the Presentation contains information about; - The beginning of the Kandyan Kingdom - The important rulers of the Kandyan Kingdom - The Wimaladharmasooriya Linage - The Nayakkars in Kandy - The Economic, administrative and social structure of Kandy

1. Kandyan Kingdom
By: Amna Zaman

2. Beginning and expansion
• Other names given to the Kandyan Kingdom:
▫ Senkadagala Nuwara
▫ Udarata Rajadhaniya
▫ Kande Nuwara
▫ Mahanuwara Rajadhaniya
• The capital – Kandy (Mahanuwara)

3. Why select Kandy?
• Naturally protected
▫ River Mahaweli
▫ Surrounded with mountain ranges
▫ Difficult to access due to ghats
(Balana/Hunnasgiriya)
• Balmy climate
• Fertile land

4. Senasammatha Vickramabahu
• The founder of the Kandyan Kingdom
• Kandy was a provincial ruling unit under the
Kotte Kingdom

5. Jayaweera Bandara
• The son of Senasammatha Vickramabahu
• Ruled the kingdom for a long time
• He supported King Mayadunne of Seethawaka
during the ‘Vijayaba Kollaya’ incident

6. Karalliyadde Bandara
• Maintained a friendly policy with the Portuguese
which the Kandyan chieftains weren’t happy about.
Hence the supported Seethawaka’s king (Rajasinghe
I) .
• A chieftain called Peradeniye Weerasundara
Bandara supported King Rajasinghe I to invade
Kandy.
• Karalliyadde Bandara along with his daughter
Kusumasana Devi and Son-in-law Yamasinghe
Bandara fled to the Portuguese. They Baptized as,
▫ Kusumasana Devi – Dona Kathirina
▫ Yamasinghe Bandara – Don Philip

7. Rajasinghe I’s ruling in the Kandyan
Kingdom
• Ruled the areas from Seethawaka
• Killed Veerasundara Bandara. As a result
Veerasundara Bandara’s son Konappu Bandara
(Don Juan of Austria) fled to the Portuguese.
• The Kandyan chieftains were dissatisfied with
Rajasinghe I. Using the situation as an
opprtunity Portuguese sends an army under
Yamasinghe Bandara along with Konappu
Bandara.

8. Portuguese, Yamasinghe Bandara and
Konappu Bandara
• Yamasinghe Bandara dies in a short time
• Portuguese tried to bring Yamasinghe Badara’s
son into the throne. It was a failure.
• Konappu Bandara acceeded the throne as
Wimaladharmasooriya I.

9. King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Challenges faced by him:
▫ Not having Royal inheritance
▫ Liberate Kandy from the Portuguese
▫ Protecting Kandy from Seethawaka
▫ Rebuild the Buddha sasana
▫ Develop the economy

10. King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Establishing his legal right to the kingship
▫ Marrying Kusumasana Devi
▫ Embracing Buddhism
▫ Getting a Buddhist name
▫ Bringing the sacred to Kandy from Dedigama

11. King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Steps taken to save Kandyan Kingdom from the
Portuguese
▫ Defeated Portuguese in the battle of Danthure in
1594
▫ Supporting rebellions in low country against the
Portuguese
▫ Getting the support of the Dutch to expel the
Portuguese

12. King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Steps taken to rebuild Buddhism
▫ Bringing Upasampada from Myanmar
▫ Renovating temples

13. King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Measures taken to develop the economy
▫ Develop agriculture
▫ Enhancing cotton cultivation
▫ Developing iron and steel industries
▫ Develop nitre industry

14. King Senarath
• Brother of King Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Challenges faced by King Senarath:
▫ Establishing royal inheritance – Married
Kusumasana Devi
▫ Minimizing threats from the Portuguese
• Kusumana Devi had 03 sons
▫ Maha Asthana (Rajasinghe II) – Kandy
▫ Kumarasinghe – Uva area
▫ Wijepala – Matale

15. King Rajasinghe II
• Challenges faced by King Rjasinghe II
▫ Preventing Portuguese attacks
▫ Expelling Portuguese
▫ Minimizing threats from the chieftains
▫ Liberating Kandyan Kingdom from the Dutch

16. King Wimaladharmasooriya II
• Son of Rajasinghe II
• Not good as his father
• Peaceful relationship with the Dutch
• Brought Upasampada – with the help of the
Dutch

17. Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasinghe
• Son of Wimaladharmasooriya II
• Was a weak king
• Kandyan chieftains became powerful
• Married a South Indian Princess
• Didn’t have an heir

18. • Sena Sammatha Vickramabahu
• Jayaweera Bandara
• Karalliyadde Bandara
• Invaded – Rajasinghe I of Seethawaka
• Konappu Bandara –
Wimaladharmasooriya I
• Senarath
• Rajasinghe II
• Wimaladharmasooriya II
• Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasinghe
WimaladharmasooriyaLinage

19. Nayakkars of Kandy

20. King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe
• Brother in law of Sri Weera Parakrama
Narendrasinghe
• Challenge – Increased power of the chieftains
• Solution – appointing his family members into
the Royal Council
• Brought the Higher Ordinance under the
instructions of Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero
• Married a South Indian Princess, died without
an heir

21. King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe
• Brother in law of Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe
• 16 years old when he ascended the throne
• Created a Buddhist Revival under the
instructions of Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero
▫ Establishing higher ordinance
▫ Renovating temples
▫ Granting the post Sangaraja to Saranankara Thero
• Signed a peace treaty with the Dutch in 1766

22. King Rajadhirajasinghe
• Brother of Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe
• Increased disputes between the King and the
Nayakkar King
• English captured the coastal areas of Sri Lanka
during his ruling period

23. King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe
• Prince Kannasami was made the King according
to the need of the Maha Adhikaram
Pilimathalawwe.
• Was obedient to his Nayakkar relatives
• Invasion of English in 1803
• His ruling declined due to his bad act
• Invasion of English in 1815
• He was departed to Vellore in India and he died
due to a stomach ache.

24. Administrative Structure
of the
Kandyan Kingdom

25. Highest
Position
• King
• Maha Adikaram
• Maha Adikaram
Royal
Council
• Adikarams, Disawes, Maha Lekams, Badde
Lekams
• Headed by King

26. Administration
Maha Wasala
Service in the
Palace
Headed by the
King
Rata Wasama
Provincial
Ruling
Supervised by
Maha
Adikarams
Badde Structure
Tax Structure
Supervised
under the King
Administration of Temples and Devalas – Maha Nayaka and Anu Nayakas

27. The King
• Possesed the highest power
• Expected to maintain peace in the country and
provide protection
• Expected to act according to the traditions and
customs
• Was the highest court
• Had power to order death sentence
• Executed political, economic and administrative
affairs in the country

28. Adikarams
• Maha Adikarams – Pallegampaha Adikaram
• Devana Adikarams – Udagampaha Adikaram
• Katupulle Messengers – Messengers who
brought messages from Adikarams to provincial
rulers

29. Mudaliyars
• Officers in the palace
• Run affairs of the palace
• They were given various sections to take care of
▫ Gajanayaka Nilame
▫ Maha Lekam
▫ Maha Gabada Nilame
▫ Diya Wadana Nilame
▫ Halu Wadana Nilame
▫ Bath Wadana Nilame
▫ As panthiye Muhandiram
▫ Ath Panthiye Muhandiram
▫ Kavikara Maduwe Muhandiram

30. Provincial Ruling – Ratawasam
• Consists of 21 areas named Rata and Disawa
• The areas closer to Kandy were called Rata
 Udu Nuwara, Yati Nuwara, Thumpane, Harispatthuwa,
Dumbara, Hewahata, Kothmale, Uda Bulathgama,
•

31. Kandyan Kingdom
Disawa + Rata
Korala
Pattu
Village
• King
• Maha Adikarams
• Devana Adikarams
• Disawe
• Korale
• Vidane

32. Badde Structure
• Tax structure
• Madige Badda
• Kuruwe Badda
• Badahela Badda
• Rada Badda
• Handa Badda

33. Temples and Devalas
• Mahanayaka and Anunayaka Theros handles
these affairs
• The affairs of of the Dalada Maligawa was
handled by Diyawadana Nilame

34. Judicial Affairs
• King possessed the highest judicial power
• Every officer had a judicial power based on their
posts
• Some cases were only heard by the king
▫ Cases regarding
 Important leaders
 Riots
 Temples and monks
 Conspiracies/ coups
 Treason

35. Punishments
• Beating
• Fining
• Keeping in Dandu Kanda
• Cutting Hair
• Trampling by elephants
• whipping
• Banishing

36. Dandu Kanda

37. Economic System
• Consumer based
• Self sufficient
• Limited paddy cultivation/ terraced field
cultivations
• Chena cultivation
• Animal Husbandy
• Supplementary crops

38. Social Structure
• King owned lands
• Lands were divided according to the ownership
• Rajakariya System
• Rural and Self sufficient society
• Caste system
• Marriages
▫ Based on caste
▫ Deega Vivahaya
▫ Binna Vivahaya
▫ Eka Geyi Kaema
• Family was the main social Unit
• Barter system
• Prominent feature was virtue / Temple connected the people