Heritage Articles

List of Adhigars of the Kandyan Kingdom (උඩරට රාජධානියේ අධිකාරම්වරු)

55 years ago1 month ago017 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(10 votes, average: 2.70 out of 5)

The title of “Adhigar” (Adigar) in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka referred to a high-ranking official or noble who held significant administrative and judicial authority. In Sinhala, he is called the “Adhikaram“. The position was one of the most powerful in the Kandyan court, second only to the king himself. Adhigars were entrusted with overseeing various aspects of governance, including implementing laws, administering justice, and managing royal affairs.

During ancient times, the rank of ‘Senevirat’ seems to be more aligned to the role of Adhigar of Kandyan Kingdom. Initially, there was only one Minister or Adhigar. But King Raja Sinha II (1635 – 1687) added a second and the last King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe (1798 – 1815), added a third (Keppetipola, 1922).

By the Kandyan period there existed two Adhigars who were styled Maha Nilames. Though an Adhigar was very powerful, his emoluments and influence were less than those of a Maha Dissawe, the Government of a province was added to his office of Adhigar. In addition to the great officers who formed the Council of State, every province and district had its Dissdwe or Ratemahatmaya.The Dewala and some temple establishments had also another class of rulers styled Basnayaka Nilames, who were secular chiefs appointed for the management of affairs connected with the Dewala temporalities. (Ekanayaka, 1876)

