King Vimaladharmasuriya II [1687 – 1707 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Rajasinghe II [1635-1687 CE]	Vimaladharmasuriya II [1687 – 1707 CE]	Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha [1707 – 1739 CE]
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The death of King Rājasinha II in 1687 marked a major transition in the political culture of the Kandyan Kingdom. His successor, King Vimaladharmasūriya II (r. 1687–1707), born as Mahā Astāne, inherited a realm fatigued by decades of warfare against the Portuguese and the Dutch. In contrast to his father’s militant temperament, Vimaladharmasūriya II is remembered as a restrained, peace-oriented, and deeply religious ruler who prioritized Buddhist restoration and frontier stability over expansionist ambitions.

Lineage and a Secluded Upbringing

Vimaladharmasūriya II was the son of King Rājasinha II and a princess from Madura in South India. After the rebellion at Nilambé in 1664—when dissident chiefs attempted to assassinate the king and enthrone his young son—the prince was removed from public life.

He spent much of his childhood in monastic seclusion, an environment that decisively shaped his contemplative and pacific disposition. His concealment was so complete that even the Dutch East India Company and many Kandyan subjects believed Rājasinha II had no surviving male heir. Only shortly before the old king’s death in December 1687 was the prince publicly presented and invested with royal authority.

Accession and Peaceful Succession

Upon Rājasinha II’s death on 6 December 1687, the prince ascended the throne as King Vimaladharmasūriya II. The transition was carefully managed and notably free of civil strife. The Dutch authorities in Colombo, who had anticipated possible succession wars after the death of Rājasinha II, promptly acknowledged the new monarch.

Official condolences were conveyed, and a contingent of troops accompanied by lascarins, led by Koopman Alebos, was dispatched to Kandy to congratulate the new king. This diplomatic goodwill initiated a period of relative peace that, despite intermittent tensions, would superficially endure for nearly ninety years.

Relations with the Dutch: Trade and Territorial Diplomacy

Under Vimaladharmasūriya II, Kandyan foreign policy shifted from aggressive confrontation to cautious diplomatic maneuvering. While less martial than his father, the king remained firm in asserting sovereignty and economic rights.

In 1688, the Dutch partially satisfied Kandyan demands by restoring territories seized in 1665, including the Three Kōralēs and Four Kōralēs. Thereafter, the kingdom’s boundaries stabilized, as neither side was prepared to incur the financial and military burden of renewed hostilities.

The principal source of friction concerned maritime access. The king insisted on freedom of the ports to maintain direct commercial and religious contact with South and Southeast Asia. In 1697, the Dutch relaxed restrictions on trade in commodities other than cinnamon, resulting in a short period of vigorous exchange. However, when the Company closed the ports again in 1703 owing to economic pressures, relations deteriorated. The king responded by intermittently closing the kadavat (traditional frontier gates), thereby obstructing Dutch commerce with the interior.

Religious Revival and the Embassy to Rakkhanga

The most enduring achievement of Vimaladharmasūriya II lay in the restoration of the Buddhist Sangha. During his father’s reign, the higher ordination (upasampadā) lineage had lapsed, leaving fewer than five fully ordained monks in the country.

Following the earlier precedent of Vimaladharmasūriya I, the king dispatched an embassy in 1697 to Rakkhanga (modern Arakan, Myanmar), with Dutch logistical assistance. The mission succeeded: thirty-three Burmese bhikkhus, led by the elders Santana and Lokāgrapuggala, arrived in Kandy. At Getambe, thirty-three novices received higher ordination, and an additional 120 individuals were admitted to the Order.

He also erected a three-story pavilion to house the Sacred Tooth Relic and undertook a pilgrimage on foot to Sumanakūta (Adam’s Peak).

Court Politics and Internal Administration

Continuing his father’s practice, Vimaladharmasūriya II married a royal bride from Madura, strengthening Nāyakkar influence within the Kandyan court and preserving the perceived purity of the royal line.

Domestically, his conciliatory style allowed powerful chiefs to accumulate influence. The English captive William Hubbard observed that although the king was widely beloved for his benevolence, leading nobles such as Yalégoda Rāla and Edanduvavé Rāla exercised growing authority, sometimes administering state affairs without fully informing the monarch.

Death and Succession

King Vimaladharmasūriya II died on 4 June 1707 after a reign of approximately twenty years. He was succeeded by his seventeen-year-old son, Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha (r. 1707–1739).

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). The Kingdom of Kandy: Foundations and foreign relations to 1638. In K. M. de Silva (Ed.), History of Ceylon: Volume II (pp. 139–161). University of Peradeniya.
Arasaratnam, S. (1963). Vimala Dharma Suriya II (1687-1707) and his relations with the Dutch. The Ceylon Journal of Historical and Social Studies, 6(1), 59–70.
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.
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)
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.
Knox, R. (1681). An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, in the East-indies: Together, With an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers Other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author’s Miraculous Escape. Richard Chifwell.
Obeyesekere, D. (1911). Outlines of Ceylon history. Times of Ceylon.
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)
Wickremasekera, C. (2004). Kandy at war: Indigenous military resistance to European expansion in Sri Lanka 1594-1818. Manohar.

Predecessor		Successor
Rajasinghe II [1635-1687 CE]	Vimaladharmasuriya II [1687 – 1707 CE]	Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha [1707 – 1739 CE]
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA