King Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Sri Vijaya Rajasinha [1739-1747 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha [1781-1798 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

King Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha (r. 1747–1781), the second ruler of the Nāyakkar dynasty, though South Indian by birth and raised within a Hindu cultural background, his reign became defined by an extraordinary and sustained commitment to reviving Theravāda Buddhism. He governed amid constant pressure: the expanding power of the Dutch East India Company, internal conspiracies among his own chiefs, and the first formal diplomatic contacts with the British Empire.

Royal Lineage and Early Childhood

Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha was born in 1731 on the outskirts of Madura (modern-day Madurai, India) into a Telugu-speaking Nāyakkar family. He was the son of Narenappā Nāyakkar, an ambitious and capable figure who later emerged as a powerful broker within the Kandyan court. The family’s connection to Sri Lankan politics began when his sister was selected as aggamahēsi (chief queen) to the childless King Śrī Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha.

As a child, the prince was brought to Senkadagala Nuwara (Kandy) together with his father and two brothers. Both were eventually elevated to the rank of uparāja (sub-king) and remained loyal allies throughout his reign. Raised within the inner circle of the palace, Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha was shaped by both Hindu and Buddhist influences. He was educated under a mentor deeply grounded in Buddhist doctrine—most likely the learned monk Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero—who prepared him for a future role as protector of the faith.

Rise to Power: Minority and Consecration

When his brother-in-law, King Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha, died in August 1747, the sixteen-year-old prince ascended the throne. His youth and foreign birth initially reassured sections of the Kandyan nobility, who likely assumed he would be pliable. During the early years of his reign, his father, Narenappā Nāyakkar, exercised substantial authority, often sidelining native chiefs and monopolizing trade. These actions fostered growing resentment among the aristocracy.

His formal consecration took place only in January 1751. To secure legitimacy in a polity where kingship was inseparable from Buddhism, he adopted an explicitly Aśokan model of rule. He publicly embraced Buddhism, and his queens followed his example, renouncing their ancestral Hindu traditions in favor of the faith of their subjects.

Restoration of the Buddhist Order

Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha’s most enduring achievement was the revival of the upasampadā (higher ordination), which had lapsed in Sri Lanka. Acting on the advice of Weliwita Sri Saranankara, he dispatched an embassy in 1750 to King Boromakot of Siam (Thailand), using Dutch ships for the voyage. In 1753, a delegation of monks led by Upāli Thera arrived in Kandy.

At the Malwatta Vihāraya, the higher ordination was ceremonially restored. The king appointed Weliwita Sri Saranankara as the Saṅgharāja (chief prelate). This act carried immense political weight: Buddhists across the island—including those under Dutch control—were drawn symbolically toward the Kandyan throne as guardian of the Śāsana. He also reclaimed Sumanakūṭa (Adam’s Peak) from Saivite custodians and restored it to Buddhist administration.

Internal Challenges: The Assassination Plot of 1760

Despite these achievements, suspicion of his “alien” origins persisted among segments of the Sinhalese nobility. In 1760, a grave conspiracy sought his assassination. The ringleaders included the Second Adigār, Samanakkoḍi, and some members of the religious hierarchy, notably the upa-saṅgharāja Tibboțuvāvē, a cousin of Samanakkoḍi.

The conspirators planned to lure the king to a religious festival at Malwatta Vihāraya and kill him by collapsing his throne into a concealed pit lined with iron spikes. They intended to replace him with a Siamese prince residing in Kandy disguised as a monk. The plot was foiled at the last moment by the loyalty of Galagoḍa Disāva and a Muslim merchant, Gopāla Mudali. The king executed the noble conspirators but spared the monks and deported the foreign prince, preserving his reputation as a just and merciful Buddhist ruler.

Conflict with the Dutch

Tensions with the Dutch escalated sharply in 1761. Frustrated by the Company’s tight control of maritime trade and closure of ports, Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha backed a widespread rebellion in the low country. Kandyan forces under Dumbara Disāva captured the Dutch forts at Mātara and Hanwella.

