King Karaliyadde Bandara [1551-1581 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Jayavira Bandara [1511-1551 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Karaliyadde Bandara [1551-1581 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Sitawaka Rajasingha I [1581-1591 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The history of the Kandyan Kingdom during the middle of the sixteenth century is marked by an intense struggle to preserve autonomy in the face of the expanding Sītāvaka Kingdom and an increasingly dependent relationship with the Portuguese. At the center of this turbulent period stood King Karalliyadde Bandara (r. 1551–1581 CE), the first ruler of Kandy to openly adopt Christianity.

Royal Lineage and Early Childhood

Karalliyadde Bandara belonged to the Savuļu dynasty and was born into a politically intricate royal household. He was the son of King Jayavira Bandara (also known as Jayavira Astāna and Vikramabāhu) and his chief queen, Kirivälle Biso Bandara. His mother was the daughter of his father’s sister and Kirivälle Maha Ralahamy, illustrating the close kinship networks that underpinned political authority among the highland elite.

He had one maternal half-sister, who was later married to King Dharmapāla of Kotte in 1547 as part of a strategic alliance against Sītāvaka. His early life, however, became overshadowed by dynastic rivalry. After the death of his mother, his father remarried a princess from the Gampola royal house and fathered another son, variously named Maha Astāna or Kumarasimha Adahasin in different sources. Although Karalliyadde remained the recognized heir, by the 1540s he grew increasingly suspicious that his stepmother was plotting to displace him in favor of her own son.

Rise to Power: The Rebellion of 1551

Political tensions in the Kandyan highlands reached a climax in late 1551. Motivated by fear and ambition, Karalliyadde Bandara rebelled against his father. He fled to Pansiya Pattu in the Dumbara division, where he secured the backing of local chieftains and the chiefs of the five divisions.

With this support, he launched a successful coup. His rival stepbrother was captured and executed, and his father, Jayavira Bandara, was driven out of Kandy. The deposed king, stripped of his royal authority and his elephant Airavatta, sought refuge in Sītāvaka under the protection of his cousin, King Māyādunnē. This violent transfer of power made Karalliyadde king but also ensured lasting hostility with Sītāvaka, which now sheltered a former Kandyan ruler who could be exploited for political ends.

Battles and Relations with Sītāvaka and Kotte

Karalliyadde’s reign was dominated by continuous conflict with the aggressive Sītāvaka state. Kings Māyādunnē and later his son Rājasinha I viewed the conquest of Kandy as essential to unifying the island and eliminating Portuguese influence. As a result, the Kandyan king was forced to adopt a defensive strategy, carefully navigating the rivalries of the lowlands.

In 1564, while Sītāvaka forces were besieging Kotte and Colombo, Karalliyadde intervened in support of the Portuguese and his relative Dharmapāla. He sent a force of about 5,000 Sinhalese soldiers and thirty Portuguese to attack the Seven Kōralēs. The expedition advanced as far as Chilaw and burned the port in an attempt to divert Rājasinha’s attention. Although the maneuver failed to lift the siege of Kotte, it confirmed Karalliyadde’s importance as a key ally of the Portuguese-Kotte coalition.

The Change of Faith: Conversion for Survival

The most significant religious development of Karalliyadde’s reign was his conversion to Christianity. While his father had earlier offered a nominal conversion in 1546 for diplomatic reasons, Karalliyadde became a committed Catholic and publicly embraced the faith around 1562-1564 and was baptized as Don João. He also accepted a permanent Portuguese garrison in the Kandyan capital to strengthen his defenses.

This conversion was driven largely by political necessity. Observing the rapid rise of Sītāvaka, Karalliyadde understood that if Kotte collapsed, Kandy would inevitably be targeted next. Dependence on Portuguese military support appeared to be his only realistic means of countering the superior manpower and experience of Rājasinha I. However, this decision carried heavy domestic consequences. It alienated much of his Buddhist population and estranged powerful sections of the Kandyan nobility, who regarded the new faith as a dangerous foreign intrusion.

The End of the Reign: The Battle of Balana

The final phase of Karalliyadde’s rule came in 1581 CE. After consolidating his power in the lowlands, Rājasinha I launched a massive invasion of the highlands with an army of around 30,000 men. Kandyan resistance was weakened by internal betrayal, as leading nobles, including Weerasundara Bandara of Peradeniya (father of future King Vimaladharmasuriya I), defected to support Sītāvaka.

The Kandyan forces were decisively defeated near the strategic Balana Pass. With his army destroyed and his kingdom lost, Karalliyadde fled toward the eastern coast, accompanied by his queen, his infant daughter Kusumāsana Devi (later baptized as Dona Catherina), and his nephew Yamasinha Bandara (later baptized as Dom Felipe).

His end was both sudden and tragic. At Trincomalee, while seeking support from the local Vanni chiefs and awaiting Portuguese assistance, both Karalliyadde Bandara and his queen died of smallpox. Before his death, he appointed Yamasinha Bandara as regent and heir for his young daughter. The survivors eventually reached Portuguese protection at Mannar. His death brought an end to Kandyan independence for more than a decade, as the kingdom fell under Sītāvaka control until the emergence of Vimaladharmasuriya I in 1593.

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.
Ilangasinha, H. B. M. (1992). Buddhism in medieval Sri Lanka. Sri Satguru Publications.
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
Jayavira Bandara [1511-1551 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Karaliyadde Bandara [1551-1581 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Sitawaka Rajasingha I [1581-1591 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA