar Devi. + Lady Muttu Krishnal Ammal Devi (grand daughter-in-law) * Princess Chaya Devi (grand daughter), daughter of Princess Raja Nachchiyar Devi. * Prince Tyaga Raja (grand son), son of Princess Sri Raja Nachchiyar Devi. * Prince Sri Alagia Manawala Sinhala Raja (grand son), son of Princess Raja Lakshmi Devi. Great-grandchildren * Prince Sri Vikrama Raja (great-grandson), son of Prince Sri Alagia Manawala Sinhala Raja. + Lady Snagavalli Tyagar Ammal (great-granddaughter-in-law) Great-great-grandchildren * Two children of Prince Sri Vikrama Raja.

Legacy

The current

Flag of Sri Lanka The flag of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජාතික කොඩිය, translit=Śrī Laṃkāvē jāthika kodiya; ta, இலங்கையின் தேசியக்கொடி, translit=Ilankaiyin teciyakkoṭ ...

incorporates Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's Royal Standard. In September 1945 it was proposed in an address to the State Council that the flag be adopted as Sri Lanka's national flag:

"This House is of opinion that the Royal Standard of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha depicting a yellow lion passant holding a sword in its right paw on a red background, which was removed to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
after the Convention of 1815, should once again be adopted as the official flag of Free Lanka."

Kandy Lake, an artificial lake overlooking the palace in Kandy, was commissioned by Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The Paththirippuwa or Octagon of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, is widely regarded as the epitome or the most admired symbol and representation of Kandyan Sinhalese Architecture. It was built in 1802 A.D. by Devendra Mulachari, Master Craftsman and Royal Architect, on the instructions of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. During Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's time as a royal prisoner in Vellore Fort he received a

privy purse The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018. Overview The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (200 ...

, which his descendants continued to receive from the Government of

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

until 1965. Muthu Mandapam is a memorial built around the tombstone of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last south Indian origin ruler of Kandy. Situated on the bank Palar River, it is just one km north of Vellore town. During Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's reign, Tamil was used as one of the court languages in Kandy – a historical fact with implications for the present-day politics of Sri Lanka. In 2018, a Sinhala film titled '' Girivassipura'' was made and released which depicts the real-life story of the King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha.

References

Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka

* Robert Binning, ''A Journal of Two Years' Travel in Persia, Ceylon, etc. Volume 1''. (Wm. H. Allen & Co., 1857) * Horace Hayman Wilson, ''The history of British India, from 1805 to 1835''. (James Madden, 1858)

* Ananda Senarath Pilimatalavuva, The Pilimatalavuvas in the last days of the Kandyan kingdom (Sinhalé), Stamford Lake Publication, 2008..
Oil Painting on ceremonial opening of the Paththiruppuwa by the last King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe in 1802, handed over to the Sri Dalada Maligawa

External links

Last days of Sri Wickrama Rajasingha

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajasinha, Vikrama, Sri S 1780 births 1832 deaths Dethroned monarchs Deaths from edema Vikrama Vikrama S S