King Sitawaka Rajasinghe I [1581-1592 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Mayadunne [1521-1581 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Rajasinghe I [1581-1592 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Rajasuriya [1592 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo- Vimaladharmasuriya I [1592–1604] -House of Dinaraja-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The history of sixteenth-century Sri Lanka is inseparably associated with King Rājasinghe I (r. 1581–1592), the most formidable military commander produced by the Sītāvaka kingdom. Born as Prince Tikiri Bandāra, he was the youngest son of King Māyādunnē, the founder of Sītāvaka. Rājasinghe I is remembered in both indigenous and Portuguese sources as the “terror of the Portuguese,” a ruler who came closer than any other Sinhalese monarch to driving European colonial power from the island through sustained warfare and the effective adoption of modern military techniques.

Early Childhood and Royal Lineage

Tikiri Bandāra was born into the Savuḷu dynasty at a time of deep political instability. His father, Māyādunnē, was the brother of King Bhuvanekabāhu VII of Kotte. He had several siblings, though many sources note that his elder brothers either died young or lacked his ability and ambition. His brother Timbiripola Bandāra is frequently mentioned as an important commander during the early campaigns of Sītāvaka.

Rise to Power and Generalship

From an early age, Tikiri Bandāra demonstrated exceptional military aptitude. At only eleven or twelve years of age, he was entrusted with leading an army against the powerful regent Vidiyē Bandāra. He defeated him at Pelēnda, forcing the regent to flee into the hill country. During his successful operations at Alutnuwara, the people of the island first hailed him as Rājasinghe (Lion King), a title that remained with him throughout his life.

During the 1550s and 1560s, Rājasinghe served as the principal general of his father. He gained a fearsome reputation for discipline and tactical innovation, especially in his deployment of trained war elephants to counter Portuguese firearms. In May 1578, the aging Māyādunnē formally relinquished the throne and the title of emperor in his favor. When his father died in 1581, Rājasinghe I became the undisputed ruler of Sītāvaka.

Political Role and the Struggle Against Portugal

The central political objective of Rājasinghe I was the unification of Sri Lanka under Sītāvaka and the total elimination of Portuguese power. He regarded the Christian king Dharmapāla of Kotte as a foreign puppet and a betrayer of the Sinhalese Buddhist heritage. Presenting himself as the defender of the Sinhala people, Rājasinghe exploited widespread resentment against Portuguese religious and political interference to strengthen his authority.

Major Battles and Sieges

The Battle of Mullēriyāva (1561/62) was Rājasinghe‘s most celebrated triumph. He encircled a Portuguese force of 250 soldiers and about 800 lascarins, destroying nearly half the European contingent. This victory shattered the myth of Portuguese invincibility in open warfare.

The Siege of Kotte (1560–1565) represented a prolonged campaign in which Rājasinghe maintained near-constant pressure on the city. In the final assault, he diverted the Diyawanna River, depriving the capital of its natural defenses. Severe famine followed, and contemporary sources claim that the trapped Portuguese resorted to cannibalism. Ultimately, the Portuguese dismantled Kotte and withdrew to Colombo with Dharmapāla.

The Siege of Colombo (1587–1588) marked the height of Rājasinghe’s power. He deployed an army estimated at more than 50,000 men and around 2,200 elephants, employing advanced siege techniques and even constructing a fleet to blockade the harbor. Despite nearing success, he was defeated by Portuguese naval reinforcements arriving from Goa.

Conquest of Kandy

In 1581, Rājasinghe invaded the central highlands and defeated King Karalliyaddē Bandāra at the Battle of Balana. This victory made him ruler of the largest territory held by a Sinhalese king since Parākramabāhu VI (1412-1467 CE). Karalliyaddē’s daughter Kusumāsana Dēvi (Dona Catherina) and his nephew Yamasinha Bandāra (Dom Felipe) fled under Portuguese protection to Mannar.

Religious Policies and Literature

In his later years, Rājasinghe’s rule entered a controversial phase. Alienated by the Buddhist Saṅgha, whom he suspected of conspiracy, he renounced Buddhism and embraced Śaivite Hinduism. He initiated a campaign of religious repression, executing monks, destroying Buddhist manuscripts, and transferring the revenues of the Temple of the Tooth and the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihāra to non-Buddhist priests and wandering Andi ascetics.

This shift seriously weakened his legitimacy among the population. Nevertheless, literary activity continued, with royal praise poems such as the Pärakumbā-sirita and war ballads known as Hatan Kavi, although these works never equalled the literary flowering of the earlier Kotte period.

The End of the Reign

The collapse of Rājasinghe I was swift. In 1592, a rebellion erupted in Kandy led by Konappu Bandāra, who ruled as Vimaladharmasūriya I after returning from Portuguese Goa. Rājasinghe advanced into the highlands but was decisively defeated at the Kadugannāva pass. While he was campaigning, the Portuguese seized the opportunity to destroy the Sītāvaka fortifications at Biyagama and Kaduwela.

Retreating to his palace at Petangoda, the king suffered a fatal injury when a bamboo splinter pierced his foot. The wound became infected, and Rājasinghe I died in March 1593, aged approximately fifty to sixty. His death created a political vacuum that led to the rapid disintegration of the Sītāvaka kingdom. Despite the cruelty of his final years, he remains revered in popular tradition as a national hero under the name Ganēgoḍa Deviyō.

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). Portuguese rule in Kōṭṭe 1594-1638. In K. M. de Silva (Ed.), History of Ceylon: Volume II (pp. 123-143). University of Peradeniya.
Codrington, H. W., & Hocart, A. M. (1926). A Short History of Ceylon. Mac Millan 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.
De Silva, K. M. (Ed.). (1995). History of Sri Lanka (Vols. 2–3). The University of Peradeniya.
Fonseka, P. (2010). The ancient city of Kōṭṭe and its fortification. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, 56, 57-117.
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.
Obeyesekere, D. (1911). Outlines of Ceylon history. Times of Ceylon.
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)

Predecessor		Successor
Mayadunne [1521-1581 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Rajasinghe I [1581-1592 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Rajasuriya [1592 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA