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40-449: Before his elevation to the throne, prince Vijayabahu used to reside with his brother Chakrayudabahu , and his wife Kirawelle Mahabiso Bandara, as an associate husband. During their stay at Menikkadawara, the princess gave birth to four princes, Maha Rayigam Bandara who died at a young age, Bhuvanekabahu , Para Rajasinghe , and Mayadunne Raja . Soon Chakrayudabahu and his wife died, leaving the three princes with Vijayabahu. Once Vijayabahu

80-649: A roundabout route instead of a direct route. However, during this meeting, the Portuguese managed to secure a trade agreement with the Kotte king. Kotte Kingdom's downfall began with an event in 1521 that became known as the " Wijayaba Kollaya ". The Kotte King Vijayabahu VII's three sons mutinied and killed their father dividing the kingdom among themselves. This gave rise to three minor kingdoms, Kotte, Sitawaka and Principality of Raigama. The divided Kingdom of Sitawaka became more powerful with local popular support and

120-650: Is also credited for building or renovating the Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna . The Portuguese converted much of the population into the Roman Catholic faith. The last king of Kotte, Don Juan Dharmapala, was one of two Catholic Sinhalese monarchs in Sri Lankan history (the other was Kusumasena Devi ), though several other contemporary kings had also been temporarily Catholic. Battaramulla

160-462: Is clear to anyone. I know fully well that continuing the path that I follow I can end only in hell. It is true that my father and my ancestors died pagans. But I see that the religion of Buddum contains errors as intolerable as they are incompatible with reason. I have come to understand that the penitence of the Christians is the true remedy for sins. Though I know the truth Christ, on account of

200-826: The Ming , the Kingdom managed to conquer the Jaffna kingdom and the Vanni principalities , and bring the country under one flag. It led to a punitive invasion against the Vijayanagar dynasty and captured a port , which was converted to a trade route. The Kotte Kingdom was largely dissolved during the Sinhalese-Portuguese War , as it faced attacks from rival Sinhalese kingdoms, the Kingdom of Sitawaka and Kingdom of Kandy . Dom João Dharmapala handed it over to

240-533: The Vanni and made its leaders loyal to him. Prince Sapumal was the commander of the Kotte army at the time. Tamil served as one of the court languages of the Kotte Kingdom at this time. In 1450, Parakramabahu VI had, with his conquest of the Jaffna kingdom in northern Sri Lanka, unified all of Sri Lanka. At its height, the Kingdom oversaw one of the greatest eras of Sinhalese literature. Notable poets at

280-422: The Kotte Kingdom had to rely on Portuguese for help. The king of Kotte after Wijayabe Kollaya, Buvenekabahu VII, got assistance from the Portuguese in order to defeat his brother, Mayadunne. He also allowed his daughter's son, Prince Dharmapala, to be baptized as a Catholic by the Portuguese. After Buvenekabahu had named Dharmapala as his heir, he was shot – supposedly by accident – by a Portuguese soldier. In 1565,

320-472: The Kotte Kingdom to the Portuguese throne and the Kotte era was officially ended. The military of the Kotte kingdom was closely associated with both its rise and demise. Poems written in this era give vivid accounts of the contemporary military. Before the arrival of the Portuguese , firearms had not been widely adopted but it is believed that firearms had been introduced to Sinhalese by Arab traders due to

360-458: The Portuguese in order to drive them out, and they also attempted to get rid of Bhuvanaikabahu to get the Kingdom of Kotte. This resulted in the King siding with the Portuguese, and he required their protection against his younger brother During his reign he was a weak king, being overly dependent on the Portuguese and eventually allied with them. However, King Bhuvanaikabahu VII also went against

400-473: The Portuguese, in terms of religion. In the mid 1500s, the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier was sent by King John III of Portugal to India and Ceylon to preach Catholicism. He met with the king of Kotte, and discussed with him the conversion of his religion. Fernão de Queiroz describes the conversation between them: "I understand father that your religion is the only true one. All others have so much errors and

440-464: The Portuguese, thus leading to the formation of Portuguese Ceylon . The remainder was annexed into Sitawaka and Kandy. The term Kotte is said to have derived from the Sinhalese word kōṭṭa කෝට්ට and Tamil word kōṭṭai கோட்டை which mean fortress. Both words come from Dravidian/Old Tamil 𑀓𑁅𑀝𑁆𑀝𑁃 kōṭṭai. The word Kotte was introduced by Nissankamalla Alagakkonara, who was the founder of

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480-418: The capital of Kotte was abandoned by Dharmapala of Kotte due to frequent attacks from the Kingdom of Sitawaka led by Mayadunne and his son Rajasinghe I; he was taken into Colombo under Portuguese protection. Most of the areas of Kotte Kingdom were annexed to the Kingdom of Sitawaka however after the downfall of Sitawaka in 1594, these areas were re-annexed to the Kotte kingdom. In 1597 Dharmapala gifted

520-538: The capital to Kelaniya in 1509 and it stayed there until 1528. The Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, landing in Galle Harbour. Once they learnt that they had arrived in Sri Lanka, they sailed to Colombo. They were taken by a tortuous route to the capital, Kotte, which was actually quite close by. This was done in order to create the impression that the kingdom was too far inland to make invasion from

560-425: The crown to, and Bhuvanaikabahu and his two brothers responded by fleeing the kingdom, and on their return they had an army given by the King of Kandy. Bhuvanaikabahu VII was succeeded by his grandson Dharmapala . After Mayadunne successfully led the men of Jayavira, the king of Kandy, against his father, the Kingdom of Kotte was divided into three among Vijaya Bahu VII's legitimate sons in 1521: Bhuvanaikabahu

600-782: The development of Ayurvedic medicine. Buddhism was the state religion for most of its existence. Parakramabahu VI built a shrine for the Sacred Tooth Relic near the royal palace. Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya was also enshrined by Parakramabahu VI to celebrate the Esala Perahara Pegent, in Honor of the Sacred Tooth relic. He also repaired Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara ; which along with the Sri Perakumba Pirivena and Sunethra Devi Pirivena have become

640-691: The eldest prince, to succeed to the throne. . The succession was challenged by the King Vijayabahu’s sisters’ son, Pilesse Widiye Bandara (also known as Vira Surya). With the assistance of Mannamperiya the Aswela Arachchila (the late king’s equerry ) he left Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte with a considerable number of followers. Through Aluthkuruwa they arrived at Ambana and Pasonnuwara and raised the standard of rebellion in Hapitigama Korale. Prince Mayadunne arrived with an army and subdued

680-497: The fortress. They were believed to be from the city of Vanchi , identified with Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu . The Alagakkonara family have also been identified to be of Tamil ancestry of Vallanattu Chettiar . Kotte was founded as a fortress by Minister Alakesvara (1370–1385) of the Alagakkonara clan of the Kingdom of Gampola during the reign of Vikramabahu III of Gampola to checkmate invasions from South India on

720-461: The gunman fired his musket. Bhuvanaikabahu fell, the bullet having passed through his head. The king was attended to and various medicines were used to treat him, but he died after three hours on December the 29th 1550 (some sources suggest 1551). Other books state that Bhuvanaikabahu was murdered on the orders of his brother Mayadunne, who reigned in Sitawaka. Bhuvanaikabahu had no male heirs to

760-409: The harbour feasible. This plan was, however, spoilt by the fact that the Portuguese who remained with the ship fired the ship's cannon repeatedly, which sound was heard by the Portuguese party being taken to Kotte. This incident gave rise to the local saying "Parangiya Kotte Giya Vage" ("like the Portuguese went to Kotte") [පරන්ගියා කොට්ටේ ගියා වගේ], which refers to doing something or going somewhere in

800-584: The kingdom was divided into three parts. Youngest prince, Mayadunne, received Seethawaka, Denawaka and Four Korales as Kingdom of Sitawaka while Prince Rayigam Bandara received Raigama, Walallawiti and Pasyodun Korale (excluding the sea ports) as the Principality of Raigama. These were granted as fiefs by Royal sannas and they were given the titles as Kings while Bhuvanekabahu ruled the rest of the territory as emperor. Bhuvanekabahu VII of Sri Lanka Bhuvanaikabahu VII (1468 – 29 December 1550)

