Pilimatalavuva Maha Adikaram
After King Vimala Dharmasuiriya I (1591-1604), Senarath (1604-1635), Rajasimha II (1635-1687) and Vimala Dharmasuriya II (1687-1707), we come to Narendrasimha (1707-1739) popularly known as Kundasale Deviyo and fondly remembered as Sellan Nirindhu, the playful King. Keeping with immediate past practice he too married from South India and died without a royal heir. He had left a son Unambuva Bandara by a Kandyan concubine but jealousy and disunity among the ruling families prevented him from succeeding the throne. Narendrasimha anticipating such an eventuality, before his death nominated his brother-in-law a South Indian Vaduga of Nayakkar extraction to succeed him at the instance of his Mahesi Rammaloka the Adigar and Saranankara who had been his teacher and saw an ideal opportunity to promote Buddhism through him, even though it was something unprecedented in Simhale. Thus ended the long line of Sinhala Kings; and the later Kandyan story really begins with the advent of this Telugu Vaduga Nayakkar. Their dominance saw a regular influx of their relations into the court as aspirants to trusted office, inter marrying with the leading Kandyan (Radala) families and being absorbed by them and accepted by the people. "
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" Next to the King, the last two Pillimatalavuvas,
were the most dazzling personalities during the
final years of the kindgdom. As 'King Maker'
Pilimatalavuva Maha Adikaram III raised Kannasamy,
an uneducated youth of about eighteen years to the
Sinhalese Throne of Kandy in 1798, under the
sonorous Sinhala name of 'Sri Wickrama Rajasimha',
in the process over looking the more patent chance
of Muttusamy, whom he imprisoned. But by Sinhala
stand point both really had no such claim. Little
did Pilimatalavuva suspect or realise at the time
that this nominee whom he elevated to supreme
power as King would very soon use that very power
to have him beheaded. Though the chieftains and the people did not approve of this awkward and unprecedented selection, none could exercise any retraint over this all powerful autocrat nor understand or appreciate his albeit noble objective underlying beneath this whole programme. Outwardly, his act appeared treacherous, but just as all the citizens and Kandyan Courtiers lamented the tragedy of transferring the ancient Sinhalese Throne to the South Indian Vadugas, Pilimatamavuva too did not fail to realise this recurring tragedy. Therefore he intended quite manifestly to make a puppet of this youth on the Throne and to overthrow him at the earliest opportunity and rescue the Throne from an alien power, precisely as the historian Dr Covin R de Silva points out that "he aimed at the Throne himself intending thereby to expel the Nayakkaras and to re-establish a Sinhala Dynasty". " |
| © "Pilimatalavuvas In The Last Days Of The Kandyan kingdom" by Ananda Pilimatalavuva |
 Pilimatalavuva Maha Adikaram was the third son of
a family of Kandyan Chieftain who descended from
an old established family which served the
Sinhalese Kings from ancient times on one side and
revived and restored by the assimilation with
Royal South Indian nobility who arrived in the
Kandyan Kingdom during the reign of Sri Vira
Parkrama Narendrasinha of Kundasale. His full name
was Pilimatalavuva Vijesundera Rajakaruna
Senaviratne Abhayakoon Panditha Mudiyanse alias
Urulevatta Agra Senadhipathi alias Arave
Pallegampaha Maha Adikaram III. His father and
elder brother also served as Maha Adikaram before
him. He assumed office as second Adigar in 1787 and was elevated to the post of First Adigar of Pallegampaha Maha Adikaram in 1790 by King Rajadhi Rajasimha. On the death of this King he used his power and position to enthrone Sri Wickrema Rajasimha as King even though he was not in the line of succession with the patriotic motive of re-establishing a Sinhala dynasty later. During the time of King Kirthi Sri Rajasimha he built the inner sanctuary of the Sri Dalada Maligawa which an invader had left in ashes, and then in 1801 built the Asgiri Aluth Vihare also known as Vijesunderamaya after him, close to the Parana Vihare (Meda Pansala) built by his father. He has been described as 'portly and well looking man of great power and intrigue by Robert Percival and by Tennent as 'One of the most illustrious nobles boasting their descent from the Royal line of Ceylon'. Pilimatalavuva Maha Adikaram's commendable trait was his love for his country and his wish to have a Sinhala to rule over Sinhala. Although there were many of the Bandara Valiya suitable to occupy the throne, they all shared a failing in that no one would allow another to rise higher than himself. This inherent jealousy among the aristocracy, and the fact that the Nayakkara dynasty under Kings Kirthi Sri Rjasimha and Rajadhi Rajasimha had identified themselves closely with Kandyan national interest and religion, skilfully blending the Nayakkar dynasty from the Kandyan background, had convinced him that no Kandyan Sinhala Radala could ascend the throne without outside assistance. Hence he adopted the next best strategy of placing his own man on the throne to await favourable circumstances to restore a Sinhala line. The thought was noble. Pilimatalavuva the great Adigar was King Sri Wickrema's benefactor. The King in gratitude allowed him to exercise all powers of the throne for some time, while he retained only the pomp of regal office. In 1806 the Maha Adikaram successfully quelled an uprising over the payment of additional taxes. The King was quite pleased over this situation. But this changed with the stories of the Adigars intrigues with the English Governor and his negotiations to dethrone him coming to his ears. Besides there were serious differences of opinion between them over Rajakariya labour and governance. The King wanted to beautify the city with a lake and Pattirippuwa (Octagon) to be built by 'forced labour' while the Adigar and his Council saw no need for another lake unless it could be used to asweddumize more land for the people as they already had two lakes - the Bora Wewa and the Bogambara Wewa. The King also entertained thought of shifting the Asgiriya and Malvatta monasteries from Kandy to Peradeniya on the outskirts of the city. The four Devales were also earmarked to be moved out of the city to enable him to transform the temple square into a palace yard and he was suspected of wanting to convert the government into a Hindu Saivite one based on the Laws of Manu in place of the Dasa Raja Dharma which Sinhala Buddhist Kings pledged to observe. In addition to these, there were many more differences which grew wider between the King and the Adigar. These being the bringing in of Malabars at an average of about 70 per month from South India on the sly as immigrants to be trained as soldiers and the establishment of a harem with young girls also from South India who had not even attained age along with some girls drawn even form the Radala. The King also adopted the strategy to weaken the authority of the Chieftains - a policy of divide and rule by splitting and dividing the Disavanies and appointing members of new families to these offices and transferring the old frequently from district to district to undermine their power. He also objected to the proposed marriage of the Adigar's son to Mampitiya Wahala Bandara's daughter as Wahala Bandara was an illegitimate son of the late King Kirthi Sri Rajasimha. Besides these indignations, King Sri Wickrema unlike his tow predecessors who were respected for their beneficent rule and support of the indigenous religion openly encouraged Saivaite Hindu Customs and the slaughter of goats near the precincts of the Dalada Maligawa for the consumption of the Royal household and their relatives. This provoked disgust of the Sinhala Buddhists and their Sangha and set in motion the process of alienating both the chiefs and common people from the King. Even though the English adventure of 1803 to Kandy was a set back to the Adigar, he continued with his negotiations with them. In this background the Adigar engaged himself in regular negotiations with Mr. Boyd - the Secretary and Frederick North the English Governor at Avissawella about a possible embassy to Kandy to sign a suitable treaty. Although Governor North had nothing in particular to offer, the Adigar intended to use their assistance to depose the King and rule Sinhale in his place with absolute authority to the Dasa Raja Dharma. But the King was now wiser and strong enough to
act against him. Therefore he deprived the Adigar
of all his offices and deposed him of his powers
sometime after mid 1803. The Trial " King Sri Wickrama Rajasimgha craftily
arranged a trial before a court of chieftains. The
court sat for three days with the king as judge
and the chiefs as jurors at the great Audience
Hall or Magul Maduva ironically in
proximity to the Dalada shrine and the
deities of Nata, Maha Vishnu and Pattini. As the
charges were clear the chiefs forced the King to
pronounce his own judgement. The King was ready to
forgive the Adigar, but the Adigar,
responded "My Lord my hands are full of corns as a
result of bearing you in them" "It is true"
replied the King "but is it not worse to kill the
infant that you have so long nursed with such
watchful care" Immediately in anger the King ordered his
execution and he was taken to the Kumara Hapuwa
where members of the nobility were executed at the
foot of Bahiravakanda, for execution. |
"Pilimatalawa undoubtedly one of the ablest and shrewdest leaders with unsurpassed negotiating skills, in the country's history, out witted and out manoeuvered North at every turn"
"North and British writers never forgave Pilimatalawa for preventing them from capturing Kandy and therefore described him in opprobrious terms such as 'teacherous, perfidious, profligate and unprincipled.' True, he was ready to betray his King, but not the Kingdom".
"When Pilimattalawa saw that the British had different designs and would not fall in with his, he decided to act alone - bribing the mercenary soldiers to assassinate the King. His resolve to free the country of Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe's misrule was so indomitable that he preferred execution rather than taking an oath not to work against the King again and be pardoned" "
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