Royal Palace of Hanguranketha

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Hanguranketha, a small town in the Nuwara Eliya District, was historically known as Diyatilakepura or Diyatilaka Nuwara during the Kandyan Kingdom. It frequently served as a temporary capital for the Kingdom of Kandy. The first royal palace in Hanguranketha was built by King Senarath (1604-1635), according to Rajavaliya. (Seneviratna, 1983, pp. 136–137)

King Senarath’s rule primarily focused on addressing internal conflicts. Having previously been a Buddhist monk, his leadership was guided by righteousness rather than political cunning. When facing threats from the Portuguese, he initially retreated to Meda Maha Nuwara with the Sacred Tooth Relic before seeking refuge in Diyatilaka Nuwara and later Bintenne (Seneviratna, 1983).

Historical records indicate that Kings Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasinghe (1707–1739) and Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe (1739–1747) designated Hanguranketha as the secondary capital of Kandy and had a palace constructed in the town.

However, in 1803, this palace—then occupied by Sri Wickrama Rajasinhe (1798–1815), the last king of Sri Lanka—was set ablaze by British forces led by Major Johnson. Some historians suggest that the palace was finally destroyed during the 1818 rebellion instead.

This palace would have been grand based on the writings of Robert Knox (1681, pp. 34–35), who was a free-roaming prisoner of King Rajasinhe. Knox describes the palace as below ;

His Palace, Situation and Description of it : He keeps his Court at Digligy-nour (Diyathilaka Nuwara, now Hanguranketha), whither he fled in a Rebellion against him. His Palace stands adjoining to a great Hill, which was before mentioned; near unto that part of the Hill next abutting upon his Court none dares presume to set his foot: that being for his safeguard to fly unto in time of need.

The Palace is walled about with a Clay Wall, and Thatched, to prevent the Claye’s being melted by the Rains, which are great and violent: Within this Wall, it is all full of houses; most of which are low and thatched; but some are two Stories high, and tyled very handsomely, with open Galleries for Air, rayled about with turned Banisters, one Ebony, and one painted, but not much Prospect, standing between two Hills. And indeed the King lives there not so much for pleasure as security.

The Palace it self hath many large and stately Gates two leaved; these Gates, with their Posts excellently carved; the Iron work thereunto belonging, as Bolts and Locks, all rarely engraven. The Windows inlayd with Silver Plates and Ebony. On the top of the houses of his Palace and Treasury, stand Earthen Pots at each corner; which are for ornament; or which is a newer fashion, something made of Earth resembling Flowers and Branches. And no Houses besides, except Temples, may have these placed upon them.

The contrivance of his Palace is, as I may say, like Woodstock Bower, with many turnings and windings, and doors, he himself having ordered and contrived all these Buildings, and the manner of them.

At all the Doors and Passages stand Watches: and they who thus give attendance are not to pass without special Order from one place to another, but are to remain in that place or at that Gate, where the King hath appointed them. By means of these contrivances it is not easie to know in what part or place his Person is, neither doth he care they should.

Historical accounts indicate that King Narendrasinha (1707–1739) held his royal court in Hanguranketha. His successor, King Vijaya Rajasinha (1739–1747), also spent most of his reign there, earning him the title “King of Hanguranketha” (Seneviratna, 1983).

Attacks on the Palace at Hanguranketha

The first recorded assault on the palace occurred in 1765 when the Dutch attempted to seize King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747–1781). As noted by Raven-Hart (1964), Dutch Governor Van Eck launched an offensive against the Kandyan Kingdom but faced significant resistance and was forced to retreat. In 1765, the Dutch made another attempt and entered Kandy, only to find that the King had relocated to the Hanguranketha Palace along with the Sacred Tooth Relic and royal treasures. While Kandy was extensively looted, Hanguranketha was also attacked and set ablaze, but the King remained out of reach.

In 1803, the British launched a similar campaign against Kandy, led by General Hay Macdowall and Colonel Burton Gage Barbutt, each advancing from Colombo and Trincomalee, respectively. Upon reaching Kandy and finding it abandoned, they pursued the King to Hanguranketha. Once again, the palace was found empty and subsequently burned by the British forces before they returned to Kandy.

References suggest that the palace was later rebuilt, as King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe is believed to have resided there. A 1810 report notes the palace had a red-tiled roof (Dissanayake, 1997, pp. 61–62).

John Davy, (1821, p. 441), mentions that when the British entered Kandy in 1815, the Hanguranketha Palace and its adjoining temple were still in good condition. However, by the time he was writing “An Account of the Interior of Ceylon and of Its Inhabitants, With Travels in That Island” , little remained of the original palace, with only faint traces of its ruins left.

Remains of Hanguranketha Palace

A stone door frame from the Hanguranketha Palace now decorating the Pothgul Viharaya

When the magnificent Hanguranketha Palace was destroyed, only its granite structures were remaining. Many of these surviving stone elements were later incorporated into the construction of the Hanguranketha Pothgul Viharaya, which once housed an extensive collection of historic Buddhist writings. One of the exquisitely carved stone door frames at the main entrance to the temple is one such item.

According to J. P. Lewis (1921), the door and frame of the image house at Pathahewaheta Thalawa Rajamaha Viharaya were originally from the Hanguranketha Royal Palace. The inner doorway was adorned with two ivory borders featuring leaf patterns, while additional strips of ivory decorated the outer frame and went over the door, dividing it into compartments.

Today, no trace of the former palace remains, not even its foundations. It is believed that the palace once stood where a paddy field, known as Vadana Paya, now lies, just below the recently restored Hanguranketha reservoir (Seneviratna, 1983).

Various artifacts from this palace are found in the following locations

Stone Door Frame : Hanguranketha Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya
Wooden Door Frame : Pathahewaheta Thalawa Rajamaha Viharaya
Trangular Moonstone: Hanguranketha Vishnu Devalaya
Trangular Moonstone: Colombo National Museum

The site was officially designated a protected archaeological area in 1996. However, for two decades, no excavations took place due to disputes with residents. In 2020, limited excavations were finally conducted, uncovering various artifacts that confirmed the existence of an ancient palace at the location. (Somapala, 2020)

Note that the location marked on the Google Map below is an approximate area and not the exact location.

References

Abeyawardhana, H. A. P. (2004). Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural, and historic sites. Kandurata Development Bank, in association with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Davy, J. (1821). An Account of the Interior of Ceylon and of Its Inhabitants, With Travels in That Island. Longman. Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown.
Dissanayake, S. B. (1997). දියතිලක නුවර : පැරණි ස්මාරක හා ස්ථාන. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Knox, R. (1681). An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, in the East-indies: Together, With an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers Other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author’s Miraculous Escape. Richard Chifwell.
Lewis, J. P. (1921). Kandyan Notes. The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, VII (part II), 108–113.
Seneviratna, A. (1983). Kandy: an Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments With Historical, Archaeological and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Raven-Hart, R. (1964). Ceylon : History in Stone (1st ed.). The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Somapala, T. M. (2020, October 24). නටබුන් අතරින් මතුවූ හඟුරන්කෙත රාජකීය මාලිගාව. Retrieved April 3, 2025, from https://www.lankadeepa.lk/Thaksalawa/නටබන-අතරන-මතව-හඟරනකත-රජකය-මලගව/55-580997

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