840-445: The kingdom. Portuguese who arrived there as traders were able to secure a trading deal with the kingdom on their first visit. One of the greatest fields that flourished under his rule was literature and art since the king himself was very fond of them. Royal patronage was given to literature paving way to a golden age of literature in the island. These institutions paved way not only to the enhancement of Buddhist literature but also to

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880-430: The military. The kingdom was situated near Colombo , a very important port at the time. Moorish merchants from India and Arabia dominated the trade of the kingdom until the arrival of the Portuguese. The spice trade, e.g. in cinnamon , cardamom , black pepper , dominated the exports while gemstones also was a big export. After the conquest of Jaffna, Kotte possessed the pearl trading which gave an enormous wealth to

920-572: The most famous monasteries in the country. Hinduism was also given a foremost place in society. Most of the Buddhist temples entrusted shrines of Hindu gods Vishnu , Murugan (god Katahargama) and goddess Paththini , and God Gambara as the provincial god. Prince Sapumal (crowned Bhuvanekabahu VI ) had built a shrine near the ancient bo tree of the Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya as a vow to defeat Arya chakravarthi . Prince Sapumal

960-466: The place which I hold, I am unable to receive Baptism at once, for the least suspicion that they should have of me in this regard would be enough to ruin the whole of my realm. I beg you to patronize cause in front of the Governor of India, that he may come to my assistance more readily and give me 100 soldiers to protect my person, lest my adversaries prevail against me as well as against the prospects of

1000-450: The princes managed to win over the king’s army and both armies broke into the palace, with the angry mob. They plundered the palace, treasury, and the harem. They burst open the treasure chests and gems, gold, silver, silk, and pearls were looted. Vijayabahu's valuables and royal wardrobe were tossed from hand to hand. However, strict orders were conveyed by beating drums, that none of the citizens were to be harmed so as to prevent looting in

1040-411: The rebellion by killing both the ringleaders. Inhabitants of the Hapitigama Korale were severely punished and several high caste nobles were given over to Pannayo , one of the lowest castes, whose duty was to cut grass for the elephants. After pacifying the rebellion, a formal coronation took place and Bhuvanekabahu came to the throne as King Buvanekabahu VII. As advised by the chief minister Illangakon,

1080-412: The similarity of the design of Sinhala firearms to Arab guns and the Portuguese expressing unfamiliarity with the designs of Sinhalese ordinance used by 1519. However, the use of heavy armour and firearms by Europeans would also result in locals rapidly adopting firearms. The military consisted of four main departments, namely In the final periods of the kingdom, the Portuguese were often in charge of

1120-511: The streets. Meanwhile Vijayabahu was allowed to escape to the upper storey. He locked himself in a room with two of his concubines. During the night it was decided to assassinate the King. However since none of the Sinhalese dared to shed royal blood , a foreign assassin called Salman was hired to finish the deed; he killed Vijayabahu inside his chamber. The following morning, the council of ministers assembled and selected prince Bhuvanekabahu,

1160-429: The throne. By his queen he had a daughter, Samudra Devi. The king had organised for her to be married to Prince Jayo Bandara, however she was in love with a prince called Vidiya Bandara of Irugal-Malala clan, who murdered Jayo Bandara and married Samudra Devi. Their son, Dharmapala, succeeded Bhuvanaikabahu as king of Kotte. Dharmapala was also a baptized Catholic, taking the Portuguese name João (English: John), and thus

1200-443: The time were Buddhist monks such as Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera , Weedagama Maihree thero, and Karagala Wanarathana thero. By 1477, however, 10 years after the death of Parakramabahu VI, regional kingdoms became more powerful. Most notably a new Kingdom was founded in the central hill-country of the island by Senasammata Vikramabahu who successfully led a rebellion against the Kotte Kingdom in 1469. Parakramabahu IX of Kotte moved

1240-465: The total conversion of my lieges". Antonio Barreto assisted Xavier in trying to convert Bhuvanaikabahu, The Portuguese finally gave up on their endeavour, and the monarchy in Portugal were notified. After the Portuguese halted their attempts in converting Bhuvanaikabahu, plans were made to assassinate him on the orders of Viceroy Afonso de Noronha. As the king passed one of his windows in his place,

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1280-460: The two elder princes remained under the care of the Patabenda of Yapa Patuna, prince Mayadunne made his way to the Kingdom of Kandy ruled by King Jayavira whose queen was Mayadunne’s cousin. With her help, Mayadunne managed to secure the assistance of King Jayavira who provided Mayadunne the army of Four Korale. Marching down, Mayadunne ravaged Pitigal Korale and camped closed to Kelaniya in

1320-435: The vicinity of Sri Jarawardenapura Kotte. He was joined by his two brothers and together made preparations for war. Meanwhile part of King Vijayabahu VII’s army was in favor of the princes and declared “we will not fight against the royal princes”. As a result, the King was forced to sue for peace and the princes insisted that, the two ministers who were involved with the plot were to be handed over for punishment. Kandure Bandara

1360-515: The western coast; Parakramabahu VI later made Kotte his capital city in 1412. It was well protected by the large swamp that surrounded the area. Parakramabahu VI first became the king of Raigama in 1412, then, in 1415, he made Kotte his capital. The King upgraded the existing citadel and built a new royal palace. Parakramabahu VI waited until ties between the Vijayanagara Empire and Jaffna Kingdom were severed. First, he captured

1400-421: Was King of Kotte in the sixteenth century, who ruled from 1521 to 1550. He was the eldest son of Vijayabahu VI of Kotte , whom he succeeded, and his chief queen Anula Kahatuda. He was born in 1468 and his brothers were Mayadunne of Sitawaka and Rayigam Bandara. After his father married a second time, his new queen brought a son from another relationship called Deva Rajasinghe, who the king intended to pass on

1440-538: Was crowned the King of Kotte as Bhuvanaikabahu VII, Sitawaka was given to Mayadunne and Rayigam was given to Rayigam Bandara , who was also known as Parajasinghe or Maha Raigam Bandara. However, after their brother, Rayigam Bandara, died in 1538, Mayadunne seized his kingdom and became an enemy of his elder brother, who had already been suspicious of him due to the large role he played in the assassination of their father. During Bhuvanaikabahu's reign, Mayadunne, along with his son Rajasinghe I , fought continuously against

1480-469: Was flogged to death by their orders but Ekanayake Mudali managed to seek sanctuary with the priests. The three princes entered the capital with their army. Unknown to them, King Vijayabahu had a detachment of sixty chosen soldiers lying in concealment at Rahas Kunda Watta in order to bar the palace gates and to assassinate the princes. The unsuspecting princes entered the palace leaving their army outside. On their way, they met young prince Deva Rajasinghe who

1520-651: Was raised to the throne as King Vijayabahu VII , he married another princess of Kirawelle. She brought with her a boy named Deva Rajasinghe whom Vijayabahu adopted. Later King Vijayabahu VII plotted with two of his courtiers, Kandure Bandara and Ekanayake Mudali, in order to make Deva Rajasinghe his heir. The three princes discover the plot and with the assistance of the priests , fled from the capital ( Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte ) and remained hidden in Borales Migomuwa (Boralesgamuwa in Salpiti Korale). Whilst

1560-547: Was seven years old. When Mayadunne inquired about the current events of the city, he innocently told about the soldiers who were waiting to fall up on them. The three princes dashed out, through the Karandupathi gate and escaped to their army. The army was informed about the King’s treachery and decided to kill the King. A game of Nirogi was organized and the crowds gathered to see it were persuaded to join their cause. Meanwhile

1600-463: Was very cooperative towards the Portuguese. Kingdom of Kotte [REDACTED] Sri Lanka portal The Kingdom of Kotte ( Sinhala : කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය , romanized:  Kottay Rajadhaniya , Tamil : கோட்டை அரசு ), named after its capital, Kotte , was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Founded by Parakramabahu VI with the help of

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