Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha [1781-1798 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha [1781-1798 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Vikrama Rajasinha [1798-1815 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha (r. 1782–1798), also written as Rājādhirājasinha, was the third monarch of the Nāyakkar dynasty to rule the Kandyan Kingdom. His eighteen-year reign unfolded during a decisive geopolitical transition, marked by the collapse of Dutch maritime dominance and the first determined efforts of the British Empire to secure control over the island.

Lineage and Early Childhood

Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha was born in the early eighteenth century as the second son of Nārenappā Nāyakkar, a powerful Telugu-speaking nobleman from the outskirts of Madura (Madurai) in South India. His family entered Sri Lankan politics when his sister was selected as the chief queen of the childless Sinhalese king Śrī Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha.

Unlike the first two Nāyakkar monarchs, who arrived in Kandy as adolescents or young men, Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha was born and raised within the Kandyan court. He grew up alongside his elder brother, the future king Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha, and a younger brother who was born in Sri Lanka.

From an early age he was prepared for kingship. He received a rigorous education under two of the era’s most eminent Buddhist monks, including the learned Weliwita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thera, principal architect of the eighteenth-century Buddhist revival. His scholarly training enabled him to master Pali, Sanskrit, and Sinhalese.

Rise to Power and Accession (1782)

During the long reign of his brother Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha, he served as uparāja (sub-king), actively assisting in governance and defense. The three Nāyakkar brothers avoided the fratricidal rivalries characteristic of earlier periods and instead worked in mutual cooperation.

His accession followed a tragic accident. In late 1781, Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha sustained severe injuries after falling from his horse and died on 2 January 1782. As he left no legitimate children through his ran dōli (golden queens), the succession passed peacefully to Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha. He was consecrated with great ceremony at Senkadagala Nuwara (Kandy), continuing the Aśokan model of Buddhist kingship established by his brother.

Relations with the British: A Policy of Calculated Caution

His reign commenced during the American War of Independence, which had extended Anglo-Dutch hostilities into Asia. Within months of his coronation, he received the Hugh Boyd mission (1782). The British, having temporarily captured Trincomalee from the Dutch, sought a Kandyan alliance for supplies and military cooperation to eliminate Dutch authority entirely.

The king responded cautiously. Remembering the British failure to assist Kandy during the Pybus mission of 1762, he suspected that British overtures were motivated by commercial and strategic interests. He diplomatically delayed negotiations, insisting that any treaty must originate directly from the King of England rather than from the Madras Presidency of the East India Company. His caution proved justified: the British soon lost Trincomalee to the French, who later restored it to the Dutch.

Diplomatic engagement intensified during the Robert Andrews missions of 1795–1796. As the Dutch Republic fell under French control, the British moved to annex all Dutch possessions in Sri Lanka. Andrews attempted to secure a monopoly over Kandyan trade. Although a preliminary treaty was signed in October 1795, the king and his ministers were dissatisfied—particularly with the British refusal to grant Kandy an autonomous seaport. He died before the negotiations reached final ratification.

Relations with the Dutch: Embargo and Strategic Stalemate

Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha inherited a kingdom effectively landlocked under the Dutch Treaty of 1766. His dealings with Dutch governors, notably Iman Willem Falck and Van der Graaff, resembled a prolonged strategic stalemate.

In 1791, Governor Van der Graaff, suspecting Kandyan hostility, imposed a harsh salt embargo, intending to force submission by denying the kingdom access to a basic necessity. The population resorted to unhealthy potash substitutes. In response, the king supported a low-country rebellion in Mātara, where Kandyan forces assisted local inhabitants in rejecting Dutch authority.

By the end of his reign, however, the Dutch administration was financially weakened and adopted a more conciliatory stance, increasingly anxious about expanding British power.

Scholarly and Cultural Contributions

Among the Nāyakkar rulers, Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha stands out as the most intellectually accomplished. A skilled poet and serious student of Buddhist scripture, he composed the Asadisa-dā-kava, a refined Sinhalese poem based on the Asadisa Jātaka.

His patronage of the Śāsana was substantial. He rebuilt the walls and the Uposatha Hall of Malwattu Vihāra and maintained the structured almsgiving and religious endowments established during his brother’s reign. Literary and religious revival continued under his supervision. Despite the foreign origins of his dynasty, he enjoyed broad popularity due to his authentic commitment to Buddhist cultural identity.

Internal Administration and the Rise of Pilimathalawa

In domestic governance, increasing authority shifted toward the radala aristocracy. In his later years, effective political control increasingly rested with his First Adigār, Pilimathalawa. An able yet ambitious statesman, Pilimathalawa sought to preserve the Nāyakkar dynasty nominally while consolidating real power in his own hands. This redistribution of authority would significantly influence the kingdom’s trajectory under the next ruler.

Death and Succession Crisis

Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha died childless in 1798. His death triggered a succession crisis, as no clear heir had been formally designated according to customary norms. Exploiting this vacuum, Pilimathalawa bypassed senior claimants and installed the eighteen-year-old youth Kannasāmy, the king’s nephew, as the next monarch, Śrī Vikrama Rājasinha.

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). 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.
Tammita-Delgoda, S. (1975). History of Sri Lanka. In K. M. De Silva (Ed.), The English East India Company and Sri Lanka (Vols. 2–3, pp. 531–552). University of Peradeniya.
Blaze, L. E. (1900). A history of Ceylon. Christian Literature Society.
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.
Ilangasinha, H. B. M. (1992). Buddhism in medieval Sri Lanka. Sri Satguru Publications.
Obeyesekere, D. (1911). Outlines of Ceylon history. Times of Ceylon.
Obeyesekere, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Tammita-Delgoda, S. (1995). The English East India Company and Sri Lanka 1760-1796. In K. M. de Silva (Ed.), History of Ceylon: Volume II (pp. 531–552). University of Peradeniya.
Wickremesekera, C. (2004). Kandy at War: Indigenous Military Resistance to European Expansion in Sri Lanka 1594-1818. Manohar Publishers & Distributors.
Wijesekera, N. (1998). Story of the Sri Lankans. Sridevi Publication.

Predecessor		Successor
Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha [1781-1798 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Sri Vikrama Rajasinha [1798-1815 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA