King Jayavira Bandara [1511-1551 CE]

http://amazinglanka.com/wp/kusumasana-devi-dona-catherina/ — King Senasammatha Vikramabahu [1473-1511 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Senasammatha Vikramabahu [1473-1511 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Jayavira Bandara [1511-1551 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Karaliyadde Bandara [1551-1581 CE] -House of Dinaraja-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The history of the Kandyan Kingdom (Udarata) during the sixteenth century is defined by its evolution from a semi-autonomous highland principality into a sovereign power capable of confronting the dominant lowland states. Central to this transformation was King Jayavīra Bandara (r. 1511–1551 CE), also known as Jayavīra Astāna or Vikramabāhu. As the son and successor of the founder Sēnāsammata Vikramabāhu, his reign was marked by complex diplomacy involving the Portuguese, the Kotte Kingdom, and the emerging power of Sītāvaka.

Royal Lineage and Early Life

Jayavīra Astāna belonged to the Savuļu dynasty. He was born to King Sēnāsammata Vikramabāhu and a princess from the Kirivälle royal house. His childhood unfolded in the Kandyan highlands at a time when his father was consolidating authority, establishing the capital at Senkadagalanuvara (Kandy), and asserting independence from Kotte.

Accounts of his siblings reveal intense internal rivalry. Jayavīra was not the uncontested heir and had at least one elder half-brother. According to the historian Fernão de Queyroz, his father favored the younger son, which generated bitter competition within the royal household.

Rise to Power: The Usurpation at Gannoruwa

Jayavīra’s accession around 1511 CE resulted from a calculated act of betrayal. The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon describes a dramatic episode at the Gannoruwa ferry. As the royal family crossed the Mahaweli River on a bridge made of cane, Jayavīra allowed his father and elder brother to go first, then ordered his followers to cut the bridge.

He subsequently had the kettledrums beaten in a hostile rhythm, announcing open rebellion. His father and brother were forced to flee, and Jayavīra seized control of the metropolis of Palnagurē (Gampola/Kandy). Although some chronicles portray him as a “usurper” who ruled harshly, his decisive seizure of power ensured the continued unity and autonomy of the Kandyan state at a time when much of the island was fragmenting.

Political Role: The Vijayabā Kollaya and Regional Diplomacy

Jayavīra Astāna played a decisive role in the major political upheaval of 1521 CE known as the Vijayabā Kollaya (The Sacking of Vijayabāhu). When the three princes of Kotte—Bhuvanekabāhu VII, Pararājasinha, and Māyādunnē—fled their father’s palace to escape assassination, the youngest, Māyādunnē, sought Jayavīra’s support.

Recognizing that a weakened Kotte would secure Kandyan independence, Jayavīra provided them with a powerful Kandyan army. This force enabled the princes to sack Kotte and assassinate King Vijayabāhu VI. Through this intervention, Jayavīra acted as a kingmaker, facilitating the partition of the Kotte Kingdom and ensuring that his allies, who were also connected through the Kirivälle lineage, gained control of Kotte, Rayigama, and Sītāvaka.

Battles and Relations with Kotte, Sītāvaka, and the Portuguese

By the middle of the century, relations between Kandy and the lowland rulers deteriorated. Jayavīra exploited their internal divisions to assert near-total independence and began cultivating direct relations with the Portuguese in early 1542.

This policy alarmed his former allies. In 1545, King Bhuvanekabāhu VII of Kotte and King Māyādunnē of Sītāvaka, temporarily suspending their rivalry, launched a joint invasion of the Kandyan kingdom. Their armies, led by Arya, the chief minister of Māyādunnē, attacked the Kandyan frontiers. With the mountain passes occupied, Jayavīra was forced to pay a heavy indemnity to secure peace.

In 1547, a Portuguese expedition under Antonio Moniz Barreto attempted to assist Kandy against Sītāvaka. However, when Jayavīra’s sincerity was questioned, Kandyan archers attacked Barreto’s forces, compelling the Portuguese to retreat disastrously through Sītāvaka. Despite this setback, Jayavīra later reconciled with Kotte by arranging the marriage of his daughter to Dharmapāla, the grandson and heir of Bhuvanekabāhu VII, in 1547.

Change of Faith: The Secret Baptism

Jayavīra engagement with Christianity was shaped by political necessity rather than genuine belief. Surrounded by hostile lowland states and aware of Portuguese military superiority, he treated conversion as a diplomatic instrument to secure foreign protection.

Seeking Portuguese support against a combined Sītāvaka–Kotte threat, Jayavīra invited a Franciscan friar from Kotte and was secretly baptized on March 9, 1546. Nevertheless, he refused to declare his conversion publicly until a substantial Portuguese force arrived from India to safeguard his position. When such reinforcements failed to materialize and he was compelled to negotiate with his Buddhist rivals, Jayavīra publicly abandoned the Portuguese alliance and renounced Christianity to appease his subjects.

The End of the Reign: Exile and Death

The final phase of Jayavīra‘s reign was shaped by internal rebellion. His son Karalliyaddē Bandāra, a committed Catholic, openly embraced Christianity around 1562. Disillusioned with his father’s shifting loyalties and possibly anxious about the influence of children from a second consort, he led a revolt.

In 1551 CE, Karalliyaddē Bandāra expelled his father from Kandy. Jayavīra, deprived of his crown and royal elephant (Aira Vatta), sought refuge with his cousin Māyādunnē of Sītāvaka. Although Māyādunnē granted him a few villages for subsistence, he declined to help him reclaim the Kandyan throne. Jayavīra spent his remaining years in dependence within Sītāvaka, where he eventually died in exile, leaving his son to rule a kingdom that would soon fall under the overwhelming dominance of Rājasinha I.

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). The Kingdom of Kandy: Foundations and foreign relations to 1638. In K. M. de Silva (Ed.), History of Sri Lanka: Volume II of III (pp. 139-161). University of Peradeniya.
Codrington, H. W., & Hocart, A. M. (1926). A Short History of Ceylon. MacMillan and Co. Limited.
De Queyroz, F. (1930). The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon: Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Account of Ceylon (S. G. Perera, Trans.; Vols. 3–3). (Original work published 1687)
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.
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
Mendis, O. (1998). The story of the Sri Lankans. Sridevi Publication.
Obeyesekere, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom, 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Somaratna, G. P. V. (1969). Political history of the Kingdom of Kötte (c. A.D. 1400-1521) [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of London.

Predecessor		Successor
Senasammatha Vikramabahu [1473-1511 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Jayavira Bandara [1511-1551 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Karaliyadde Bandara [1551-1581 CE] -House of Dinaraja-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA