Cenotaph – capture of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe By Arundathie Abeysinghe

Cenotaph – capture of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe – By Arundathie Abeysinghe

Arundathie Abeysinghe After the fall of the *Kandyan Kingdom in 1815 to British Colonial rule, *Adigar Ehelepola, considered as one of the main conspirators who assisted British Colonials to take over the Kingdom sent a group of his people to assist the British to capture *King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha who had escaped from the Royal Palace. Yet, the team was unable to capture the King and his Queen. Several days later, the team got information that the King and his Queen Venkatha Rangammal were hiding in Bomure, a hamlet in Medamahanuwara.

“Medamahanuwara” also spelt “Meda Mahanuwara” or “Meda Maha Nuwara” (“Mahanuwara” meaning “big city” in Sinhala and “Meda Mahanuwara” meaning Middle Kandy, probably, due to it being a suburb of Kandy) situated approximately 36 kilometers from Kandy in *Mahiyangana Road (A26) between Wegala (a hamlet in Central Province) and Hunnasgiriya (situated in the southern part of the *Knuckles Mountain Range) is a small spectacular hamlet. The British Colonials called “Medamahanuwara” as “Meydamahanoowera.”

According to historical records, the details of the King’s (and the Queen’s) capture was pathetic. Thereafter, they were taken to *Colombo, Fort and were taken to *Vellore, in India. The King died in exile in India in 1832 in the fortress of Vellore, where he had been imprisoned, although with comforts for the rest of his life.

The monument and the stone plaque were constructed and placed by the Government Agent in Kandy in 1908, approximately a century after the King was captured (in 1815). The memorial column resembling a temple pillar is rarely visited by local and foreign tourists.

The memorial has the following inscription:

“Sri Wickrama Rajasinha captured here 18 February 1815”

It is necessary to walk a few meters to reach the monument. The path is not clearly signposted.

During the Kandyan era, locals have called the hamlet Medamahanuwara as “Gale Nuwara” (meaning “rock city”).

According to C.T.A Dias’s account (a translator who participated in the group that captured the King) regarding the capture of the King and the Queen in the 1861 April issue of Sinpala Publication, after a brief resistance, the King had surrendered to the gang. The gang of Ehelepola Nilame had pulled the King out of the house and stolen valuable jewelry worn by the King and the Queen. One of the goons Kiriporuwe Mohottala had torn the Queen’s earlobes to steal the earrings worn by her. The Queen with the bleeding earlobes, fearing for her life had run in to the house. Yet, the translator Dias had called the Queen with due respect. The Queen had asked for protection from the translator. Later, he had treated her bleeding earrings with herbal medicine.

Meanwhile, Ehelepola Nilame had asked his gang to bring a creeper to tie the King before being taken out of the house. Yet, translator Dias was distressed regarding the manner the King was treated and had told Ehelepola Nilame “Sir, we are under British rule and we do not consider him as our king but he has been your king and you, the Kandyans (meaning people of Kandy) have been calling him with great respect up to now” and offered his Satakaya (an Indian Toga) to tie him. Yet, Ehelepola Nilame had tied the King with creepers and delivered him to the British, most probably as the King had murdered his family (Nilame’s family, for his betrayal) in a brutal manner.

According to J. Penry Lewis’s description (who established the monument):

“On the following morning the gratifying intelligence was received at Headquarters that the King had been surrounded on the morning of the preceding day (i.e., on February 18, 1815) by some Kandyans of the Province of Dumbara… at a place… very near to Meydemahanoowera.”

Lewis has also quoted from Henry Marshall’s Ceylon with additional details: “It appears that the few *Malabar attendants remaining with the King made some resistance, and wounded one of the assailants under the command of Ehelepola, on which the party fired upon the house. The King then appeared and delivered himself up. His pursuers forthwith bound and plundered him of whatever articles of value he had on his person.”

King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe is remembered by Kandyans (people of Kandy) as a tyrant which explains the reason why he was captured by his own people. Their leader, Ehelepola, had his own intention, revenge. The king had earlier tried to punish him for insurrection. Failing to capture him, the King had instead ordered the execution of Ehelepola Nilame’s wife and young children. Their courage facing death is legendary in Sri Lanka today, although the king himself, when berated by the British for such barbarity, insisted that he had acted according to Kandyan law and custom.

According to records, the garments of the King and the blood-soaked garments of the Queen were taken by Kiriporuwe Mohottala (one of the soldiers) and hidden them inside a wooden chest at his residence. The wooden chest along with its contents had been at his residence for several generations until they were recovered by a teacher in 1930’s, approximately 115 years later. In 1941, these clothes had been handed over to the National Museum and at present too, they are displayed in the Museum.

Image courtesy – lanka-excursions-holidays.com

Ehelepola Nilame – Also known as “Adigar Pilimatalawa.” During the last phase of the Kandyan Kingdom, Pilimatalawa families known as the ‘the king makers’ of the *Kandyan Kingdom had served Royalty spanning several generations reaching their zenith under the Waduga Nayakkar Kings of Kandy. Four Pilimatalawas served as Chief Ministers, whereas Pilimatalawa Maha Adikaram III served two kings for over 20 years. Although, he was instrumental in enthroning King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, his ultimate objective was to re-introduce a Sinhala Dynasty.
Kandyan Convention – Kandyan Convention is an agreement signed on March 2, 1815 between the British and Chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom of Ceylon (present Sri Lanka). Under the terms of this convention, Kandy was annexed to the other British holdings. With the signing of the Convention, British took control over the entire island (Sri Lanka). King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, the South Indian King was deposed under the agreement that was entered into by the Convention and his sovereignty was vested with the British Crown, thus ceding the Kandyan Kingdom territory to British Rule. This agreement was signed at the *Audience Hall situated behind the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Kandyan Kingdom – A monarchy of Sri Lanka, located in the central part of the island founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Kandyan period covers the history of Sri Lanka from 1597–1815. After the fall of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandyan Kingdom was the last independent monarchy of Sri Lanka and played a major role throughout the history of Sri Lanka. The Kingdom managed to remain independent from both the Portuguese and Dutch rule (who controlled coastal parts of Sri Lanka). Yet, it was colonized by the British Colonials in 1815 until Sri Lanka gained Independence in 1948.
King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha (1798-1815) – The last King of the *Kandyan Kingdom as well as the last monarch of Sri Lanka.
Knuckles Mountain Range – Located in Kandy and Matale Districts at a height of approximately 914 meters above sea level with a land area of around 21 hectares, Knuckles Mountain Range has a total of 35 peaks which rise above 900 meters. British Surveyors called this Mountain Range “Knuckles Mountain Range” as the Range is similar to a clenched fist.
Malabar – A term used for Indians originating from the Malabar region (the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent) that includes the current state of Kerala in India or southwestern coast.
Vellore – A city in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and one of the sought-after tourist places known as ‘Fort City.’