An insight into the Kandyan Convention of 1815

It was Kandy, the last kingdom of Sri Lanka, and there is no doubt that every Sri Lankan knows it. The beautiful remains of the Kingdom can be still spotted, scattered centring the sacred Temple of Tooth, and of course, one might be astonished by the magnificence of the city that it could have been back then. Nevertheless, the story behind this beautiful city is not so beautiful-and rather tragic. It is in this elegant city that the British, with their subtle war tactics and treachery, swallowed up Sri Lanka in their hunger for colonies. Perhaps, it could be one of the easiest invasions recorded in history.

What happened?

After the death of the last Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka, Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe, the Nayakkar lineage – with a South Indian ancestry-ascended to the throne. Tracing history, it seems the citizens haven’t been that concerned about the ethnicity of the royalty, however. The final of the Nayakkar lineage, as well as of the country, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, also had won the hearts of the folk, alas though, he later turned out to be a very rude and stubborn dictator. Followed by a series of events including the tragedy of the Ehelepola family, the citizens of the country inclusive of the royal officers were frustrated and turned their back on the royalty.

Manipulating this situation for the best of them, Sir John D’Oyly, who was working for the British Government, convinced the officials of the Kandyan Kingdom to “sell out” the king to them. Further, what was proposed was to let the British have the king, and do trade as they wish in the upcountry while the Sinhalese officers govern the country. Then, having caught the king and sent him to a prison in Vellore, the two parties signed an agreement on 2 March 1815.

Kandyan Convention

As mentioned earlier, on 2 March 1815 the British Governor of Ceylon Sir Robert Brownrigg and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, gathered in the Magul Maduwa (Royal Audience Hall) of the Royal Palace of Kandy, and signed a treaty for the deposition of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe and ceding of the kingdom’s territory to the British Crown. The convention read 12 statements on which both parties agreed to continue the governance.

The Proclamation said:

1.’Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe’, the ‘Telugu’ king, is to forfeit all claims to the throne of Kandy.

2. The king is declared fallen and deposed and the hereditary claim of his dynasty is abolished and extinguished.

3. All his male relatives are banished from the island.

4. The dominion is vested in the sovereign of the British Empire, to be exercised through colonial governors, except in the case of the Adikarams, Disavas, Mohottalas, Korales, Vidanes and other subordinate officers reserving the rights, privileges and powers within their respective ranks.

5. The religion of Buddhism is declared inviolable and its rights are to be maintained and protected.

6. All forms of physical torture and mutilations are abolished.

7. The Governor alone can sentence a person to death and all capital punishments to take place in the presence of accredited agents of the government.

8. All civil and criminal justice over ‘Kandyan’ is to be administered according to the established norms and customs of the country, the government reserving to itself the rights of interposition when and where necessary.

9. Other non-Kandyan’s position [is] to remain [as privileged as previously] according to British law.

10. The proclamation annexing the Three and Four Korales and Sabaragamuwa is repealed.

11. The dues and revenues to be collected for the King of the United Kingdom as well as for the maintenance of internal establishments on the island.

12. The Governor alone can facilitate trade and commerce.

Ven. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Thera’s bravery

The brave act of Ven. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Thera which took place at the moment of signing the Convention is quite significant among the historical records of Sri Lanka. He, who was a Buddhist monk of the Kandyan Kingdom and had come to the Magul Maduwa, is said to have seized and trampled a Union Jack hoisted by the British, demanding that the flag of the Kandyan Kingdom must be left flying until the Convention was signed. It, in fact, is a manifestation of the love and patriotism of Sri Lankans and even the pain and sorrow that most of them have endured to let another nation have a hold on their motherland.

The Treaty soon turned treachery

Although the Convention which was signed by the two parties assured collaborative governance of the country and non-interference of the British in religious and cultural aspects of the Sinhalese, sooner they proved them to be unworthy of trust. They took hold of the complete rule of the country, introduced a new social hierarchy with British officials and the old royal officials were just left out. On the other hand, they were not aiding the religion, Buddhism, as it was during the King’s reign. Moreover, the unjust taxing of other burdens too was loaded on the ordinary people. It disappointed everyone and made them frustrated, even feel guilty for what they had done. Yet, it was too late to revise things!

Nonetheless, these unjust acts of the British gave way to several civil uprights against the Colonial rule in the country, starting from the revolution of 1848. Following was a queue of both small and massive uprisings of people against the British, which possibly led to the granting of Freedom to Sri Lanka, in 1948.

By Induwara Athapattu