King Dharmapala [1551-1597 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu VII [1521-1551 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Dharmapala [1551-1597 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	The Kingdom surrendered to Portuguese by a deed
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The reign of King Dharmapala (r. 1551–1597 CE), also known by his baptismal name Dom João Periya Bandāra, represents the final phase of the Kotte Kingdom as an independent Sinhalese polity. His four-decade rule was marked by a major transformation, from a sovereign Buddhist monarch to a puppet Christian king entirely reliant on Portuguese military protection. As the first and only Sinhalese ruler to formally transfer his kingdom to a European sovereign, Dharmapala’s reign remains one of the darkest periods in Sri Lankan history.

Royal Lineage and Early Childhood

Dharmapala was born around 1538 CE. He was the eldest son of Vidiyé Bandāra, a prince of South Indian origin and grandson of Sakalakalā Vallabha, and Princess Samudradévi, the only daughter of King Bhuvanaikabāhu VII and his principal queen. He had a younger brother named Wijayapāla Asthāna.

His early life in the royal court of Kotte was shaped by the intense political rivalry between his grandfather and his great-uncle, Māyādunnē of Sītāvaka. Since Bhuvanaikabāhu VII had no legitimate male heir, customary succession laws favored Māyādunnē. To prevent this outcome, Bhuvanaikabāhu sought assistance from the Portuguese in order to secure the throne for his grandson.

Rise to Power: The Effigy Crowning

In a decisive act that effectively reduced Kotte to a dependent state, Bhuvanaikabāhu VII dispatched an embassy to Lisbon in 1541 under the leadership of the minister Śrī Rādhārākṣa Paṇḍita. The envoys carried with them a golden effigy of the infant Dharmapala, which was presented to King João III of Portugal. During a formal public ceremony, the Portuguese king crowned the statue, thereby recognizing Dharmapala as the legitimate heir to the throne of Kotte.

After the suspicious death of Bhuvanaikabāhu VII at Kelaniya in 1551, widely believed to have been orchestrated by the Portuguese, the twelve-year-old Dharmapala was proclaimed king. His father, Vidiyé Bandāra, initially acted as regent and successfully resisted early military campaigns from Sītāvaka. However, the Portuguese soon arranged for the elimination of Vidiyé Bandāra, ensuring that the young king remained a compliant figure under their influence.

Reign and the Portuguese Alliance

Throughout his reign, Dharmapala depended entirely on Portuguese military power for protection against the expanding authority of Rājasinha I of Sītāvaka.

Conversion to Christianity

A turning point occurred in 1557, when Dharmapala was baptized by the Franciscan friar João de Vila Conde and adopted the name Dom João. His queen was baptized at the same time, taking the name Dona Catherina. This conversion deeply alienated the king from the Buddhist population and the Sangha, who regarded him as having lost his legitimacy under traditional law. Following a riot led by the monk Buddhavamsa, the Portuguese executed thirty monks in order to consolidate the king’s position.

The Siege and Abandonment of Kotte

Between 1560 and 1565, the rulers of Sītāvaka maintained a near-continuous siege of Kotte. During the final assault in 1565, Rājasinha I diverted the Diyawanna river, exposing the fortress to attack. Food supplies became so scarce that the defenders reportedly survived by eating elephants, horses, dogs, cats, and other “unclean vermin.” Acknowledging that the capital could no longer be defended, the Portuguese viceroy ordered the dismantling of Kotte in July 1565. Dharmapala and the remaining population were relocated to the fortified harbor of Colombo, leaving the former capital to be reclaimed by the surrounding forest.

Contributions to the Country and Buddhism

Dharmapala’s so-called contributions were largely detrimental to the island’s traditional institutions, shaped by his religious conversion and political dependence.

In relation to Buddhism, Dharmapala withdrew royal patronage and pursued a policy of active persecution. He seized the properties of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya and the Temple of the Tooth in Kotte, transferring their lands and revenues to the Franciscan Order for the maintenance of Catholic colleges. The Sacred Tooth Relic was secretly removed from Kotte and taken to Sītāvaka for protection.

In the field of literature, political instability and the migration of scholar-monks to the interior regions of Kandy and Sītāvaka caused a marked decline in traditional Sinhalese literary production. At the same time, the period witnessed the introduction of Western educational methods and the creation of Portuguese–Sinhalese religious writings.

In administration, although merely a symbolic ruler, Dharmapala was employed by the Portuguese as a means of legitimizing territorial expansion. He was frequently taken through contested regions in public processions to suppress resistance and create the appearance of lawful authority.

The End of the Reign and the Deed of Gift

In his final years, Dharmapala lived in what contemporary sources describe as a “pitiful condition” in Colombo, often appealing to the King of Portugal for protection against the arrogance and mistreatment of local Portuguese officials.

Since he had no legitimate heirs, Dharmapala took the unprecedented step of issuing a Deed of Gift in 1580. Through this document, he transferred his entire kingdom, including Kotte, Sītāvaka, Rayigama, and Kandy, to King Philip I of Portugal. The deed was formally ratified in 1583, and Dharmapala explicitly excluded his relatives from any claim to the throne.

King Dharmapala died in May 1597 and was buried with full military honors at the Convent of St. Francis in Colombo. Following his death, the Portuguese Captain-General, Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo, convened an assembly at which the nobles of Kotte were compelled to swear allegiance to King Philip II of Portugal. His death marked the definitive end of the sovereign Sinhalese monarchy in the maritime regions and inaugurated approximately 150 years of direct Portuguese rule over the lowlands.

Ancient Manuscripts Detailing the Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

Sovereigns of Sri Lanka are chronicled in several ancient manuscripts. These texts not only record the lineages of kings but also the significant events and developments of their reigns. Some of the most significant ancient sources are:

Dipavamsa: compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, and the earliest known historical chronicle
Mahavamsa: Initially compiled by Mahanama Thero in the 5th or 6th century CE, this chronicle was later expanded upon by other authors who added additional chapters. Covers events up until the reign of King Mahasena of Anuradhapura
Culavamsa: Starts where the Mahavamsa stops and records the history of Sri Lankan rulers from the 4th century to 1815. Mahavamsa and Culavamsa are often seen as one extended chronicle, commonly referred to simply as the Mahavamsa.
Pujavaliya: Written by a monk in or around 1266 during the reign of King Panditha Parakrama Bahu of Dambadeniya Kingdom
Rajavaliya: A 17th-century historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, covering the history of the island from its beginnings up to the accession of King Vimaladharmasurya II in 1687.

References

Abeyasinghe, T. B. H. (1995). Portuguese rule in Kōṭṭe, 1594-1638. In K. M. de Silva (Ed.), History of Ceylon: Volume II (pp. 123-143). University of Peradeniya.
Codrington, H. W. (1933). The Gampola period of Ceylon history. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 32(86), 260–309.
De Silva, C. R. (1977). The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Sitawaka. The Ceylon Journal of Historical and Social Studies, 7(1), 1-43.
Ferguson, D. (1909). The history of Ceylon, from the earliest times to 1600 A.D., as related by João de Barros and Diogo do Couto. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 20(60), 1-445.
Geiger, W., & Rickmers, C. M. (1929). Culavamsa: Being The More Recent Part Of The Mahavamsa: Vol. Part II–II. Pali Text Society. (Original work published 1815)
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
Paranavitana, S. (1961). The emperor of Ceylon at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. University of Ceylon Review, 19, 10–29.
Somaratna, G. P. V. (1969). Political history of the Kingdom of Kötte (c. A.D. 1400-1521) [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of London.
Valentijn, F. (1978). François Valentijn’s Description of Ceylon (S. Arasaratnam, Trans.). Hakluyt Society. (Original work published 1724)

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu VII [1521-1551 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Dharmapala [1551-1597 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	The Kingdom surrendered to Portuguese by a deed
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA