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| Sri Vikrama Rajasinha | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sri Vikrama Rajasinha |
| Title | Last King of Kandy |
| Reign | 1798–1815 |
| Predecessor | Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha |
| Successor | British Crown |
| House | Nayakkar Dynasty |
| Birth date | 1775 |
| Death date | 1832 |
| Death place | Vellore Fort, Madras Presidency |
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was the final monarch of the Kandyan Kingdom who reigned from 1798 until his deposition in 1815. His rule intersected with the expansion of the British East India Company, diplomatic maneuvers involving the Kingdom of Kandy, and military campaigns such as the Kandyan Wars (1790–1818). His fall led to the Kandyan Convention and incorporation of the Kandyan territories into the British Empire in Asia.
Born into the Nayakkar dynasty of South Indian origin, he was related by blood to rulers of the Kingdom of Kandy and the Madurai Nayak dynasty. His early years unfolded amid court intrigues involving figures like Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha and factions tied to the Chief Minister (Adigar) positions. The succession that brought him to the throne in 1798 followed palace coups and maneuvering by nobles associated with the Temple of the Tooth custodianship, with political stakes linked to alliances with powers such as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company.
As monarch, he presided over an administration that relied on traditional Kandyan offices including the Maha Adigar and the Palace establishment, while contending with rival claimants and powerful aristocratic lineages from regions like Uva and Kandy District. Court culture under his reign engaged with religious authorities at the Sri Dalada Maligawa and legal traditions rooted in the Kandyan customary system. Fiscal pressures, land tenure disputes involving the Rājākariya obligations, and efforts to maintain authority amid competing elites shaped governance, as did interactions with external agents such as emissaries from the British Resident apparatus and traders connected to the Indian Ocean trade.
The king’s tenure coincided with intensified British activity following the Capture of Colombo (1796) and consolidation of Ceylon (British colony) holdings. Repeated skirmishes and campaigns—framed by British commanders and units like the Madras Presidency forces—escalated into larger confrontations during the latter phase of the Kandyan Wars (1790–1818). Diplomatic exchanges involved envoys, letters, and treaties negotiated between Kandyan chiefs and officials from the British East India Company and figures such as Robert Brownrigg and other colonial administrators. Internal dissension among Kandyan nobles, rivalries with families tied to the Nayakkar court, and intrigues with expatriate actors facilitated British penetration culminating in the Kandyan Convention of 1815.
Following betrayal and conspiracies that weakened royal authority, British forces moved to secure the Kandyan throne; the king was deposed under terms formalized at the Kandyan Convention, with signatories including prominent Kandyan chiefs and representatives of the British Crown via the East India Company. Captured in 1815, he was transported under guard to the Fort St. George (Chennai) environs and subsequently confined at Vellore Fort. His exile removed the last native monarch from Sri Lankan polity and placed him among other deposed rulers held by the British, echoing cases like exiles from the Maratha Empire and displaced princely states during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. He remained in captivity until his death in 1832 at Vellore.
Historical evaluations of his reign engage scholars studying the transition from indigenous rule to colonial administration in Sri Lanka and the wider Indian Ocean region. Debates among historians reference interpretations by writers on the Uva Rebellion (1817–1818), colonial reports by officials in the Madras Presidency, and assessments by modern academics examining sources from the National Archives of Sri Lanka and British records. Legacy strands include cultural memory tied to the Temple of the Tooth, nationalist narratives during the Ceylon independence movement, and artistic representations in Sri Lankan literature and performance traditions. His deposition is often connected to structural shifts that led to consolidation of the British Raj in South Asia and influenced subsequent resistance movements involving figures associated with Kandyan aristocracy.
Category:Monarchs of Kandy Category:Exiled monarchs