King Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha [1707–1739 CE]

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

King Śrī Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha (r. 1707–1739), widely known as Kundasalē Deviyo or Sellam Rajjuruvo, was the last monarch of the direct Sinhalese line descending from the Savuḷu dynasty. His thirty-two-year rule unfolded during a period of outward calm with the Dutch East India Company, though tensions simmered beneath the surface.

Royal Lineage and Early Life

Born around 1690, Narēndrasinha was the son of King Vimaladharmasūriya II and a princess from Madura in South India. Most written sources describe him as an only child, however, long-standing oral traditions claimed he had a half-brother who was allegedly poisoned during their father’s lifetime.

Unlike his gentle and devout father, Narēndrasinha revealed a fiery and impulsive character from an early age. By thirteen, attendants were already describing him as a “prince full of fire.” His education blended orthodox Buddhist training with the refined and cosmopolitan culture of the Kandyan court. There he developed a deep love for music, poetry, and artistic expression, earning the affectionate nickname Sellam Rajjuruvo, meaning the Playful King.

Accession to the Throne (1707)

Following the death of Vimaladharmasūriya II on 4 June 1707, the seventeen-year-old prince ascended the throne as King Sri Vīra Parākrama Narēndrasinha. Although the transition of power was initially smooth, friction soon developed between the young monarch and the Kandyan chiefs. These nobles had exercised considerable independence under his father’s conciliatory rule and resisted Narēndrasinha’s efforts to strengthen central royal authority.

Assassination Attempt in 1709

The most serious threat to his rule arose in 1709, during the second year of his reign, when a conspiracy was formed to assassinate the king and place Pattiye Bandara on the throne.

The plot was led by two influential figures who had been trusted advisers to the king’s father: Yalēgoda, Disāva of Mātalē, and Edaňduvavē, Disāva of the Three and Four Kōralēs. The conspirators intended to replace Narēndrasinha with Pattiye Bandāra, a nobleman of Kandyan maternal descent and possibly the king’s half-brother.

In February or March 1709, they attempted to carry out the assassination with assistance from palace guards. The scheme was uncovered due to the loyalty of the Second Adigar, Rammoloka—who also served as Disāva of Sabaragamuva—and a close royal associate, Pedro de Gascon (Daskon).

The conspirators and their chosen candidate, Pattiye Bandāra, were catured and executed. To further “quell the pride” of the established clans, the king reportedly reduced eighteen noble families to lower status.

Gascon and the Queen’s Mole

The story of Pedro de Gascon, often called Gascon Adigār, remains one of the most dramatic and tragic legends in Sri Lankan history. A gifted poet and a strikingly handsome man of mixed French and Portuguese descent, he rose to the powerful position of First Adigar (Prime Minister) before meeting a tragic end.

According to popular legend, Gascon was commissioned either to paint a portrait of the queen or to compose a poem describing her beauty. In doing so, he included mention of a small mole on her thigh, an intimate detail that could only have been known to someone who had seen her in private. This detail was interpreted as proof of adultery and convinced the king of betrayal.

Beyond the alleged romance, the Kandyan court was qlready deeply divided. Many local nobles resented the influence of a foreigner—and a Catholic—who had become the king’s closest adviser. They exploited rumours of the affair to intensify the king’s suspicions, leading to Gascon’s execution in 1709 on charges of high treason.

The Conspiracy of 1715

In 1715, another plot emerged, reportedly involving certain monks, aiming to assassinate the king. As a consequence, Narēndrasinha ordered the execution of the prominent monk Sūriyagoda Rājasundara on charges of treason.

Sūriyagoda Thero was ordained by the Arakanese delegation in 1697 and was the teacher of the renowned monk Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thera.

The Uprising of 1732

A major popular uprising broke out in 1732 after the king appointed a vaduga to the influential office of maha gabadā nilame (chief of the royal stores), placing him in charge of populous royal villages.