Dutch Invasions of 1764 and 1765

In 1764, Dutch Governor Baron van Eck launched a coordinated invasion from six directions, aiming to overwhelm Kandyan defenses and compel the king to accept Dutch sovereignty over the coast and a monopoly on cinnamon, areca nut, and elephant trade.

Departing Colombo for Negombo on 3 February 1764, van Eck led roughly 1,850 soldiers supported by nearly 7,000 porters and camp followers. The campaign faced severe difficulties from the begining: unmapped terrain, forested hills, monsoon rains, disease, desertion, and effective Kandyan guerrilla tactics. Supply lines were harassed and jungle paths obstructed. Unable to advance, van Eck retreated, reaching Colombo on 6 March 1764 and leaving a small garrison at Gonavila.

In early 1765, van Eck launched a second, more concentrated expedition with about 1,800 troops. On 16 February 1765, Dutch forces reached Katugastota, near Kandy. Recognizing the danger, Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha evacuated the capital, taking the Sacred Tooth Relic, his family, and treasures to the mountain stronghold of Hanguranketa. On 19 February, van Eck entered Kandy and occupied the deserted palace.

The Dutch imposed a scorched-earth policy, looting extensively. They burned villages, destroyed sacred texts, and devastated vihāra and rest houses. The palaces at Hanguranketa and Kundasāle were reduced to ashes. Van Eck seized a silver casket from the Temple of the Tooth Relic as plunder.

Yet victory proved unsustainable. Kandyan forces avoided open battle, attacking supply routes and outposts. Disease, famine, and psychological warfare crippled the Dutch garrison. On 4 March 1765, van Eck abandoned Kandy and died soon after reaching Colombo. The remaining garrison under Martyn Rein endured worsening conditions and finally withdrew on 31 August 1765. Although it failed to subdue the kingdom, the invasion severely disrupted Kandyan agriculture and trade.

The war concluded with the Treaty of 1766, negotiated by Governor Iman Willem Falck. The terms were deeply humiliating: Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha ceded the entire coastline of Sri Lanka to the Dutch, rendering Kandy landlocked and effectively confined within Company-controlled territory.

British and French Overtures

Seeking relief from Dutch maritime dominance, Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha turned to rival European powers. In 1762, he received the first official British envoy, John Pybus. The king sought military assistance to expel the Dutch, but British interest centered on trade concessions and territorial advantage, and negotiations collapsed.

Later, in 1778, he approached the French through Bellcombe, Governor of Pondicherry. He offered the strategic harbors of Trincomalee and Batticaloa in exchange for military aid. Although the French showed interest, shifting dynamics in the broader Anglo-French conflict prevented decisive action.

The Final Years and Death

Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha’s long and turbulent reign ended in 1781. He died from injuries sustained roughly two months earlier after falling from his horse. Days after his death, a second British mission under Hugh Boyd arrived at Trincomalee to find the king had passed away days before.

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. (1975). History of Sri Lanka. In K. M. De Silva (Ed.), The Kingdom of Kandy: Foundations and foreign relations to 1638 (Vols. 2–3, pp. 139–161). University of Peradeniya.
Arasaratnam, S. (1958). Dutch power in Ceylon, 1658-1687. Djambatan.
Codrington, H. W., & Hocart, A. M. (1926). A Short History of Ceylon. Mac Millan and Co Limited.
Dewaraja, L. S. (1988). The Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka 1707-1782. Stamford Lake (Pvt) Ltd.
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)
Holt, J. C. (1996). The religious world of Kirti Sri: Buddhism, art, and politics in late medieval Sri Lanka. Oxford University Press.
Obeyesekere, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Paulusz, J. H. O. (Ed.). (1954). Secret minutes of the Dutch Political Council, 1762. Government Press.
Raven-Hart, R. (Trans. & Ed.). (1964). The Dutch wars with Kandy 1764-1766. Ceylon Historical Manuscripts Commission.
Wickremesekera, C. (2004). Kandy at War: Indigenous Military Resistance to European Expansion in Sri Lanka 1594-1818. Manohar Publishers & Distributors.

Predecessor		Successor
Sri Vijaya Rajasinha [1739-1747 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha [1781-1798 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA