King Pararajasinha of Raigama [1521-1538 CE]

King Pararajasinha [1521-1538 CE] of Raigama Kingdom

Predecessor		Successor
Vijayabahu VI [1513-1521 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Pararajasinha [1521-1538 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Mayadunne [1521-1581 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The early sixteenth century in Sri Lanka was marked by severe political fragmentation, shaped both by the arrival of European powers and by intense dynastic rivalries within the island. King Pararājasinha (r. 1521-1538 CE CE), more commonly identified in historical chronicles as Raigam Bandāra (Rayigam Bandāra), emerged as a key figure during this transitional phase. His life and reign were inseparably connected to the Vijayabā Kollaya, the palace coup of 1521, and to the subsequent division of the Kotte kingdom.

Royal Lineage and Early Childhood

Pararājasinha was born into an unusual and complex royal household. He was one of the sons of King Vijayabāhu VI and his brother Śrī Rājasinha. According to the Rājāvaliya and other contemporary sources, the two brothers shared a single consort, a princess from the Kirivälle royal lineage. From this polyandrous union, three sons survived into adulthood: the eldest, Bhuvanaikabāhu VII; the middle son, Pararājasinha (Raigam Bandāra); and the youngest, Māyādunnē. Pararājasinha also had an elder brother named Mahā Raigam, who died at the age of ten.

His childhood unfolded within the royal environments of Menikkadavara and Raigama, where his father and uncle exercised authority as regional rulers under the authority of the Kotte throne. After the death of his first queen, King Vijayabāhu VI married another princess from Kirivälle and attempted to secure the succession for her son Devarājasinha, thereby effectively disinheriting his three elder sons.

The Rise to Power: The Vijayabā Kollaya

The decisive turning point in Pararājasinha’s political ascent was the Vijayabā Kollaya (the overthrow of Vijayabāhu) in 1521 CE. When the three brothers discovered their father’s plan to have them eliminated, they fled the capital. Pararājasinha and Bhuvanaikabāhu sought temporary refuge in Jaffna, while Māyādunnē travelled to the central highlands to seek assistance from King Jayavira of the Udarata (Kandyan) kingdom.

With the support of a powerful Kandyan army, the brothers returned to Jayawardhanapura Kotte to challenge their father. The royal troops, already disillusioned by Vijayabāhu’s recent military failures against the Portuguese and by his attempts to disinherit his sons, refused to defend him. The palace was sacked, and since Sinhalese subjects were reluctant to shed the blood of their sovereign, the brothers employed a foreigner named Salmā to enter the royal chambers and assassinate Vijayabāhu VI. After the revolt, the kingdom was divided: Bhuvanaikabāhu VII became King of Kotte; Māyādunnē established the kingdom of Sītāwaka; and Pararājasinha received the principality of Raigama.

The Raigama Kingdom and Political Role

Pararājasinha’s kingdom was founded on the ancestral lands of the Alakēśvara family. His territory was extensive, incorporating the Raigama, Valallaviti, and Pasyodun (Pasdun) korales. Although he adopted the regnal name Pararājasinha, contemporary sources note that he was never formally granted the title of yuvarāja (heir-apparent), which explains why he continued to be known primarily as Raigam Bandāra.

Politically, Pararājasinha occupied an unstable middle position. His elder brother Bhuvanaikabāhu VII enjoyed the prestige of the Kotte throne and control over key maritime ports, while his younger brother Māyādunnē emerged as the dominant figure of the period, committed to expelling the Portuguese and unifying the island under Sītāwaka. Pararājasinha initially maintained a neutral or supportive relationship with Māyādunnē, as both viewed Bhuvanaikabāhu’s increasing dependence on Portuguese military assistance as a betrayal of indigenous interests. From his fortified capital at Raigama, he governed as a semi-autonomous ruler while the conflict between Kotte and Sītāwaka steadily intensified.

Relationship with the Portuguese and Other Encounters

Pararājasinha’s relationship with the Portuguese was largely shaped by his opposition to their expanding influence in the coastal regions. After the first Portuguese arrival in 1505 and the construction of a fort in Colombo in 1518, the Europeans became the principal military protectors of the Kotte monarchy.

He allied with Māyādunnē in several early attempts to undermine the Kotte–Portuguese partnership. He was especially critical of Bhuvanaikabāhu VII’s decision in 1540 to dispatch an embassy to Lisbon so that a golden statue of his grandson Dharmapāla could be crowned by King João III, an act that effectively reduced Kotte to the status of a Portuguese vassal. Nevertheless, historical evidence suggests that Pararājasinha lacked the aggressive military drive of Māyādunnē, functioning more as a secondary ally than as an independent strategist in campaigns against Portuguese strongholds. His reign was therefore marked more by administrative governance of the southern lowlands than by the dramatic military confrontations that later defined Sītāwaka.

The End of the Reign and Succession

King Pararājasinha died around 1538 CE. The chronicles record no heirs to his throne, a situation that immediately invited intervention from his younger brother.

Following the death of the “King of Raigam,” Māyādunnē advanced into the territory and annexed the Raigama kingdom into the realm of Sītāwaka. Some sources state that Pararājasinha had earlier relinquished active rule and settled at Mapitigama in the Atulugam korale, which formed part of Sītāwaka. Bhuvanaikabāhu did not oppose this development and formally legitimized Māyādunnē’s occupation by granting him Raigama after Pararājasinha’s death.

This annexation proved to be a decisive strategic achievement for Māyādunnē, as it greatly expanded Sītāwaka’s manpower, resources, and access to the southern coastal districts. The absorption of Pararājasinha’s territory effectively ended Raigama as an independent political entity and consolidated the bipolar struggle between a Portuguese-supported Kotte and a resistant Sītāwaka. Pararājasinha thus remains a significant yet tragic figure: a ruler who rose through a violent revolution to claim a kingdom, only to see his legacy absorbed by the very brother who had helped him secure it.

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

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.
De Silva, K. M. (Ed.). (1995). History of Sri Lanka (Vols. 2–3). The University of Peradeniya.
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.
Ilangasinha, H. B. M. (1992). Buddhism in medieval Sri Lanka. Sri Satguru Publications.
Mendis, O. (1998). The story of the Sri Lankans. Sridevi Publication.
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)
Wijesekara, N. (1990). The Sinhalese. M. D. Gunasena & Co.

Predecessor		Successor
Vijayabahu VI [1513-1521 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Pararajasinha [1521-1538 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Mayadunne [1521-1581 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA