Tamil Rulers of the Kandyan Kingdom
The Kandyan kingdom was the only kingdom in Sri Lanka which was never conquered by any western power. It was ruled by a line of Tamil Kings, who came from South India, for nearly eight decades.
As King Narendrasinghe, the last Sinhalese king of Kandy, died without an heir to the throne, his wife, who was a Tamil from South India, invoked a custom that was practised in South India which grants the Queen s family the right to claim the throne in the event of there being no legitimate claimant from the King s side.This unprecedented move by the Queen paved the way for an unbroken line of Tamil Kings ruling Kandy, and laid the foundation for the Tamil customs and cultures to take firm root in Kandyan society. This influence is evident in every social activity of the Kandyans to this day. Tamil power in the Kandyan royal court was such one of the Queen s brothers was brought from South India and enthroned as King of Kandy.
There were many Sinhalese kings in the past who were married into South Indian royal families in order to extend their influence, and to protect their territory against aggression.
Tamils held high positions in the Kandyan Kingdom. The language of the court was Tamil. Hence, even the high ranking Sinhalese officials in Kandy were fluent in Tamil. The Hindu religion was given an important place along with Buddhism and none of the Tamil kings ever failed to promote and maintain Buddhism as a major religion in Kandy. The presence of Hindu temples and the procession of the Hindu deities during festive seasons were the result of Tamil influence.
The Queen s brother ruled Kandy as Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe from 1739 to 1747. When he died without any offspring, his brother-in-law, Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe(1747 1782), inherited the kingdom. Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe was succeeded by his brother Rajadhi Rajasinghe (1782-1798). The last Tamil king of Kandy was an 18 year old youth by the name of Kannusamy: a relative of the royal family but not a natural heir to the throne. He was, in fact, installed on the throne by a Sinhalese chieftain called Pilimatallawe, in spite of other claimants one of whom was the Queen s brother, the rightful candidate by the name of Muthusamy, who was also a favourite of the British.
The sword used by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe when captured by the British(Pic By Saman Sri Wedage, Daily News, 2002)
The last king took the name of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe and ruled from 1798 to 1815. This period was full of turmoil and uprisings and saw the end of the Kandyan kingdom. Sinhalese chieftains of Kandy, disgruntled with the king and his rule, instigated the people to rebel against the king. Furthermore, they sought help from the British to overthrow the king. They were prepared to accept a foreign power to rule over their kingdom at the cost of their independence.