King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe [1739-1747 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha [1707–1739 CE]	Sri Vijaya Rajasinha [1739-1747 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The accession of King Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha (r. 1739–1747) marked a decisive turning point in the history of Sri Lanka. His rise to the throne ended the indigenous Sinhalese Savuḷu dynasty and inaugurated the Nāyakkar line of rulers. As the brother-in-law of King Śrī Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha, he moved from the position of a South Indian relative residing at court to that of sovereign monarch, consciously presenting himself as a defender and restorer of Theravāda Buddhism.

Lineage and Early Life in the Kandyan Court

Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha was born on the outskirts of Madura (modern-day Madurai, South India) into a family of Nāyakkar origin. He was the son of Pitți Nāyakkar, who, according to certain historical traditions, was initially a struggling subject of the King of Madura when he first came into contact with Kandyan envoys.

The family’s arrival in the central highlands followed the selection of his sister as aggamahēsi (chief queen) to King Narēndrasinha. From then on, the young prince was raised within the palace at Senkadagala Nuvara (Kandy). The court environment was both cosmopolitan and deeply rooted in tradition. Observing that his Madura queens remained childless, Narēndrasinha took a personal interest in preparing his brother-in-law for potential succession. The prince received both secular and religious training under the guidance of the learned monk Välivița Saranankara sāmaṇēra, one of the most respected scholars of the era.

The Succession Crisis and Rise to Power

The death of King Narēndrasinha on 13 May 1739 triggered a tense succession crisis. Although the late king had a surviving son, Unambuvē Bandāra, born to a secondary Kandyan wife of noble birth, the child’s mother lacked royal lineage. Under Kandyan custom, this rendered him ineligible for the throne.

Concerned about the growing authority of the Sinhalese chiefs, Narēndrasinha departed from established precedent and nominated his brother-in-law as successor. Though unprecedented in the island’s political history, the decision received crucial backing from the powerful First Adigār, Āhälapola, who likely calculated that a foreign-born king would depend heavily on his administrative support. A faction of nobles led by Leuke and Mamapițiye opposed the arrangement and favored Unambuvē Bandāra, but the dying king’s will prevailed. In 1739, the prince from Madura was crowned as King Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha.

Relations with the Dutch: Economic Rivalry and Mutual Dependence

Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha inherited a complicated relationship with the Dutch East India Company, which controlled the maritime provinces. Initially, Dutch officials viewed the new Nāyakkar monarch with cautious optimism, hoping that his “alien” status might enable them to negotiate more favorable commercial arrangements.

They soon discovered, however, that he was a firm defender of Kandyan trade rights. The central issue was the Dutch monopoly over commerce and their restrictive control of the island’s ports. Backed by his Nāyakkar relatives, many of whom came from mercantile backgrounds, the king repeatedly demanded open access to the ports and direct contact with the mainland.

In 1744, tensions escalated when his father-in-law, Nārenappa Nāyakkar, attempted to force a trading vessel through the Dutch blockade at Kalpițiya. The incident provoked retaliatory threats from the Kandyan court. Yet even amid hostility, interdependence endured. The king relied on Dutch vessels to transport royal brides from India and to support religious embassies to Southeast Asia. The Dutch, in turn, depended on Kandyan cooperation for cinnamon collection and the movement of elephants from the interior. The relationship therefore oscillated between negotiation, flattery, and sporadic confrontation.

Patronage of Buddhism and Religious Policy

Determined to legitimize his authority among his predominantly Buddhist subjects, Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha cultivated the image of a model Buddhist ruler. Guided by Saraṇankara, he recognized that the monastic order had fallen into decline and prioritized the restoration of the upasampadā (higher ordination).

In 1741, with Dutch assistance providing a vessel, he dispatched an embassy to Thailand—then known as Siam—to invite learned monks and obtain sacred texts. Although the first mission ended in shipwreck, the king remained resolute. He sponsored the restoration of numerous vihāra and commissioned life-sized Buddha images in Mātalē and Aluvihāra.

However, his religious fervor took a harsher turn in 1745. Disturbed by reports that Roman Catholic missionaries were converting subjects and disregarding the Śāsana, he ordered the destruction of their houses and books and exiled the priests to the Vanni. This persecution served both religious and political aims, strengthening his standing with the Buddhist establishment and distancing his regime from lingering Portuguese influence.

Internal Governance and Court Politics

Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha’s domestic administration was shaped by efforts to balance powerful chiefs. To counter the influence of First Adigār Āhälapola, he promoted rival figures. Leuke was appointed Disāva of the Three and Four Kōralēs, while Samanakkoḍi was elevated to the position of Second Adigār.

Seeking to secure dynastic continuity, the king married a princess from Madura, the daughter of Nārenappa Nāyakkar. This alliance introduced yet another wave of South Indian relatives into the Kandyan court, consolidating the Nāyakkar presence in politics. Some of these relatives acted as intermediaries for South Indian Muslim traders, facilitating the clandestine movement of goods through Kandyan-controlled ports.

The Final Years and Death

Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha’s reign ended prematurely in 1747. He had suffered declining health for several years, and Portuguese sources allege that he died from a painful abscess in his lower body. On his deathbed, having no children, he nominated his brother-in-law—the son of Nārenappa Nāyakkar—as successor.

He died on 11 August 1747, shortly before a second and ultimately successful mission from Siam could return with the monks required to restore the higher ordination. He was succeeded by the sixteen-year-old King Kīrti Śrī Rājasinha, who would complete the religious revival initiated during Śrī Vijaya Rājasinha’s reign.

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.
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)
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)
Obeyesekere, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Valentijn, F. (1978). François Valentijn’s Description of Ceylon (S. Arasaratnam, Trans.). Hakluyt Society. (Original work published 1724)
Wachissara, K. (1961). Valivita Saranankara and the revival of Buddhism in Ceylon. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of London.

Predecessor		Successor
Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha [1707–1739 CE]	Sri Vijaya Rajasinha [1739-1747 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-	Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1781 CE] -House of Nayakkars of Kandy-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA