Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy

Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy
Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Kirti Sri Rajasinha
Title	King of Kandy
Reign	1747 – 1782
Predecessor	Vijaya Rajasinha
Successor	Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha
House	Nayaks of Kandy
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Birth date	c. 1734
Death date	1782
Death place	Kandy

Contents

Early Life and Accession
Relations with the Dutch East India Company
Religious and Cultural Patronage
Military Conflicts and Diplomacy
Internal Administration and Reforms
● 1782
● Legacy and Succession of Kandy. Iraqsinha of
Legacy and Succession

Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy. Kirti Sri Rajasinha (c. 1734 – 1782) was the Nayakkar king of the Kingdom of Kandy in central Sri Lanka from 1747 until his death. His reign was a pivotal period of complex interaction with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which controlled the island's coastal provinces, making his rule a significant case study of indigenous resistance and accommodation within the broader context of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia. He is also renowned for his extensive revival of Buddhist institutions and Sinhalese culture, which served as a form of political and social consolidation against foreign influence.

Early Life and Accession

Kirti Sri Rajasinha was born into the Telugu-speaking Nayak dynasty of Madurai in present-day Tamil Nadu, India. He was the brother-in-law of his predecessor, King Vijaya Rajasinha. Following Vijaya Rajasinha's death in 1747 without a direct heir, the Kandyan nobility, including powerful chiefs like the First Adigar, selected the young prince to ascend the throne. His accession continued the Nayakkar dynasty's rule, which began with Sri Vijaya Rajasinha, and required him to navigate the intricate politics between the Kandyan court, local Sinhalese elites, and the encroaching Dutch power on the coasts.

Relations with the Dutch East India Company

Kirti Sri Rajasinha's reign was defined by a fraught and often adversarial relationship with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which held a monopoly on the Cinnamon trade and other commodities from the coastal areas they administered, known as Dutch Ceylon. The king sought to break this Dutch monopoly, particularly on Cinnamon, which grew abundantly in the Kandyan hills. This economic conflict led to a series of trade disputes and military skirmishes. Although formal treaties, like the one negotiated in 1766, forced Kandy to recognize Dutch sovereignty over the coasts, the king consistently worked to subvert their control by encouraging smuggling and seeking alternative trading partners, including the British East India Company.

Religious and Cultural Patronage

Facing political pressure from the Dutch, Kirti Sri Rajasinha embarked on a major project of religious and cultural revival to legitimize his rule and unify the kingdom. He invited Buddhist monks from the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) in 1753 to re-establish the higher ordination lineage, which had died out in Sri Lanka. This led to the formation of the Siam Nikaya, a major monastic order. He also commissioned the renovation and re-decoration of the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy, the most sacred Buddhist site in the country, and sponsored numerous literary works and religious festivals. This patronage strengthened Buddhism as a core element of Kandyan and Sinhalese identity in opposition to Dutch Protestantism.

Military Conflicts and Diplomacy

The king's resistance to Dutch colonial ambitions erupted into open warfare. The Dutch–Kandy War of 1760–1766 was a significant conflict where Kandyan forces initially achieved successes before a Dutch counteroffensive led to the capture of Kandy itself in 1765. The subsequent treaty was highly unfavorable, ceding extensive territory and trade rights to the VOC. Despite this setback, Kirti Sri Rajasinha continued a diplomatic strategy of playing European powers against each other. He maintained clandestine communications with the British in Madras and the French in Pondicherry, hoping to find a military ally to expel the Dutch, though these efforts yielded no decisive result during his lifetime.

Internal Administration and Reforms

● 1782

● Legacy and Succession of Kandy. Iraqsinha of

Legacy and Succession

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