Encouraged by dissatisfied local chiefs, the people rose in revolt. In response, the king ordered the burning of Hēvāhäța and Maturata. The rebellion was ultimately crushed with severity, and several leaders were executed.

Relations with the Dutch and the Wider Colonial Context

During Narēndrasinha’s reign, the kingdom experienced what has been described as a Pax Kandiana with the Dutch. However, this apparent peace masked persistent economic friction.

In 1703, the Company blockaded Kandyan ports to enforce its trade monopoly. Narēndrasinha responded by periodically closing the kadavat, or traditional frontier gates, thereby interrupting the flow of provisions and cinnamon to the coastal settlements. Despite these tensions, mutual dependence continued. The king relied on Dutch assistance to transport royal brides from India and to obtain European physicians and medicines for his recurring illnesses. The Dutch, in turn, sought to maintain goodwill through occasional lavish gifts to secure continued access to cinnamon.

The Madura Alliance and the Rise of the Nāyakkars

One of Narēndrasinha’s most consequential policies was his deliberate refusal to form marriage alliances with local Kandyan families. Instead, he married two princesses from the reputed solar dynasty of Madura as his chief queens (mahēsi). This approach prevented powerful local chiefs from claiming close dynastic ties to the throne.

As a result, many Nāyakkar relatives migrated to Kandy and settled in a district known as Kumaruppē Vidiya, later called Malabar Street (currently known as Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha). While these alliances preserved the perceived purity of the royal lineage, they also created a culturally distinct and influential faction within the court, resented by both the Sinhalese nobility and the Dutch.

Cultural Patronage and Religious Role

Narēndrasinha is remembered as a devoted supporter of Buddhism and a patron of literature. Noticing that the temple built by his father to house the Sacred Tooth Relic had fallen into disrepair, he commissioned an impressive two-storey pavilion. The structure became famous for its elaborate plaster decorations, described as shining “with exceeding brightness as a silver hill,” and its walls were adorned with scenes from thirty-two Jātaka tales.

Despite his reputation for light-heartedness and an interest in erotic poetry, the king undertook formal pilgrimages to Mahiyangana, Anuradhapura, and Samanakūṭa (Adam’s Peak). Nevertheless, the number of fully ordained monks continued to decline during his reign, an issue only addressed in the later Nāyakkar period. He also displayed notable tolerance toward Roman Catholic missionaries, extending favour to Jacome Gonçalvez, who served at the Kandyan court.

Final Years and Succession (1739)

Narēndrasinha’s final years were marked by deteriorating health. Although he had three queens from Madura, none produced a legitimate heir. He fathered a son, Unambuvē Bandāra, by a secondary Kandyan wife of Govi caste, but because she lacked royal lineage, the child was not considered eligible for succession under prevailing customs.

In a decision without precedent in the island’s history, the dying king nominated his brother-in-law—the brother of his chief queen—as his successor. Despite opposition from factions supporting Unambuvē Bandāra, his directive prevailed. Narēndrasinha died on 13 May 1739 at the age of forty-nine.

Although his reign was not marked by major military campaigns or sweeping reforms, his historical importance is profound. With his death ended the line descending from Sēnsammata Vikramabāhu, the first ruler of the independent Kingdom of Kandy. That lineage had continued through Kusumāsanadēvi, later baptised as Dona Catherina, the great-grandmother of Narēndrasinha. His passing therefore closed the final chapter of indigenous Sinhalese monarchy in Kandy.

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)
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
Holt, J. C. (1996). The religious world of Kirti Sri: Buddhism, art, and politics in late medieval Sri Lanka. Oxford University Press.
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, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Somaratna, G. P. V. (1975). The political history of the Kingdom of Kötte, 1400-1521. Deepanee Printers.
Wickremasekera, C. (2004). Kandy at war: Indigenous military resistance to European expansion in Sri Lanka 1594-1818. Manohar.

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