Opinion

We still celebrate the bravery of King Rajasinghe II

18 Oct 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By L.B.Senaratne
The death of King Rajasinghe II closed the chapter of the Kandyan Kingdom. So much so that we are still celebrating the bravery of Rajasinghe who wiped out the Portuguese menace on March 29, 1638 - that is three hundred and seventy five years ago. But others who ruled the Kandyan Kingdom brought the Dutch and British to close the Kandyan Kingdom for ever.

All Peraheras in the hills terminated on Sunday. King Rajasinghe II is famous for the Battle of Gannoruwa, who routed the Portuguese terror on March 28, 1638 and then offered his Golden crown to Dodanwela Natha Devale after the famous Battle of Gannoruwa, as a vow he made before the battle. We still celebrate this event with the Annual Perahera and also by taking the original Palanquin in the Perahera and also a replica of the Crown which he gifted to the Devale.

But the Archaeological Department thought some years later, that the crown was not safe at the Devale, though it had been guarded by the Kapuralas and the Basnayake Nilames’ and removed it to the Kandy National Museum. When a robber, who was seeking his glory by robbing extraordinary objects, robbed the Crown, trampled it flat and sold the jewels. Today at the Kandy National Museum is displayed a replica made of silver and plated gold.

King Rajasinghe II left a landmark by presenting his Crown as a vow for winning the war against the Portuguese.   The two Commanders in the Battle were General Wijepala for the King and Digeo de Melo for the Portuguese. The loss for the Portuguese amounted around 4000 personnel and the figures of the Kandyan Army is not known.

The Portuguese entered the Kandyan Kingdom thrice with the ulterior intentions of securing the entire country, which resulted in Rajasinghe II determination to rid of the Portuguese. The Portuguese were bent on taking away treasures and ransacking when they find that there is no value on the path they lead the country. Having no resources to fight the Portuguese, King Rajasinghe had no alternative than come into terms with the Dutch.

But, the Portuguese came to know the intentions of the King, that he was trying to negotiate with the Dutch. The first reaction by the Portuguese was to create problems for the King. The first act by the Portuguese was to take by force an elephant presented by the King to a merchant, who had been trading in the Kandyan Kingdom The immediate reaction by the King was to take by force four horses presented by the Portuguese to another merchant.

The famous General of the Portuguese, Digeo De Mello lost no time to attack and then capture Kandy. He took his army through the normal route which Portuguese forces had used in these attacks, which was through Aluthnuwara in the present Mawanella electorate. The Portuguese army ransacked every household and plantation that they came across their path, devastating the entire country. They entered Kandy through the Balana Fortress, but the fortress was abandoned. Then they marched through Dehideniya and Gannoruwa and reached Kandy to see another abandoned city. It has been the practice of the Kandyan army to retreat, when they find that they are helpless, but to be more secure for a more formidable attack.

But when they entered Kandy, it was a dead city without any people. They pillaged and burnt the entire city and camped on the Bund of Mahaweli at Gannoruwa, hoping against hope that the Kandyans would return and thereby massacre the entire army, after which they believed that they could easily enter the Kandyan Kingdom.
It is established that the King's forces retreated to Hantane watching the antics of the Portuguese and waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the retreating Portugese forces. But the King also had spies around Gannoruwa to watch the route of the Portuguese army.

By this time King Rajasinghe's most trusted men had retreated and was on their way out of the reach of Kandy, little knowing that they were traversing through the jungles of Yatinuwara.

Before we delve on his presenting the Crown to the Kovil at Dodanwela, it should be said that the King learnt the ABC of fighting from an old Lady scion of Etulgama, around ten kilometres from Talatu oya, in the now Patha Hewaheta electorate.   Folklore says that the King having lost a number of wars was treading nowhere, having deserted his men.   When he was going through the village of Etulgama he saw a small light within a home. He went and knocked at the door to be replied by an old Lady. He asked the old Lady, whether there was anything to eat. The Kandyans, who are famous to treat any one distress told the visitor to wait a few moments, when she would prepare some rice. She collected the " Husal ' rice she could gather. After the rice was given to the visitor, not knowing that it was King Rajasinghe II, she was watching the visitor having his meal.

The old Lady noticed that the visitor was eating his hot plate of rice from all directions of the banana leaf. Then the old Lady told the visitor "You are like Rajasinghe ". The visitor inquired why, what about Rajasinghe ? She replied that the Rajasinghe goes from one fort to the other and gets defeated. The old Lady then took the banana leaf and showed him to make rice balls. She said "Now my son start eating from the cool rice and continue to do so until you have finished the meal". In the morning the King was out before the old Lady could arise.

After the Battle of Gannoruwa, folklore says that she was summoned to the Palace by the King and given land for the act she had done by teaching him how to fight the Portuguese.

On his retreat through Yatinuwara, a pole of the Palanquin he was travelling gave away. Not knowing what could be done, he was whiling away his time when he is said to have seen a lamp. He sent his soldiers to find out the place of the lamp. The soldiers revealed that it was form a Kovil.   He told his General's to investigate further and they in turn said that it was a Kovil. He immediately went to the Kovil and vowed that if his Palanquin Pole is repaired and if the war he is engaged is won, he would gift his Crown to the Kovil.

After the war was over and the Portuguese routed, the King gifted his Crown to the Kovil. Later a Devale was built for God Natha just above the Kovil and today it stands at this very spot.

Opinion

We still celebrate the bravery of King Rajasinghe II

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