#	Name	Year	Notes
1	Hindagala (1^st Adhigar)¹	1634	During Raja Sinha II. Presumed to have died in office¹.
2	Gaskon (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1634¹	– During Raja Sinha II. Impaled¹. – Gascon (Gaskon) was of French descent and his father had settled in Kandy. They were close associates of the kings of Kandy. Gascon had been carrying on a secret correspondence with the Queen, but in an unguarded moment, while watching the painting of an image of the Queen, he snatched the brush from the artist’s hand and spotted a mole on a part of her body, which none but the royal eyes could have seen. The King, who was passing by, charged the Adigar with his faithlessness, and the self-convicted Minister was cast into prison and subsequently beheaded.³
3	Rampot (Angammana) – (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1650	– During Raja Sinha II. Died in office¹. – Was appointed as Dissawa of Matara despite attempts by the Dutch to discourage the appointment of a Sinhalese Dissawe. Thus when Rampot, who was sent to Matara as disawa, drove out the Dutch guards of Kirame and Katuwana and assumed the administration of the disawani, Kittenstein at once sent a force to recover the posts and to drive out the Sinhalese troops, and wrote to the king asking him to appoint a Dutchman as disawa⁴.
4	Unambuwe (1^st Adhigar)¹	1660	During Raja Sinha II. Died in office¹.
5	Rammolaka (1^st Adhigar)¹	1668	During Raja Sinha II. Died in office¹.
6	Morahela (1^st Adhigar)¹	1881	During Raja Sinha II. Died in office¹.
7	Weragama (1^st Adhigar)	1702	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
8	Ehelapola (1^st Adhigar)¹	1716	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
9	Rammolaka (1^st Adhigar)¹	1721	– During Narendra Sinha. Beheaded by the king¹. – He was found guilty of attempting to kill the king by planting sharpened spikes in the waters of the Mahaweli River where the king bathed. On that fateful day, the king observed a dragonfly seated on the water before taking the jump into the river. The king thought that this never could happen and inspected the bathing area and detected the poisoned spikes planted in the water.
10	Galagoda (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1723	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
11	Hulangamuwa (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1731	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
12	Dodanwela (1^st Adhigar)¹	1734	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
13	Ehelapola (1^st Adhigar)¹	1737	During Narendra Sinha. Died in office¹.
14	Pilimathalawa, Vijesundara Rajakaruna (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1742	During Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe. Died in office 1761¹.
15	Walagama alias Kapuwatta (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1752	During Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. Died in office¹.
16	Pilimathalawa (1^st Adhigar)¹	1760	During Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. Died in office¹.
17	Munwatta alias Galagoda (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1761	During Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. Died in office¹. Member of the Galagoda family, father of Galagoda, Dissawa of Nuwarakalawiya
18	Angammana (1^st Adhigar)¹	1767	During Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. Died in office¹. “ . . . . . .. descended from an old family.” “He was a man of influence and high rank.” He held office as Adigar, 1766-1786².
19	Pilimathalawa, Vijesundara Mudiyanse (1^st Adhigar)¹	1778	During Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. Died in office¹.
20	Dodanwela (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1782	During Rajadhi Raja Sinha. He was reduced from Adigarship and appointed Ratemahatmaya of Yatinuwara in which office he died.¹
21	Meegastenne alias Dumbara (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1787	During Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Promoted 1st Adigar in 1789¹.
22	Meegastenne alias Dumbara Snr. (1^st Adhigar)¹	1789	– During Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Died in office¹. – A descendant of Abayakon Rate Mahatmaya, Dumbara and held many high offices. A man of wealth and influence, died in 1798. Son-in-law Mampitiya Bandara, who was put to death by the last King².
23	Erawwawela (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1792	– During Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Was beheaded on the wilful orders of Meegastenne Adigar without the knowledge of the King.¹. – Disawe of Matale beheaded in 1798 or 1799 by order of Pilima Talauwe, Adigar. “ The King did not hear of it for several years and when Pilima Talauwe rebelled the king said, “if one Maha Nilame can behead another, surely I can behead an Adigar”².
24	Pilimathalawa (1^st Adhigar)¹	1792	– During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Beheaded¹. – Attempted to dispose of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe to become the king with the support of the British troops without success. ⁴
25	Meegastenne Dumbara Maha Nilame Jr. (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1797	– During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Died in office¹. – Went to Madras in 1795 as Ambassador with Denigommuwe Disawe and concluded a treaty with Lord Hobart, Governor of Madras. Disawe, Seven Korales and Saffragam; married a sister of Ehelapola Adigar and later the daughter of Pilima Talauwe².
26	Ehelapola (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1808¹	During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Promoted to 1st Adhigar in 1811¹.
27	Ehelapola (1^st Adhigar)¹	1811	– Instrumental in the demise of the Kingdom of Kandy. Banished in 1823¹. – Ehelapola was born in 1778, made Disawe in 1803; succeeded Meegastenne as the 2^nd Adigar in 1806. In 1812 he succeeded Pilimathalawa as 1^st Adigar when the latter rebelled and was put to death. He was transferred to Sabaragamuwa, and when in March 1814, he declined to return to Kandy on the orders of the King, he was deprived of his office which was given to Molligoda who killed many of Ehelapola’s followers. His brother, nephew, wife and four children were later put to death. He went over to the British and was given the titular office of First Adigar. He was afterwards arrested and detained at Colombo and “ although no charge was ever made against him, he was never restored to liberty. ” He was banished to Mauritius in 1825².
28	Unambuwe (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1811	During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Died in office¹.
29	Dullewe Siya Pattuwe Maha Nilame (3^rd Adhigar)¹	1811	During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. This marks the beginning of the appointment of Siya Pattuwe Maha Nilames¹.
30	Molligoda Senior (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1811	During Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. Promoted to 1st Adhigar in 1814¹.
31	Molligoda Senior (1^st Adhigar)¹	1814	Died in office 1823. Dissawa of the Satkorale¹.
32	Kapuwatta (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1814	Dismissed in 1836 but was pardoned by His Majesty and held the position of J. P. for the whole Island until his death in 1845¹.
33	Ellapola (3^rd Adhigar)¹ alias Kahande Mahante Nawaratne Wickremasinha Mudianse²	1815	– Appointed under the British Government¹. – held the office of Maha Lekam and then became Disawe, Three Korales, Second Adigar and Godapola Disawe, Matale. In 1815 he was Muhandiram of the Atapattu House Guard and Lekam, Royal Armoury. In British times he held the offices of Chief of the Hangidio of Matale and Wahalakada Muhandiram. He was tried by Court Martial 17^th October 1818, and found guilty of waging war against the King and was sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was afterwards varied to one of decapitation and he was executed on October 27th. 1818².
34	Molligoda Junior (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1819	Promoted 1st Adigar 1823¹.
35	Molligoda Junior (1^st Adhigar)¹	1823	– During Wimaladharmasuriya II. Died in the office¹. – In 1834 he was charged with high treason on the information of Mahawalatenna Dissawa and made to stand his trial in January 1835. He was acquitted of the charge, but the Government dismissed him from office and appointed Mahawalatenna First Adigar. As time went on, his innocence was acknowledged and the Governor paid a visit to his Walauwa and remained as his guest in 1839, and in 1843 he was reinstated as Disawa of the Four Korales but died in 1845⁵.
36	Ratwatta (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1824	Died in office 1827¹. Dissawa of Matale
37	Dullewa (2^nd Adhigar)¹	1828	Dismissed in connection with the Matale Rebellion and died in 1849¹.
38	Mahawalatenna (1^st Adhigar)¹	1836	Became the first Adigar after reporting Molligoda (Jnr.) Adigar for treason to the British⁵.
39	Mullegama – Siya Pattuwe Maha Nilame (3^rd Adhigar)¹	1836	– Died in office¹. – Disawe, Wellassa, 1815. He received a slave as a fee for appointing a man to the office of Rate Rala. He was appointed Adigar by the English Government. He was also Diwa Nilame. He was examined as a witness in the State Trial, in 1835. Mullegama Rate Mahatmaya, Nuwara Kalawiya.²
40	Dullewa (1^st Adhigar)¹	1887	Died in office in 1904¹.
41	Hulugalla (1^st Adhigar)¹	1905	Nominal Title. Member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. Dismissed in connection with the Anti-Moslem riots of 1915¹.
42	Meedeniya, J. H.¹	1920	Nominal Title. Was a Kandyan Member in the Legislative Council¹.
43	Sir Tikiri Bandara Panabokke II	1940	Nominal Title. Was the last Adigar to be appointed.

Sources :
1./ List of Adigars From the Time of Raja Sinha II (1922)
2./ The Chieftains of Ceylon (1936)
3./ Translations of Certain Documents, Family and Historical, Found in the Possession of the Descendants of M. Nanclars De Lanerolle, French Envoy to the Court of of Kandy
4./ A History of Ceylon for Schools (1932)
5./ Notes and Queries : Molligoda Adigar. The Ceylon Literary Register

References

Ekanayaka, A. (1876). On the Form of Government under the Native Sovereigns of Ceylon. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, New Series-8(2), 297–304.
Keppetipola, T. P. (1922). List of Adigars From the Time of Raja Sinha II (A D. 1634). The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, VII (part III), 185–186.
Ludovici, L. (1866). Translations of Certain Documents, Family and Historical, Found in the Possession of the Descendants of M. Nanclars De Lanerolle, French Envoy to the Court of of Kandy. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1865–66, 149–167.
Maha Adigar. (2024, April 27). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Adigar
Perera, S. G. (1932). A History of Ceylon for Schools. The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon.
Van Sanden, J. C. (1936). The Chieftains of Ceylon. Plate Limited.
N.Y.A. (1931). Notes and Queries : Molligoda Adigar. The Ceylon Literary Register (Third Series), II(I), 190–193.