Saranankara Era in the Kandyan Kingdom (1698-1778)
Life & Times of Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero
Compiled by K. K. de Silva
Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka.
Introduction
Distinguished local historians & scholars have
conducted research on the Dutch period in the Maritime Provinces &
the Sinhala/Nayakkar period in the Kandyan Kingdom & unearthed an
abundance of material on the important personalities & events of that time,
including that of Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero, based
on records available locally & outside. Among those who have
done so are Sir Paul E. Pieris (1908, 1924), Fr. S. G. Perera S. J.(1923), Sir
Don Baron Jayatilleke (1934), Dr. C. E. Godakumbure (1956), Ven. Dr. Kotagama
Wachchissara Thero (1961), Dr. Lorna Devaraja (1970), Dr. R. A. L. H.
Gunawardena (1979), Dr. K. N. O. Dharmadasa (1979), Fr. V. Perniola S. J.
(1983, 1985), Dr. K. W. Goonewardena, (1984). Fr. A. Fernanadopulle (1999), Dr.
M. Roberts (2004), Dr. K. M.de Silva (2005), Dr. G. Obeysekera (2017,
2020), Dr. A. Seneviratne, etc.
A book on the life & times
of the Thero written in 1934 by Sir Baron Jayatilleke, then the President of
the Young Men's Buddhist Association, is believed to have rekindled interest in
the life of the Sangharaja. (Sir Baron was a member of the Historical
Manuscripts Commission of the 1930s & his interest in the monk may have
commenced at the time. Some other distinguished members of that Commission were
: Professor S. A. Pakeman, Ven. Rambukwelle Siddhartha, Fr. S. G. Perera, E. W.
Perera, P. E. Pieris, Dr. Andreas Nell, S. Paranawithana etc. )
Background
Persecution
by the Portuguese (1505/1597-1658) & by King Rajasinghe I of Sitawaka
(1581-1592) who embraced Saivism resulted in a situation where members of
the sangha either disrobed or fled to the jungles in disguise or looked after
temple properties as laymen or made a living as laymen both in the low country
& latterly in the upcountry. (Wachchissara, 1961).
It is this environment that gave rise to a category
of monks known as "ganninanses".
Ganninanses
are described as follows:".: an indeterminate status, part layman, part
monk; at best they were a parody or caricature of the bhikkhus, at worst, a
travesty. They retained their lay names, continued to engage in secular
activities, wore a white or saffron coloured cloth rather than the traditional
saffron coloured robes of the bhikkhu, and few, if any, were celibates.
Indeed, the prospect of a comfortable living on temple properties was
very often the main attraction for entry into the Buddhist order in the form of
ganninanses. Few of them had mastered the Buddhist texts, most were content to
indulge in magic, sorcery, astrology and divination and, in fact, priests or
magicians rather than bhikkhus in the ideal and doctrinal sense." (De
Silva, 2005).
There
was a need to cleanse & upgrade the sangha as there were no fully ordained
monks in the country.
The
Roman Catholic converts/missionaries left behind by the Portuguese faced the
same problem that the Buddhists faced earlier under Portuguese rule. "For
reasons both political and sectarian, the Dutch Government set its face against
the Catholics in Ceylon and took severe measures to stamp out their religion.
Immediately after the capitulation of Colombo, they saw to it that the Catholic
missionaries were sent out of the island, their churches confiscated, their
schools suppressed and their converts trodden down. For about 40 years
there was not a single Priest to minister to the Catholics. Then in 1687 there
came to Ceylon in the guise of a poor labourer an Indian Priest, called Fr.
Joseph Vaz, whose name is held in veneration by the Catholics of this country."
(Pieris, 1943).j
Dutch
Policy towards Buddhism is described as follows:
“In trying to
bring the people over to Calvinism, however, the Dutch appear to have been
reluctant, generally speaking, to antagonize them to the point of rebellion or
to provoke the Sinhalese ruler to intervention or retaliation. …………………But they
tended not to compromise on the fiat that once an individual became a Christian,
he had of necessity to conform to certain rules and regulations. He had to
marry as a Christian, attend church, get his children baptized and sent to the
church school, and he could never change over to Buddhism (or any other
religion) again. In this they were undoubtedly following the Portuguese
example; and like the Portuguese they set up a church-school system by which
compulsory religious instruction, baptism and marriage according to Christian
rites as well as records of all such activities could be maintained”. ( Goonewardena/Holt, 2011: P. 229)
Despite persecution by the Dutch, there was a Catholic revival inspired by the saintly disposition of Rev. Fr. Joseph Vaz & the literary skills of Rev. Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, two Oratorian missionaries from Portuguese India. They were followed by Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Thero who sparked a remarkable Buddhist revival.
Reign of King Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707).
The
King
King
Vimaladharmasuriya II was the son of Rajasinghe II. He was considered a
peaceful king. He was assigned to the care of a temple as a child
when there was a rebellion against his father, until the trouble subsided &
this phase is likely to have been a sober influence on his life. He had
no experience of state-craft & followed the advice of the chiefs & the
sangha. He was well disposed towards foreigners & other faiths.
(Perera, 1923).
The
King's harem consisted of his Nayakkar Queen, several secondary queens from the Nayakkar clan , two Sinhala concubines from Radala families, Muthukuda & Keerawelle. Keerawelle Devi had a son named Pattiya Bandara.
The
King also had another son, later, Vira Parakrama Narendrasinghe whose mother was a Nayakkar.
(Pieris, 1924). Some sources refer to him as the son of Muthukuda Devi.
He
was very much concerned about the future of the Buddha Sasana. He realized that the revival of the Buddha Sasana required the presence of fully
ordained monks to carry out the Upasampada or Higher Ordination Ceremony, based
on the “Upasampada Kammavaca” which stipulates among others, the following
pre-requisites:
1.
Minimum Age should be : 20 years
2.
Not less than ten duly ordained
monks are required
3.
The Presiding Officer should
have completed ten years after his Higher Ordination
Accordingly,
he arranged to bring down senior monks from Burma. He
also built a three-storied Maligava for the Tooth Relic & intervened
to prevent hereditary ownership of temple lands. (Dickson, 1875; Perera, 1923).
Relations with the Dutch
The policy of the Dutch was to maintain good
relations with the King so that they could maximize their profits from trading
activities. The King was quite happy with this arrangement.
Foreigners
in the Kingdom
There were some foreigners
residing in the Kingdom, some of whom enjoyed the patronage of the King, &
some like Fr. Joseph Vaz, Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, Pedro Gascoigne aka
Dascon & the Nayakkars became prominent in the course of time. By this
time, Robert Knox was no longer in the Kingdom.
Lieutenant De la Nerolle
Lieutenant Pierre Nauclairs de la Nérolle was a Frenchman, member of a French fleet, which
arrived in Trincomalee in March 1672, who did not join the fleet on its onward
journey. He had apparently been sent to the Court of King Rajasinghe II
(1629-1687) as, imprisoned for being
disrespectful to the King, later pardoned & appointed to a position
in the court. He married the daughter of Rajaguru Pandithe Mudiyanse, a
private tutor to the court and received the title of Amarakone Mudiyanse. Their
progeny held important positions later. (Rajapakse, 2019).
Pierre Gascoigne
Another was, Gascoigne, a
Frenchman, Lt de Lanerolle's valet, who arrived in Kandy with his master & married a Portuguese woman He was offered the position of
looking after the King's horses. He had a son & daughter & lived near
the King's palace.
Other Frenchmen who accompanied de La Nerolle
Some others who came with De La
Nerolle were allowed to settle down in the town & " made a living,
like so many of the Portuguese who were there, by distilling arrack and opening
taverns. " (Pieris, 1924 )
Rev.Fr. Joseph Vaz
“As
his influence grew, de la Nérolle’s prejudice pitted him against another
well-known name – the Catholic priest Father Joseph Vaz, who de la Nérolle
convinced the king to imprison. When the king decided the missionary was
harmless and should be released, de la Nérolle did not give up his crusade, and
is believed to have incited the Buddhist monks to hostility against the
Catholics”.
.(Rajapakse,
2019)
However,
he was later allowed limited freedom in 1696, apparently after Fr. Vaz
successfully prayed for rain, during a period of severe drought. He was allowed
to reside in the Kingdom & minister to the flock, build a make-shift church
at first, & a church later. He won the confidence of the King &
maintained friendly relations with him. Fr. Vaz, later, made use of this opportunity to travel
throughout the Catholic areas of the island to minister to the Catholic
community left behind by the Portuguese. He had to tread carefully in
his journeys outside the Kingdom of Kandy for missionary activities in view of
the legislation enacted against the Catholics by the Dutch, & often he
& others disguised themselves as beggars etc. (Perniola, 1983).
He
is generally described as a saintly person who looked after the poor & the
sick, especially during an epidemic of smallpox, at great risk to
himself. New missionaries arrived in 1697 & 1705 to assist him.
(Dioceseofratnapura.com).
“Fr. Joseph Vaz and his nephew, Fr. Joseph Carvalho, one of the Oratorians, put themselves at the service of the suffering people unmindful of personal comfort or safety, sometimes carrying the dead on their shoulders to the local cemetery for burial. This remarkable manifestation of the spirit of Christian love and service to the needy without counting the sacrifice involved, impressed the local Buddhist population so much that many asked to be baptized. “(Vaz, 1999).
Some
challenges faced by Fr. Vaz, are referred to
in http://www.dioceseofratnapura.com as follows: " Joseph
carried his mission to the main centres of the island. He returned to Kandy in
1699 with Father Joseph de Carvalho who had been expelled at the instigation of
Buddhist monks. He completed the construction of his new church, & went
into service for the King, translating Portuguese books into Sinhala. From this
vantage point, he intensified his ministry & converted some Sinhalese
notables, which gave rise to slanders against him & persecution of
converts."
Some of Father Vaz’s Sinhalese works were as follows:
Prayers of the Catechism, A summary of Christian
doctrine, Devotions and litanies to the Blessed Virgin, Short meditations on
the Stations of the Cross, & a wordbook, for which he had the assistance
of Buddhist monks.
(Bishop Edmund Peiris, 1943)
Extract from a letter written by
Father José Vaz (Kandy, September 10, 1697) is reproduced below:
This king
[Vimaladharmasuriya II], as he is much inclined toward the good and possesses
reason, if he knew of the falsehood of his religion, and the truth of ours,
could with God’s favor convert, but there is no one here with the authority or
knowledge, much less the spirit, who could do this. We, in addition to being
unable to do this for being considered people of little importance, are
prevented from conversing with him; for I have been in this city for nearly
seven years and I have neither seen nor appeared before him. As he considers us
poor, miserable creatures, he does not fail to remember and pity us, and he
meets our needs. (M. da Costa Nunes /(Holt, 2011:182)
Rev. Fr. Jacome Gonsalves
Another Oratorian priest, a
Brahmin from Portuguese India, Fr. Jacome Gonsalves (1705-1742 in Ceylon) too arrived in the Kingdom in 1705 & joined Fr. Vaz. towards the end of
King Vimaladharmasuriya II's reign .
Nayakkar Community
Apart from the above-mentioned
foreigners, there was also a community of people from the Nayakkar clan, who
came along with the King's wives. They were accommodated in an area reserved
for them, known as Malabar St. They also wielded considerable influence over
the Kings. They were maintained at the King's expense.
Notable Events
Arrival of Monks from Burma to conduct Upasampada Ceremony
Two delegations were sent with Dutch assistance & the second with five
ambassadors returned with two senior monks & thirty-four ordinary monks in 1697 & conducted Upasampada ceremonies at Getambe.(Pieris
1924).
On
this occasion 33 monks obtained Upasampada ordination & 120 entered the
order as samaneras but some of the Upasampada monks left the order, while
others reverted to samanera status. (Malalgoda, 1975).
Extract from a letter written by Father José Vaz
(Kandy, September 10, 1697) in this connection is reproduced below:
As such he zealously works for
the growth of his religion, and so that it would not be extinguished in this
land with the death of all of its priests, and so that new ones might be
ordained (there not being a bishop here), he with great dedication sent [men]
to Arakan [Burma], and from there came thirty-three bishops, with two as their
principal leaders. In receiving, sheltering, and honoring these, the king
showed nearly the sum of his power and devotion, in his own way. Of the
thirty-three, six died here, one of these being one of the leaders; the rest
have left so as to embark on their return [journey] to their land, leaving
behind one hundred twenty newly ordained ganês, or priests, and of this first
group they gave thirty-three the rank of bishop. . ..
(M. da Costa Nunes/Holt, 2011:
184).
Among
those who received higher ordination in 1697, was Rajasundera Unnanse of the
Suriyagoda Raja Maha Viharaya.
However, this did not lead to a
Buddhist revival in the country, probably because the Ganninanses enjoyed
various material benefits & privileges, which they did not wish to give up
as fully ordained monks.
Birth of Kulatunge Banda (future Samanera, Welivita Sri Saranankara )
Complaints against the Oratorian Priests
Extracts from a letter written by Father José Vaz
([Kandy, May 28, 1699) is reproduced below:
We do not know with certainty of what things they have accused us but the
principal accuser is one of his Imperial Majesty’s favorites, who always acts
in his service and has his house near our church. The dissava is among those
who joined the aforementioned accuser. ........
Then there are the caretakers of the pagodas, who complain that the
aforementioned [former servants], in converting to Christianity, no longer make
promises or bring offerings to the pagodas, and as such, they [the caretakers]
have nothing to do. Others say, with the zealousness of their false religion,
that the fathers’ church has grown and that they have extended the Christian
law over more people, and so if the fathers and the church remain, their [the
caretakers’] law and the cult of the Buddha and the pagodas will be
overshadowed.
(M. da Costa Nunes/Holt, 2011:185).
Death of Vimaladharmasuriya II & Succession
On the death of the King,
according to the Mandaram Puwatha, there were some clashes among the high
ranking Kandyan nobles about the accession to the throne of the king's youthful
son, who even then was noted for his addiction to wine, women & song &
indifference to matters of state, but in the end he became King as Sri Vira
Parakrama Narendrasinghe. (Dewaraja,1960)
Reign of Sri Vira Parakrama Narendrasinghe (1707-1739)
The
King
King
Narendrasinghe was 17 years old at the time he succeeded his father & is believed
to have had a violent temper (Pieris, 1924). He had earned the nickname,
“Sellam Nirindu” or “Playboy King”. He was also known as "Prince Kundasale”
as he built & lived in a palace at Kundasale.
The King received a temple education from Ven. Rajasundera Thero at the
Suriyagoda Raja Maha Viharaya, At the same time, the son born to the
Frenchman Gascoigne who was named Pedro, also studied under Ven.
Rajasundera Thero. The 2 children became good friends. Pedro Gascoigne,
was later known as Dascon. Rev. Fr. Joseph Vaz is also said to have taught
Portuguese to the young Pedro Gascoigne. (Dewaraja, 1970. )
The
King's harem consisted of his Queen, Premila Devi, the daughter of Lord
Pitti Nayakkar and Lady Abhirami Devi; a secondary Nayakkar Queen, & two
Sinhala concubines, one of whom had a son named Unambuwe Bandara.
The King had renovated the
Suriyagoda Raja Maha Viharaya of his teacher, Rajasundera Thera, after which it
was named Narendrasinghe Viharaya or Narendraramaya; established the
Niyamakanda Pirivena for the training of novice monks & provided for its
maintenance. He had also rebuilt the building erected at the Dalada
Maligawa by his father, which had fallen into decay. (Culavamsa)/Dr. A.
Seneviratne ).
Relations with the Dutch
The
Dutch had closed the ports to prevent direct trade with India,
which deprived the Dutch of the customs duties they charged on the sale of
goods & enabled the king & the nobles to earn large profits. The Dutch
ensured that all produce in the kingdom is sold to them, & all the kingdom's requirements are bought from them.
But
surprisingly the King had made no protest though it was disadvantageous to the
Kingdom, & good relations were maintained. The move did not affect the
king's subjects initially as they were able to transact business with Muslim
traders at the same prices. Therefore, the Dutch began to enforce their rules
more stringently. (Perera, 1923)
As
time passed, closure of the ports was affecting the people & the King
was concerned but representations made proved futile. In 1713 as a retaliatory measure the Kadavatu (entry points) leading to the Dutch territory were
kept closed & this prevented movement of produce to the Dutch territories
by the King's subjects. This affected the supply of goods to the Dutch
territories.
In
the meantime, both parties adopted measures to circumvent the restrictions. The
Dutch had their own share of problems with dishonest & corrupt officers
doing their own trading in competition with their official trade.
In 1734 a request made by the Dutch to open the Kadavatu was met with a
counter request to allow trade in Puttalam. Dissatisfaction spread to
the Dutch territory around Colombo & to the Siyane
Korale, where the Dutch military had to intervene. Some people crossed over
& settled down in the Kingdom while those who returned were not punished at
the King's request. (Peiris, 1924).
No serious rupture in relations
took place.
Influence of the Nayakkar Community
With the arrival of 2 Nayakkar
Queens for the King, the Nayakkar community in the Kingdom was further
strengthened. Gradually they began to take an interest in trade,
& before long they began to acquire wealth & influence within the Kingdom.
They became the envy of the Kandyan aristocracy. (Dewaraja, 1970).
Notable Events
Rebellion against King Narendrasinghe
His
path to the kingship was not however smooth as there was a move by the Kandyan
nobles of high rank to prevent him from being the heir to the throne. A
rebellion was organized by a large group of nobles to make Pattiya Bandara,
another son of Vimaladharmasuriya II from a Sinhala/Buddhist mother, the heir
to the throne. The conspirators were led by Yalegoda Adikram & about
20 others of the aristocracy. As has been the case many times, another group of
nobles including the second Adigar, Rammaloka, remained loyal to the
King & informed him so that he could go into hiding. (Dewaraja, 1970).
"
When the conspirators burst into his bedroom and plunged their swords into a
figure which lay under the sheets, they found that they were attacking the
trunk of a plantain tree." (Pieris, 1924)
The
conspirators made their way to the village where the king was hiding, but the
inhabitants arrested & produced them before the King. (Pieris, 1924)
The plotters were executed, the
informers rewarded, & the king consolidated his position. Among those
rewarded was childhood friend, Dascon, who stood by the King & was elevated
to the position of First Adigar. This appointment of a Frenchman's son as First
Adigar of the Kandyan Kingdom would not have pleased the Kandyan nobles.
Death of Rev. Fr. Joseph Vaz
Rev.
Fr. Joseph Vaz passed away, in the 4th year of King Narendrasinghe 's reign, at
the age of 59 years, after 24 years of missionary work in the island. He was buried in the church he built in
Kandy, but the site is not traceable.
Fr.
Vito Perniola S. J. In his book titled Catholic Church in Sri Lanka - Dutch
Period (1658-1711) has covered the work of Fr. Vaz, in depth, from the time of
his arrival in Jaffna in 1687 until his death in 1711.
%20Couch%20Fr.%20Vaz.jpeg)
https://www.dailymirror.lk/122140/Buddhist-Monks-Protected-St-Joseph-Vaz-s-Historical-Couch
Fr. Vaz was canonized by Pope Francis on 14 January 2015 in Colombo at Galle Face, Colombo. Fr. Vaz is the first saint to have been canonized in Sri Lanka.
Fr. Joseph Vaz Museum in Kandy
https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1090610284305983.1073741873.136208256412862&type=3
.jpg)
Relations with Oratorian Priests
King Narendrasinghe knew most of
the foreigners who enjoyed the confidence of his father & continued to be
their patron. New missionaries arrived in 1708 & 1710
He
tolerated all faiths & " assembled pundits on occasions to argue the
case for their respective faiths, while also permitting Catholic missionaries
to actively proselytize for converts in the lands directly under his
administration. ........ Again, some Sinhala Catholics from the low country are
known to have found refuge from Dutch persecution within the Kingdom of Sinhale"
(Roberts, 2004).
Extract from a letter written by Father Inácio de Almeida (Hanguranketa,
February 20, 1713)
It happened that one night there was a debate at the palace concerning
religion. Some Calvinists, and other sectarians in attendance gave their
reasons, with each one defending his sect, but the king was gradually convinced
by the defense of the Catholic religion, and at the end he concluded by saying
that only the Catholic religion was true and that all the others were false,
and everyone was shocked, and the next day the adigar told Father Jácome
Gonçalves of this. (Holt, 2011, 185)
Ordination
of Kulatunge Banda as Samanera Saranankara
Execution of Pedro Dascon, the First Adigar
A significant event that took place in 1721 was the execution of the
childhood friend of the King & the First Adigar , Dascon , on
the orders of the King. Several reasons have been adduced for this action of
the King:
1. The popular version is that
when the King's favourite queen, Premila Devi was stricken with a disease, an
effigy was prepared for a devil dancing ceremony, & Dascon Adigar seeing
the effigy, placed a birth mark on one of the thighs. The King saw it
& suspecting an illicit affair between Dascon Adigar &
Premila Devi, imprisoned him & later ordered his execution. (Wachchissara,
1961). Would Dascon Adigar have been so naive as to expose himself to danger,
by committing such a rash act?
2. Another view is that Dascon was
having an illicit affair with the Queen Premila Devi, both exchanged love poems
& this was brought to the notice of the king, who ordered that he be
imprisoned & later executed. Did Dascon, a Frenchman's son & Premila
Devi, a Nayakkar have the skills to write poems to each other in Sinhala?
Dascon of course resided in Kandy from the time of his birth & would have
learnt Sinhala from Rajasundera Thero. In fact, the following poems
had been written by him: Vira Pararkarama Narendrasinha Rajastutiya,
Srangaraya, Sri Namaya, Nokkadumalaya. (Wachchissara, (1961). However, the
Queen would not have had the skills to write poems in Sinhala.
3. Yet another view is that Dascon
was having treacherous dealings with the Dutch & his execution for treason
was ordered by the King (Dewaraja, 1970)).
4. A fourth view that emerged
later, on information provided, was that Dascon Adigar was the victim of a
plot hatched by his one-time teacher, Rajasundara Thero & some others.
(Wachchissara, 1961).
Whether or not any action was
taken against the Queen is not stated. She is believed to have died in the same
year.
It is pertinent to point out
that (1) above is the traditional view held at one time based on a commentary
in the Introduction to the Sidat Sangarawa, by James de Alwis (1823-1878)
, a lawyer, writer, poet & legislator, where it is claimed that this
event had its beginning in the 1630s during King Senarath's time
(1604-1635) & took place during King Rajasinghe II 's time.
(See Introduction at pages ccxii to ccxix
at https://books.google.lk/books?id=M1E_AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false).
It appears that James de Alwis's view was based partly on the following version of the events by Major Jonathan Forbes (1826-1837) in his book Eleven Years in Ceylon, an extract of which is given below, where he refers to King Rajasinghe (II ), son of King Senarath. (Major Forbes is said to have discovered Sigiriya.)
"A Portuguese named Gasco, who had been taken prisoner when a boy, was afterwards raised to the rank of Adikar by Raja Singha; and is the author of many popular poems in the Cingalese language. Gasco was in high favour with the King, but, while still a very young man, he too decided partiality of the Queen cost him his life; the last act of which is believed to have been the composition of some verses, and these still remain as a proof that the judgment of the King was warranted by the guilt of the favourite. "
(https://archive.org/details/elevenyearsincey01forbuoft/page/359/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=Gasco).
Quoting the relevant paragraphs from the Introduction to the Sidat Sangarawa by James de Alwis, Fr. S. G. Perera S. J. who had accessed letters written by Catholic Priests then in the Kandyan Kingdom in 1712, 1713, 1715 etc. (Torre do Tombo) had written an article on the topic "Gascon Rala – Adigar and Poet, " in the Ceylon Literary Register Third Series, 1933-1934., Pages 393 to 402 pointing out that the reference to an illicit affair alleged to have taken place between Gascon & King Rajasinghe's Queen is incorrect & that such an incident had actually taken place during King Narendrasinghe 's time (1707-1739). Gascon/ Dascon was Adigar during the latter's reign.
Read Fr. Perera's article here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d63EYMBK0XRAAOCTgcvQXsG0VkEA94PI/view?usp=sharing
Aftermath of the Execution of Dascon Adigar
Fr. Fernandopulle's Account
Fr. Gonsalves & Dascon
Adigar were good friends. The King had ordered that Dascon's wealth
be confiscated. However nothing could be found. The King suspected that his
wealth could be in the church. Fr. Gonsalves was arrested & taken before
the King , where there were signs that he would be tortured. He was
questioned about Dascon's wealth but denied any knowledge & denied
that Dascon Adigar's wealth was in the church.
He was then questioned about
some books he had written which were considered controversial & hurt the
feelings of the Buddhists.
- Bhedakdrayange
Tarkaya - "a record of a discussion between Fr. Gonsalves and Nanclairs de
la Nerolle, held in the presence of King Narendrasimha at Hanguranketa. "
- Matara
Pratyaksaya - "criticises Buddhist teaching"
- Agnana
Ausadaya - "discusses controversial issues in different faiths and
contradicts their conclusions. Criticises the Buddhist concept of Nibbana
because he says that it can cause pain in the minds of believers. At the same
time, he imprudently tries to rationalise a religious concept of life after
death."
"In this case, it seems
that Gonsalves was unwise in his articulation of arguments and in his presentation
of views on the teachings of other faiths. These works aroused the anger of the
Buddhists when they appeared. It caused considerable damage to his literary and
missionary endeavours as well as to his personal credibility. "
" Gonsalves should have taken every step
to maintain religious harmony and relationships with people of other faiths,
particularly with Buddhists. However, his composition of controversies caused
problems. "
Fr. Don Peter's Account
"Fr
Gonsalves himself was nearly being executed on the orders of King
Narendrasimha. And this, surprisingly, by a king who, on account of a rumour
that Fr Vaz’ s body had been secretly removed to Goa, wanted the tomb to be
opened in the presence of his ministers to be sure that it was there, because
of his great regard and veneration for Fr Vaz.
Among the books written by Fr Gonsalves was one on Buddhism which angered some
of the Buddhists. They complained to the king and demanded that the author be
punished.
Not long after, Fr Gonsalves was falsely accused of hiding the treasure of
Pedro de Gaskon, the First Adigar, whom the king had executed, and who had been
very friendly with the priest. The king ordered his ministers to interrogate Fr
Gonsalves, and when the evidence though false, of his accusers was conveyed to
the king he ordered him to be tortured and beheaded. But when the king was told
that Fr Gonsalves had welcomed with joy the opportunity for martyrdom, he was
so touched that he ordered his release."
Fr. S. G. Perera's Account
(The details of this incident are taken from the Life of Father Goncalvez written by Sebastiao do Rego. MS. Torre do Tombo.)
“Accordingly one night the
church was surrounded by troops and the Father led prisoner to the palace in
the morning. He was not produced before the King but before some of his
ministers who now questioned him, not about the treasures of Gascon, but about
the book he wrote. The Father valiantly contended that he wrote the book as
part of his duty to teach the way of truth, that there was nothing in it which
he did not prove by reason, and that it was no offence against the King but
rather it was his duty as a loyal subject to teach the truth. 1 This the
ministers professed to report to the King who was in another part of the
palace. On their return however they did not refer to the book but asked in the
King's name what he had done with the large sum of money which the Adigar Pedro
Gascon had left with him. The Father had some inkling of the charge and had
brought the keys of the church with him. He therefore offered the keys to the
ministers and told them to go and search the church and the presbytery if they
liked. The ministers returned to report this to the King and brought the
unexpected order that he was to be forthwith tortured and executed. The Father
could scarcely believe that such was the decision of the King who had known him
for so many years, who had read his books and who had once invited him to the
palace to discuss religion and refute the Calvinist in his royal presence. Though
the ministers were in a very threatening mood the Father remained unmoved.
Soon, however, the King sent order to set the priest free to return home. The
King continued to deal with him as before often consulting him 2 on matters of
State and following his advice in preference to that of his ministers.”
Oratorian
Report Account - 20 January 1747
" The
executors of the king’s order went to Bolawatta, in which church were Fathers
Ignacio Mesquita, Francisco Leytao and Lourenco Collaco. At fall of night, they
seized them all. On the following day they removed the tiles of the church, and
broke down the gates. Some statues they broke, others they burnt, but the ivory
statue which the king of Kandy had sent some three years before and had been
placed on the main altar, they did not break but removed to the palace.
Finally, they robbed the church of everything that was in it and in the
presbytery, all the ornaments and furniture and books. Not content with these
acts of hostility to the Fathers, they did the same to the Christians living in
the neighbourhood of the church. The following day Gonsalves was taken prisoner
to the palace. On reaching the place of questioning, he was shown the fire and
the instruments, which had been prepared. He was questioned about the book he
had written in Sinhala against the doctrine of the Buddha. He admitted that he
had written it and asserted that it contained truth and that it was a work of
reason."
Imprisonment of Leuke Rala
It
transpired that Dascon Adigar, while in prison, had addressed an appeal for
clemency to the King, but that it was withheld by Leuke Rala to prevent the
king from granting him clemency. Leuke Rala who carried out the execution, on
the orders of the King was imprisoned in or banished to another area. Leuke
Rala was an ex- Buddhist monk, who knew Pali. (Wachchissara, 1961)
Execution of Rajasundera Thero
Another execution, in connection with the above
incident that took place in the year 1721 was that of Rajasundera Thero, who
was teacher to both the King' & Dascon during their childhood, on the
orders of the King. Here too, several reasons are cited in support of the
King's action:
1.
The popular version is that it
was brought to the notice of the king that the monk was in some way involved in
helping the illicit affair between Dascon Adigar & Queen Premila Devi
2. Another view is that " the young king, in
order to consolidate his position, was forced to compromise with the
established ganinnanses. This is the best possible explanation for an otherwise
inexplicable action of the king in 1715 ?, when he ordered the execution of an
important monk, Suriyagoda Rajasundara, for treason. .... he must
have got involved in some resistance against the young Narendrasinha and the
ganinnanses "(Obeysekera, 2017).
3. The King suspected that the monk was involved in
some conspiracy resulting in the execution of Dascon. (Wachchissara, 1961)
Unfortunately, there is no mention of the
circumstances leading to the execution of Rajasundera Thero, except that he had
committed an act of treason..
Note:
Wachchissara (1961) says that Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero was 23 years of
age at the time Rajasundera Thero was executed. If so, the year of his
execution would have been 1721 & not 1715, as stated by some others. The
year of Dascon's execution may have been closer to 1721 & not 1714.
Aftermath of the Execution of Rajasundera Thero
The
King's rage against Rajasundera Thero, his teacher at one time, was such that
he confiscated his property & that of his relatives & banished them
from the area & handed over the Viharaya to one Udappu Rala. The Samaneras
living there, including Samanera Saranankkara had to leave the temple.
Progress of Samanera Saranankara after leaving Suriyagoda Raja Maha Viharaya
-
-
-
he was anxious to learn
Pali, & on hearing that Leuke Rala, a former bhikkhu, & imprisoned
by the King in connection with the beheading of Dascon Adigar, was living close
by , he contacted him in spite of the risk involved & learnt Pali from him;
-
he travelled around in search of
knowledge, books & tutors, & while continuing to learn, he also became
a popular preacher;
-
as time passed, he started the
practice of going from house to house and begging for his food, & earned
the name Pindapathika Saranankara
-
In time, having heard about the
exemplary religious life he was leading, three other samaneras joined him. They
were Sitinamaluwe Dhammajothi (Beliatta), Ilipangamuwe (Kegalle) and Kadiragoda
(Kurunegala), & they called themselves “Silvat Samagama” or Association of
Pious Monks”.
"The Silvat Samagama called for a return to
more exacting standards of conduct for the sangha , where piety,
devotion and a sound knowledge of the scriptures rather than family
influence and connections would be the qualifications for admission to the
order, and where the ideal of poverty was juxtaposed with the reality of a
gannninanses devotion to the affairs of a householders life." (De Silva,
2005).
-
Their fame spread far &
wide, they preached to the common people & their numbers increased
considerably. They wore dyed or white clothing. It is pertinent to point out
that Sitinamaluwe Dhammajothi was from the South & belonged to the Durawe caste,
so that there was no caste discrimination at this stage. At this time they were
residing at Ridi Vihare, Kurunegala/Dambulla,
-
On an invitation extended by a
layman, Kanuketiyegedera of Satara Korale, the Silvat Samagama travelled to
Satara Korale and participated in religious activities. They proceeded to
Unaliya (Kuliyapitiya) and there they requested the villagers to polish ola leaves
(Talipot) for writing.
-
At this time, the heads of
Asgiriya & Poya Malu Vihares were known as Chief Samaneras or Gananayakes
as they had not received higher ordination. They treated the Silvat Samagama
with contempt. Even some of the samaneras from the aforesaid vihares joined the
Silvat Samagama., which was gaining in numbers in an unprecedented way.
-
-
Sometime afterwards, a Brahmin
from India came to Kandy & conversed in Sanskrit. The King found that none
of those in the court or the Chief Gananayakes of the 2 main Vihares could
interpret what he said The King also wanted someone to preach the Buddhist
doctrine to the Brahmin but there was none to do so. At this stage, Saranankara
was summoned, & he did so, to the delight of the Brahmin & the King.
-
Having gained the confidence of
the King, Saranankara wrote a code of ethics to be followed by the Silvat
Samagama. The King also invited Saranankara to write a book & while
residing in the Poyamalu viharaya (the older section of
Malwatu Viharaya), he wrote Sarartha Sangrahaya., which pleased the King
immensely. (Wachchissara, 1961, Malalgoda, 1975)
Reconciliation of King Narendrasinghe with Samanera Welivita Sri Saranankara.
After
the reconciliation with Samanera Saranankara, which took place twelve years
after the latter became a monk, the King invited the latter to reside in
Kundasale, carry on his religious activities & teach his Queen's Nayakkar
brother, who had come along with her originally, Buddhism & state-craft. He
agreed to do so. (Wachchissra, 1961).
The King would no doubt have had
the intention of making him heir to the throne in preference to his son from a
Sinhala wife. This would have been unprecedented at this time, as it meant that
a full blooded Nayakkar was going to be the King for the first time in the
history of the Kandyan Kingdom, an eventuality that the nobility would oppose
with all their might. It is strange but true that none of the Nayakkars
were willing to consider their own sons from their Sinhala concubines, as heir
to the throne.
Attempt to Poison Samanera Saranankara
The church did not like the
Silvath Samagama and a conspiracy by the chief priest of the Christian church
in Kandy to poison Samanera Saranankara through six Kaffirs was
exposed and after inquiry the King exiled him. Later, he was permitted to come
to Kandy on the promise that he would not commit a similar offence & 12
guards were employed for the Samanera’s security.( Wachchissara, 1961, Mandaram
Puwatha.).
Samanera Saranankara's First Bid to bring Upasampada Monks
Samanera Saranankara now
approached the King with a written request in verse that fully ordained monks
be brought to carry out the Upasampada ceremony. The King apparently was not
receptive to the idea, for an unknown reason & showed no interest to pursue
it.
Samanera Saranankara establishes Niyamakanda Pirivena
the King to set up a school (pirivena) to teach the religion to newly ordained samaneras.The King agreed to this request & set in motion the process to establish a school in Niyamakanda & provided land grants to maintain it. Samanera Saranankara resided here for sometime & organised the school.
Second Rebellion against King Narendrasinghe
In 1732,
Narendrasinghe faced yet another rebellion among the Kandyan Sinhalese
aristocrats because he had entrusted the most important royal stores to one of
the Nayakkars by appointing him as Maha Gabada
Nilame. This involved a number of the king's stores in
several royal villages containing many paddy lands and ancestral homes of many
Sinhalese chieftains. The people instigated by the local chiefs rose in
revolt & in the process of crushing the revolt, two of the villages
were burned down on the orders of the King. As usual, the leaders were identified
& executed, their lands were confiscated & others rewarded
and appointed in their place. (Dewaraja, 1970).
Second Attempt to Kill the King
"The
king used to perform acrobats in the water when he went to Mahaweli for a
bath. The chieftains planned secretly to kill the king when he was
bathing. They planted sharpened spikes in the water so that when the king
jumped into the water from his usual bathing place, these spikes will pierce
his chest and cause his death. One day before the king jumped into the water he
observed a dragon-fly seated on the water. The king thought that this never
could happened and inspected the bathing area before his usual jump.
He detected the poisoned spikes planted in the water. One Kahanda Sumitra
Bandara and his Chief Adigar Rammaloka were found responsible for this act and
were killed by the king. Ehelepola Adigar was elevated to the post of Chief
Adigar." (Karaliyadde, 2012, ).
“King Narendrasinha caused
the death of Ranmolavaka on a charge of conspiracy to murder the king by
impaling the king on the bank of Mahaveli where the king used to bathe. “
(Wachchissara 1961). It was Rammaloka who saved the King's life on the earlier
occasion.
Re-instatement of Leuke Rala
In 1732, Leuke Rala , who had
been imprisoned by King Narendrasinghe was now reinstated by him & assigned
the important position of Mohottala. (Dharmadasa, 1989). This
was possibly due to the intervention of Samanera Saranankara.
Fr. Gonsalves & his book, “Buda Mula”
In 1737, Fr. Jacome Gonzalez
tried to influence Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe before he became king by giving him
a copy of the book "Budu Mula" (The Root of Buddhism),
written by him, which was probably intended to wean him away from Buddhism, as
it highlighted some shortcomings of Buddhism. This was not a clever move on his
part. King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe remained a devout Buddhist under the influence
of Samanera Saranankara .
Death of King Narendrasinghe & Succession
The King fell seriously ill
& was under ayurvedic treatment for several months. As there was no
improvement, the services of a Dr. Daniels was obtained through the Dutch
authorities to treat him with Western medicine. However, he died on at the age
of 49 years on May 13, 1739 after a reign of 32 years. (Karaliyadde,
2012)
A
section of the Kandyan nobility now proposed that Unambuve Bandara, the king's
son by a non-ksatriya lady., a Sinhalese high-caste concubine , be appointed to
succeed King Narendrasinghe to prevent a Nayakkar from ascending the throne.
Leuke Rala was one of those who were sponsoring this proposal.
The
Nayakkar nominee groomed to succeed King Narendrasinghe was the latter’s
brother in law. The Chief Adigar, Ahalepola & Samanera Saranankara,
who was the Nayakkar's teacher, apparently were in favour of the Nayakkar nominee.
The struggle ended in a
stalemate, & the late King's brother in law ascended the throne as Sri
Vijaya Rajasinghe. Samanera Saranankara was accused of enthroning a
Nayakkar as the King of Kandy but his stature was such at this stage, that the
choice was accepted .
Reign of Sri Vijaya Rajasingha aka Rajasinghe III (1739-1747)
The
King
King
Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe was a mild mannered person , whose reign was short, but
who maintained good relations with the Kandyan nobility, the Sangha & the
Dutch.
He
had been living in Kandy for sometime & was a pupil of Samanera
Saranankara who taught him Buddhism, state-craft etc. He was being
groomed for the kingship.
The
King’s harem consisted of his Nayakkar Queen, from an influential royal
family from Madurai & another Nayakkar secondary Queen. Sri Vijaya's queens
soon became “good Buddhists
He became a good
Buddhist & in his short reign, he built /
repaired temples & vihares, erected image-houses,
& celebrated religious and social festivals . (Perera,
1923 )
Relations with the Dutch
The King , being a Nayakkar, had
to maintain good relations with every one in order to secure his position,
& he needed the support of the Dutch in case there were threats from
within the Kingdom. He banished the missionaries from the Kingdom , not only to
please the Buddhists, but also the Dutch. Dutch assistance was readily given to
send two delegations to Burma to bring down senior monks to conduct the
Upasampada ceremony. Both were not successful.
The Rise of the Nayakkar Community
With a Nayakkar King in place,
& with the arrival of two more queens for the King, together
with their relatives, the Nayakkars began to exert their influence in court.
Some of them had wide experience in trading & commercial contacts in South
India, & they were now eager to cash in on the trade being monopolised by
the Dutch. The Dutch in turn saw the Nayakkars encroaching into their line of
business & disliked them . The King’s father-in-law, Narenappa
Nayakkar was showing signs of becoming a power behind the throne.
(Dewaraja, 1970).
Notable Events
Samanera Saranankara Receives a Title
The King conferred on him the
title of Rajaguru.
Restrictions on Missionary Activities
After he became King, it was
brought to is notice that the missionaries were targetting Kandyan Buddhists
& the action taken by the King is described as follows:
"There were, nevertheless, limits to tolerance as well. When the Catholic
missionaries propagating the faith in Senkadagala town and the Kandyan
heartland were deemed to be gaining too many adherents during the time of Srī
Vijaya Rājasinha in the 1740s, the king is said to have become “vehemently
indignant” and, targeting “the infamous Parangis, the infidels,” ordered “their
houses and their books destroyed.” (Roberts, 2004)
Death of Fr. Jacome Gonsalves
His contribution is described as follows:
"Gonsalves composed a major collection of works on a variety of
themes: his compositions are a testament to his efforts in this venture.
For more than two hundred and fifty years, Gonsalves’ work has been held
in high esteem by both Christians and non-Christians in Sri Lanka, second
only to that accorded to the New Testament. His writings have also been a
source of inspiration to the faithful, as devotional and religious
literature." (Fr. Fernandopulle ,1999)
Gonsalves's Vēda Kāvyaya on the life of
Christ has been inspired by Vīdāgama Thero’s Buduguṇālaṅkāraya on
the life of the Buddha. (Obeysekera, 2017 )
Famous church historian Fr. S G Perera S. J. states in his book on Fr. Gonsalves that : “Two priests stand out pre-eminent in the history of the Catholic faith in this island [Sri Lanka]; one as the Founder of the modem church, the other as its architect and builder. The former is Father Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Ceylon; the latter his disciple, companion and eventually his successor, Father Jacome Gonsalvez. Father Vaz planted and Father Gonsalvez watered the vineyard of Ceylon and God gave it increase. It is to these two priests, more than to any other before or since, that the modem Church in Ceylon owes its existence, its numbers, its traditions and its literature.”
His
contribution consisted of 22 works in Sinhalese, 15 in Tamil, 4 in Portuguese
and 1 in Dutch. Among them were the following :
Deva Veda Puranaya, Deva Veda Sanksepaya, Suvisesa Yisadhanaya,
Gnananjanaya, Deva Niti Visarjanaya, Sukrita Darpaneya; Dharmodyanaya, or
Lives of the Saints
Pratiharyavalia, Dukprapti Prasangaya, Mangala Gitiya,
Agnana Ausadaya, Bhedakarainge Tarkaya, Matara Pratyakasaya, Budu Mula.
Veda. Kavyaya
Dictionaries - A Sinhalese-Portuguese dictionary; A Portuguese-Sinhalese
dictionary;
A dictionary of select phrases, in Tamil; A trilingual dictionary;
Portiiguese-Tamil-Sinhalese
(Bishop Edmund Peiris, 1943).
“He composed
religious poems and endowed as he was with an extraordinary
talent for music, he set them to Sinhalese and Tamil melodies
which became popular with the island's Catholics. He was not only the initiator of Catholic literature
in Ceylon but even of Church music. Inevitably he gained recognition
and approbation of the people. “(Vaz, 1997)
Fr. Gonsalves
Museum at Bolawatte Church
https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=166481007119211&set=a.336726363428007
-imageonline.co-merged.jpeg)
Samanera Saranankara intervenes to restore late Rajasundera Thero's Properties
The following extract from
page 801 ? of the Gazetteer of the Central Province contains the details
:"Narendrarama Vihare was built by King Parakrama Bahu the Great. In the
reign of King Naréndrasinha of Kundasale (1706-1734) Suriyagoda Nayake Unnanse
was beheaded, his property was confiscated, and his relations sent as prisoners
to Bintenne. Afterwards in the reign of King Wijaya Singhe of
Hanguranketa (1734-1747), the relations were released through the
intercession of Welivita Sangharaja, the lands were restored. In the
confiscation all the vihare lands were involved. ( Jud. Com. 31 May,
1826)". ( Lawrie,1896)
Eviction of Catholic Missionaries from Kandy
Some Buddhists, Buddhist clergy
& the Dutch authorities had complained to the King about the evangelising
activities of the Catholic missionaries in Kandy & they were arrested &
brought before a tribunal. In 1746 the King had ordered to banish
them from the Kingdom & they found refuge in the Vanni. The tribunal
comprised of Samanakkodi Adigar , Samanera Saranankara & Leuke Rala, now
restored to an important position. (Dharmadasa, 1989, Don Peter,
2005),
Samanera Saranankara's Second Bid to bring Upasampada Monks
1741
Mission
At the Samanera's request, the King contacted the Dutch authorities & arranged a ship to
1747
Mission
The King now wanted a second
mission to be sent, but the Dutch were adopting delaying tactics
referring to the expenses involved in the whole operation & their losses
due to one ship being wrecked at sea. The King now restricted the trading activities
of the Dutch & indicated that he was seeking assistance from
the British in Madras to bring the monks from one of the countries.. There was
now a change of heart & the Dutch agreed to a second mission.
The second mission commenced in the first half of January, 1747 with the
requisite letters & presents to the Siamese King.. It sailed from Colombo
on 3rd February, with three ambassadors, Meedeniya, Doranegama &
Wilbagedera & their retinue consisting of 5 pupils of Saranankara. They
arrived in Batavia on 17 March & were held up there until the weather
improved. Once the weather improved, the Dutch representative & one of the
Ambassadors, Wilbagedera, travelled to Siam to discuss about the monks.
By this time, news had reached Batavia & Siam about the death of King
Vijaya Rajasinghe, & the Siamese had requested a fresh letter from the new
King, & the Dutch too had held the same view.
The mission was not a success. But the Dutch did make contact with the
Siamese to resume their trade with Siam, which had come to a standstill a few
years back. (Goonewardena, 1980, Malalgoda,1975).
Death of King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe & Succession
The King died on 11 August 1747
after reigning for eight years. He too did not have a son from his
Nayakkar queen. There was apparently no suitable local aspirant to the
kingship. The queen's father, Narenappa Nayakkar had become an
influential figure in the court & he sponsored his elder son for the
kingship. There apparently was no opposition to the move from the Sangha, the
Kandyan Chiefs & others concerned.
Reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782)
The
King
Kirti Sri Rajasinghe was brought up in Kandy since his sister married King Vijaya Rajasinghe & the latter entrusted him to the care of Samanera Saranankara for his education in Buddhism & state-craft.. He too was obviously being groomed for the kingship.
He
was only 14 (16?) years old at the time he succeeded to the throne
& until he came of age, affairs of state were handled by the two Dissaves.
(Perera, 1923).
The
King’s harem consisted of his Queen, the daughter of one Nadukattu Sami
Nayakkar; three more Nayakkar concubines from Madurai; two daughters
of Vijaya Manna Naicker; & a Sinhala concubine, daughter of the late
Dissava (Headman) of Bintenna, granddaughter of the blind and aged Mampitiya
Dissawa. She bore him six daughters and two sons. Both his sons survived the
king but their claim for the throne was not considered & the King's brother
was chosen. His daughters married Nayakkar relatives of the king.
The
King' s contribution to the upliftment of Buddha Sasana is unprecedented : he
restored the Upasampada ordination; he renovated the existing temples &
provided land grants for their maintenance; he helped temples in Dutch
territory; he renovated and re-endowed Kelani Vihara ; he also gave land to
Mulgirigala Vihara ; he constructed viharayas at Ampitiya, Suduhumpola,
Nittawela & Gangaramaya) ;
he restored Sripada to the Buddhists & granted Kuttapitiya village for its
maintenance ; he gave pride of place to the Sacred Tooth Relic at the annual
Esala Perahera; he entrusted the updating of the Culavamsa from the time of
King Parakrama Bahu IV up to his reign to Ven Tibbotuwawe Siddhartha
Buddharakkita Thero, then Mahanayake of Malwatta Temple; he renovated the
Dalada Maligawa.(Perera, 1923; Dewaraja, 1970; Seneviratne ?. Haris de Silva,
).
Relations with the Dutch
The King continued to maintain
good relations with the Dutch who assisted him to send two delegations to Siam
to bring down senior monks to conduct the Upasampada ceremony. However, the
relations became strained later over matters of trade & unrest within the
Dutch territories resulting in attacks & counter-attacks over a
period of about four years.
Growing Influence of the Nayakkar Community
The
King’s harem consisted of his Nayakkar queen & 4 other Naykkars. They were
accompanied by their relatives . The King’s relatives included his father, his
father’s brothers, three fathers in law, a number of brothers in law, & a
number of other relatives. In addition , there remained the Nayakkars who had
arrived during the regimes of the former kings.
"It
is true that Sinhalese still continued as Ministers, but the real force behind
the Throne consisted of Malabars, chief among them being the King’s own father,
Narenappa Nayakkar, a determined and resourceful man, and a strict
disciplinarian. Sinhalese officials were jealously watched as the King feared a
combination among them, and they were supervised by Malabars who filled the
most lucrative appointments and for whose maintenance a large revenue was
required. "(Peiris, 1924).
Some of the decisions taken by
the King’s father, in particular, caused annoyance & embarrassment to the
chiefs, who were aware that he was taking bribes for various favours. Their
resentment was so great that the inevitable uprising took place.(Dewaraja,
1970)
Notable Events
Resentment against the King & Uprising in 1749
As early as 1749, the aristocracy had expressed their disapproval of
certain actions taken by the King's father :
1. Removal of some nobles from
their important positions & allowing Christian missionaries, some of whom
had been expelled earlier, to re- enter Kandy by the King's father
(Dharmadasa , 1979).
2. Nayakkar relatives asserting
themselves in court & the King continuing to follow Saivite Hindu religious
practices . (Roberts, 2004; Dharmadasa, 1979)
3. Attempt by the Nayakkars to
emphasise the divinity of the King
(Obeysekera (2020) .
“The uprising of the aristocracy
in 1749 had in addition to the political motivation, racial and religious
undertones as well.” (Dharmadasa. 1989 ).
The chiefs threatened to replace the King, & having correctly
understood the situation , the King instructed his father not to meddle in
affairs of state & was able to tide over the situation.
Persecution of Catholic Missionaries
"Kirti Sri continued the [policy of] persecution, but afterwards
attributing a famine and plague, which afflicted the country, to this cause, he
ordered the images which had adorned the church of Bogambara [in Kandy], and
which, on its destruction, had been deposited in his stores, to be given to the
people of Vahakotte, with permission to rebuild their church and enjoy their
religion." (Lawrie , 1896)
Death of Leuke Rala
Leuke Rala died in 1751. He fully supported Samanera Saranankara in his efforts to bring down senior monks from Burma or Siam to conduct the Upasampads ceremony & it was he who negotiated with the Dutch to make necessary arrangements leading to the arrival of Siamese monks in 1753, but he had died by then. He wielded considerable influence in Kandyan society & " had the interests of his religion and country at heart" . (Dharmadasa, 1989).His name is associated with a cannon gifted to the King by the Dutch & which was among the items plundered during the war between Kandy & the Dutch from 1762 to 1766, & removed to Holland where it was displayed at the Rijksmuseum, till it was decided this year (2023), to return it & 5 other artefacts to Sri Lanka .
A
description about the cannon is reproduced below:
“Take, for example, the cannon of Kandy – or “Lewke’s cannon,”
as it is called. .......
For instance, the cannon turned out to have been
decorated in various stages. Our research showed that it was probably
originally cast in the Dutch Republic of Batavia as a gift from the VOC to or
by order of the king of Kandy. …………………
Subsequently the cannon was further embellished
with exceptionally rich decoration, which appeared largely Kandyan in nature.
It is also during this phase that a Sinhalese inscription was added. Dr. Ganga
Dissanayake reinterpreted the inscription, which allowed us to conclude that
the lavish decoration had been applied at the instruction of the Sinhalese
noble Lewke Disawe (ca. 1680/90 – 1751), an important political figure in the
18th-century kingdom of Kandy.” (Schrikker, 2022)
.
https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/uncovering-layers-and-crossing-borders-provenance-research-sri-lankan
Samanera Saranankara's Third Bid to bring Upasampada Monks
Siamese
Mission of 1750
At
Samanera Saranankara 's request, & with the assistance of the Dutch , the King
sent a delegation of 66 persons, including five ambassadors on 1st
August, 1750 to bring senior monks from Siam to conduct the Upasampada
ceremony. The mission reached Siam in July, 1751, was successful & a
Siamese delegation headed by Upali Maha Thero arrived in June 1753. The
delegation consisted of eighteen Upasampada monks, seven novices,
some elders to attend upon them. In addition, five Siamese ministers
accompanied them The monks were accommodated at Malwatte temple & the
ministers at a rest house in Bogambara.(Pieris, 1908, Goonewardena,1980).
A description of the arduous
journey by ship undertaken over 250 years ago, the nature of the
difficulties & delays experienced, the reception received in Siam, the
places of worship visited, the return journey with Siamese monks etc etc can be
accessed here:
https://www.scribd.com/document/257879967/Religious-Intercourse-Between-Ceylon-and-Siam-in-the-Eighteenth-Century
Upasampada Ceremony
(Translation
of a contemporary report by Ellepola Mohottala or Etaliyadde Rala)
"On
tbe evening of the second day of the solar month Kataka, being Friday the
thirteenth day of the lunar month, at the Malwatte Vihare, Upali Maha Thero
admitted one of the samaneras who had accompanied him from Siam into the
Upasampadawa.
On
the night of Saturday the full moon day of the month of Esala, at the first
watch, His Majesty lit the lamp in the jewelled hall of the Solar race,
took his seat in the preaching hall filled with exultant joy and kindness, and
at his request, which was addressed to Upali Maha Thero , Ariya Muni Maha
Thero, and the other Theros , Kobbekaduwe Unnanse, the Nayaka Priest of tbe
Uposataratna, Weliwita Unnanse, Hulangamuwa Unnanse, Bambaradeniva Unnanse,
Thibbotuwawe Unnanse and Navinne the Nayaka Unnanse' of Asgiriya, were admitted
into the Upasampadawa..
And thus after many years the feast of the Great Ordination which had so long
been neglected in Lanka, was re-established once more amidst the rejoicings of
the populace, the
triumphant noise of drums, chanks, and the five kinds of music, and tbe roar of
cannon. " (Pieris, 1908).
The Sasanavatheerna Varnanava names the same
monks & 700 other eligible monks who were ordained later.
There
is no reference to Silvat Samagama monks. However
Sitinamaluwe Dhammajothi Samanera, from the Durawe caste, & the second
member of the Silvat Samagama, who was very old at the time, was conferred
higher ordination by the Siamese monks. (Wachchissara ,1961).
Appointment of Welivita Sri Sarankara Thero as Sangharaja
On hearing of his appointment as Sangharaja, he had arranged to display a sign, at the entrance to his residence at the Malwatu Viharaya, the words, "Do not be haughty, monk", to remind himself of his obligations as a monk. This can be seen even today.
Siam Nikaya
The Nikaya was founded by the
Siamese monk , Upali Maha Thero, & Malwatte & Asgiriya became its
Chapters, with Ven Welivita Sri Saranankara as the Sangharaja. At this stage,
there does not seem to have been any caste restrictions on the entry of novices
to the Nikaya. The high ranking monks of the 2 chapters were however from the
govigama radala aristocracy.
This decree however had unintended consequences. It prevented non govigama
monks from the areas outside the Kingdom from seeking entry to the Siam Nikaya.
.jpg)
A case in point is that of Samanera Sri Gnanawimala Tissa, from the Salagama caste, born in 1766 at Balapitiya, who was a pupil of the Sangharaja at the Malwatte Temple for many years.
By the time he reached the 20th year, the Sangharaja had passed away, & when he requested full ordination the Malwatte authorities offered him a partial ordination, which he refused. On his return to his temple at Balapitiya 2 of his dayakayas offered to send him to Siam to obtain full ordination & arrangements were made. Just before his departure he received an offer from Malwatte authorities that they were willing to give him full ordination, but he refused their offer.
In the year 1798 Gnanawimala with five other Samaneras and three laymen left Galle in a Dutch ship . They set out for Siam , but on the advice of the ship's captain they proceeded to Amarapura in Burma & received full ordination. On their return from Burma in 1802, with three Burmese monks the Amarapura Nikaya was born. (de Silva (1973)
Change in the Esala Perahera
At this time, the participants
at the Esala Perahera were the Devales only. Upali Thero , on observing the
Perahera had advised the King that pride of place in the Perahera should be
given to the Tooth Relic . Accordingly, since then the Perahera became known as
the Dalada Perahera. (Dewaraja, 2003).
Services rendered by Ven Upali Maha Thera and his Mission :
-
Upasampada: The higher
ordination was performed for over 700 monks and 3,000 samaneras for Lankan
faithful.
-
Laying of boundary (Sima)
stones: Previously the upasampada ordination in Lanka was performed on a
watercourse, using watery surface as the boundary, or so-called Nadi-sima or
Udaka-Khepa-sima.
-
Restoring rites and rituals:
Examples included such rites as long disappeared in Lanka, which were Vassavasa
(Rains Retreat), pavarana-kamma (voicing of one’s supposed offences at the end
of the Vassa), and Kathina robes ceremony.
-
Advice on the Tooth Relic
Procession: The big change was made from the deities leading the procession to
the Tooth Relic, a most precious symbol of the Buddha, leading both gods and
men instead.
-
Reviving Paritra prayer
recitation: The prayer Theravada-style, which had long disappeared, was
reintroduced, worthy of the land which was the prime mover of the tradition in
the frst place.
-
Mastering the Khmer scripts:
Because all Siamese sacred scriptures were written in Khmer letters, and in
order to accurately translate from Khmer to Sinhalese there is the necessity to
learn the Khmer scripts frst.
-
Developing Buddhist education
system: The development was geared towards all bhikkhus (monks) of Lanka.
-
Introducing the vipassanadhura:
Siam’s Phra Visuddhacariya Thera and Phra Varananamuni Thera, experts in
vipassanadhura (burden of insight meditation), taught the responsibility and
techniques.
-
Introducing Sangha
administrative system: Theadministrative hierarchy from the Sangharaja as head
of the Buddhist trinity. Phra Saranankara was honoured as the first Sangharaja
of Siam Nikaya in Lanka. (Phra Upali Maha Thero Museum, Wat
Thammaram); Prasopchingchana, 2015 )
Death of Upali Maha
Thera
.jpeg)
Ven Upali Maha Thera passed away
at Malwatte Vihara, Kandy in 1755. & was cremated at Gedige Viharaya, where
a Pillar has been erected,(Mudalige, 2013, Kusalasaya, 1965: 21).
Upali Maha Thera Museum in Ayuththaya
On 26
December 2013, monks and dignitaries from Thailand and Sri Lanka jointly opened
the Upali Maha Thero Museum at Thammaram Temple, Ayutthaya Province, ...
“Phra Upali Maha Thero Museum, Wat Thammaram
displays the history of the establishment of Lanka Nikaya in Thailand since the
time of the Kingdom of Sukhothai and the journey of Phra Upali Maha Thero's
mission to restore Buddhism in Sri Lanka which has continued until the present
day at Phra Upali Maha Thera Museum.”
https://shorturl.at/fEMT0
Some Exhibits at the Museum
Subsequent Siamese Missions in 1756 & 1759
1756
A
second group of Siamese monks consisting of few ambassadors, twelve senior
bhikkhus & nine novices had arrived in the island in 1756. On 9 January
1756, within sight of the shore, at Arugam , the ship was wrecked & a cargo
of rice lost, eight Siamese monks (4 seniors & 4 novices) died in this
disaster (Wachchissara, 1961). . All other passengers reached the
shore safely.
This
mission was led by Phra Visuddhacariya Thera and Phra Varananamuni Thera.
(Prasopchingchana, 2015).
Many
of the monks had stayed behind & stayed in temples teaching the local
monks meditation techniques, pirith chanting etc..(Dharmadasa, 1989). On
this mission, in addition to the monks. 97 Pali texts had also been sent from
Siam.( Oskar von Hinüber & Supaphanna Bangchang (1988).
The ambassadors, some monks from
the 1st & 2nd missions, accompanied by three Sinhala ambassadors had
left for Siam on 25 March 1756 & reached Siam on 12 July 1756.
(Goonewardena, 1980).
1759
According
to one version, a letter was despatched to the King of Siam requesting him to
send a Prince to be enthroned in Kandy stating that the people, the nobles
& monks were disgusted at the ‘heretic’ who sat on the throne. The King
Kirti Sri was made to believe that the letter to Siam merely contained a
request for some rare religious books. A Siamese Prince, disguised as a monk,
arrived in 1759 with several monks & the religious books. (Dewaraja,
1970). It is possible that a second set of books was received on this mission.
According
to the Sasanavattheerna Varnanava, the Siamese Prince was sent to
Ceylon at the invitation of the chief monks of the Malvatta Vfhara.
According
to yet another version, “the Siamese priests in Sri Lanka at the time were
accordingly informed and they were pleased at the prospect of a Siamese prince
on the throne of Sri Lanka gave a letter to be conveyed to the king of Siam. In
it was a request to the king of Siam to send a Siamese prince to be made the
king of Sri Lanka as wished by the priests and the chiefs of Sri Lanka. The
King of Siam acceding to the request made to him, sent one of his younger
brothers in the guise of a priest. “ (Mirando, 1985).
The background of the Siamese Prince is interesting. He was known as
Kommuang Thep Phiphit, & was a step brother of the Siamese King, who had a
number of brothers & step brothers. . There had been attempts to dislodge
the King, resulting in the execution of some of the claimants. Phiphit too had
taken sides & had become a monk to escape execution. He was therefore one
of the conspirators. It was at this time that the request for senior monks was
received from the Kandyan Kingdom, & the King had directed that Phiphit,
now known as monk Tammebaan , too be included & be banished to Kandy .
(Ruangslip, 2007: 208-09 , Lehrer, 2022: 41-42).
The
Prince too appears to have met with a sad end later, as indicated in the
extract reproduced below from an article titled " Siamese Missions to
Ceylon 1n 18th Century" by Oscar Frankfurter,based on a Siamese document.
"He then gave orders that Krom Murn Depphiphit should be put
on board and only released in Ceylon". “The Prince here mentioned was one
of the brothers of the reigning King, son of the King known as Phra
Paramakot. He had entered the priesthood but as he was supposed to aspire to
the throne, was exiled to Ceylon. He returned to Siam during the Burmese wars,
established himself as Prince of Korat, where he fomented
disturbances. Soldiers were sent out to capture him, and he was
brought to Bangkok, where he was executed in 1782."
There is no clear indication on
whether the Prince was banished to Kandy due to internal turmoil in Siam or
whether he arrived in response to a request to send a Prince to be
enthroned in Kandy .
Plot to kill King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe in 1760
It
is difficult to understand why the King who was instrumental in reviving
Buddhism by re-introducing the higher ordination ceremony after over 50 years
& who appointed Welivita Saranankara Thero as Sangharaja became the
target of an assassination bid.
The
plot would have been planned over a period of months or years
if it involved bringing down a Siamese Prince to the island to
be crowned , after the death of the King. The possibility arises that the plot
was a result of interactions between the local monks & the Siamese monks
who came to conduct the higher ordination ceremony in 1753 &1756 The
King of Siam may or may not have been aware of the plot.
There
is a view that he was not a Siamese Prince but a member of the local royal
family ordained in Siam (Pieris, 1924) , but this may not be correct as
there is enough material to conclude that a Siamese Prince indeed arrived on
the 3rd mission.
The
plan was implemented only after the Siamese Prince arrived in the island,
disguised as a monk. "Not only did the Siamese prince have ksatriya
qualifications, but he also belonged to a nation which bad become so very close
to the Sinhala bhikkhus. Furthermore, coming from a country far away, be did
not have a horde of parasitic kinsmen as well as the unsavory memories
associated with the South Indians." (Dharmadasa, 1989).
The plot & its
aftermath are described in the Rajavaliya, Johnstone Manuscripts, Gataberiya
Sannasa & the Sasanavatheerna Varnanava.. There are also versions by
the Dutch & De La Nerolle. :
Rajavaliya
The following is a description relating to the
Imprisonment of the Sangharaja , as appearing in the Rajavaliya, (Suraweera,
1986).
"Having glorified the Sasana, while he (Kirti
Sri) was spending the time (living) in accordance with the Dasaraja Dharma,
some of the ministers conspired to kill King Kirti Sri. and enthrone the prince
who returned after having become a monk from Siam.
With these foolish thoughts, the ministers arranged
a Bana preaching at the Uposatha hall of the Malvatu Vihara. With these foolish
thoughts. they decorated the Vlhara, prepared seats. and decided to kill the
king. when he arrived to listen to the sermon. They fixed pikes made of
Kitul and Arecanut (trunks) in pits (dug). and having spread barks of the
Banana (tree) over them. and covering the surface with cloth, invited the king
to come and listen to the Sermon.
Observing this. the Galagoda Dlssawa informed the
king, and the king, taking notice of this instantly sent messages to the people
of the Hatrata. The messengers caused the armies to start off (instantly), from
the very places where they were. and they assembled at the Mahamaluwa. To the
people of the Hatrata, and to the armies stationed at the watch-places, were
caused to be given swords, daggers. rifles. lances, javelins and various other
ceremonial weapons.
Accompanied by those armies on either side, the
king arrived at the Uposatha Hall, and observing what had been done to kill
him, (the king) returned to the octagon. Having called the traitors. and making
enquiries. the king decided on the culprits. The king then asked for the views
of the ministers, and on being informed that even in the past. conspirators
against the king had been killed. (he) ordered that those guilty be beheaded.
(Thus) the Udagampaha Adlkaram Samarakkody Nilame, Miitihampola Dlsava, Moladande
Battanarala and Kaduwelarala were beheaded at Ampitiya.
The Sangharaja was imprisoned at Kehellalla.
Tlbbotuvave Mahanayaka was imprisoned at Bintenna.
The Galagoda Dissawe received the post of
Udagampahe Mahadhikaram. Madavela Terunnanse received the post of Chief (of the
Sangha).
The armies that arrived from the districts too were
not allowed to return to their villages. but (they) were entrusted with guard
duties. (Having done these) the King went to the palace. That king after having
reigned in accordance with the Dasaraja Dharma. passed away."
The
Rajavaliya version referred to is not contemporay document but contains
details up to Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe & has been written in the late 1800s.
.
Johnstone Manuscripts
The description is as follows: .
"The
priests.who came to Candy from Slam . with the exception of a certain high
priest called Oepally (Upali], entered secretly into a conspiracy with the king
of the priests of Candy called Welivitty (Welivita) and with the high priest
Tibbotoorwe (Tibbotuwawe). and some other priests, and also with the courtiers
consisting of the Adigar Samarakkody, the Raterala of Yatinuwara. Moladande,
the Gajanake, the Mohandiram of the kings guard Kaddowelle Appoohamy and
the Mohotiar Dundeniya and his son to put the prince of Siam upon the throne of
Candy". (Suraweera,
1968)
Gataberiya Sannasa
The Sannasa mentions the name of only Samarakkody
Adikaram, out of the ministers who were beheaded after the conspiracy. but
Rajavaliya gives the names of four ministers who had been beheaded
at Ampitiya: Udagampaha Adlkararn Samarakkody Nilame. Matihampola Dlsava,
Moladande Battanarala and Kaduwelarala, (Suraweera, 1968).
Gopala
Mudaliyar also appears to have revealed the plot & the Sannasa
records that he received the confiscated lands of Moladanda who is described as
the arch conspirator. (Perera, 1923). Gopala Mudaliyar was a Muslim
physician to the King.
Sasanavatheerna Varnanava
This too is not a
contemporay document . The gist of the interrogation purported to have
taken place in the palace, in the presence of the nobles etc & its
aftermath is recorded in this document. This is the work of an unknown
author, copied by Godakumbure (1956) from manuscripts available at the
British Museum. It is as follows:
"King
: Why, unnanase , did you (think) that last night's pinkama at your temple
would not be known by us?
Saranankara : Remains silent.
King: Did you also know ?
Saranankara : I cannot say I knew. I cannot also say that I did not know.
King : Why is that ?
Saranankara : I knew about holes being dug & spikes being made. It
(purpose) occurred to me. I said that I did not know, because it was done
without asking me or without informing me.
King : Why did you not inform me, when you came to know about it one way or the
other?
Saranankara : shows his infected finger & says : I am not treating
this finger for fear that it will be a sin , if the worm dies; I did not say
because if I were to reveal this traitorous act & it results in the killing
of several monks & laymen, I will be considered a (wrogndoer) sinner
in the next birth.
King : Does that mean killing me is alright ?
Saranankara : Because I did not say so, there is no wrong (sin) for me.
King : If so, is it good for your disciples ?
Saranankara : remains silent.
King : Blind Welivita has destroyed the whole order under the guise of
improving it.
Let him & the nayake unnannses be imprisoned.
King : summoning the radala
nobles & wiping his tears : What wrong did I do to you, for you to do such
a treacherous act to me?
King : summons Samanakkodi : I gave you the position of Adikaram, is it right
or wrong what you planned to do to me ?
Samanakkodi : it is a wrong that warrants death.
King : if so, let it be done.
King ordered beheading of Samanakkodi & spiking of the radala nobles
involved.
King : the unnanses from Siam
are not pious ones. . They are a bunch of rogues who came to kill
& destroy the country. Let them also be killed.
Migastenne Adigar then
intervened, quoted the Saddantha Jathakaya, & said that in Buddha's name
they be allowed to go. The King then ordered that they be chased out of the
kingdom, & this was done. Some of them died eating a poisonous fruit
out of hunger Those who survived were sent back with the help of the
Dutch."
The Sasanavatheerna
Varnanava further records that some time (several years) later a
sannasiya from India arrived at Kandy, & referred to a number of stories
& a manuscript, the contents of which he desired to know. None of the
king's officials or priests from the 2 vihares could explain rhem. The
imprisoned Saranankara Sangharaja was then summoned & he was able to
read & explain. The sannasiya was satisfied, & the King was extremely
happy. He decided to pardon the imprisoned monks, ordered their release
& regretted his habit of applying ash on the forehead, that caused
all the turmoil & undertook to refrain from doing so in the future.
The Sangharaja & the Malwatte Mahanayake, Tibbotuvave Siddhartha, a pupil
of the Sangharaja, were restored to their former positions. This has
taken place around 1768, eight years after they were imprisoned.
The Dutch Version
This
version is based on intelligence gathered by 2 officials of the Dutch
administration in 1760, on what transpired in connection with the attempted
plot to kill the King , based on records available at the Sri Lanka
National Archives in Colombo. The material is obviously "hearsay",
but contemporary .The story is as follows:
The Head of Priests, Saraṇaṃkara, the Mahanayake of Malwatte, Tibboṭuvāvē,
Adigar Sammanakoḍi, Yaṭinuwara Ratērala, Molandanda, & Gajanāyaka Rala,
accompanied the Siamese Prince/Priest to visit a Vihāra in Anuradhapura.
On the way they had discussed plans to kill the king. On their return the
Prince had stayed at Kehellalla.
A date & time had been fixed & an ola in the Siamese language had been
sent to the Prince by the conspirators.requiring his presence . In the
meantime, the Adigar Samanakkodi had invited the King to hear a sermon by a
Siamese priest at the Poyamalu Vihare. The ola sent to the Prince/priest
had been intercepted & brought to the notice of the King. The King had summoned
the chiefs & queried the propriety of murdering their King and
installing a Siamese Prince in his place. He asked them to find out from
the Sangharaja if the story is true . At the Poya malu vihare they found a
grave with a coffin & protruding steel spikes at the bottom, & a plank
over it with loosely covered soil. On inquiry the Sangharaja replied that
"something had been heard about it on that day, but he did not know
if it was true." This was conveyed to the King who directed as
follows;
-
-
execute the
Udagampaha Adigār , the Yainuwara Ratērala , and the Gajanāyaka Rala.
(Moladande's name is omitted)
-
send the Siamese priests to the
palace at Welassa Māligāwa and under the guard of Weddhas.
-
imprison the carpenter who made
the coffin
-
cut off the hands of the man who
made rings for the investiture of the new king, the writer of the
treacherous ola , and three other participants
-
remove the tongues of two others
accused of treason
-
recall the possessions and
ministries of those executed and give them away (Appoe &
Fernando, 1760, f. 169 recto-170 verso), ( Lehrer, 2022)
Version of De La Nerolle
De La Nerolle was a
controversial figure during the time of King Vimaladharmasuriya II & King
Narendrasinghe. It is possible that the De La Nerolle referred to here is a son
of the De La Nerolle who arrived in 1672. His account states that
“the plot was initially hatched by the leading Sinhalese monk, Saranankara, and
Tibbotuvave, in collaboration with the Siamese monks who came in the first deputation
of 1753… The Sinhalese noblemen who were involved in the conspiracy went to
Malvatte Temple “and took a resolution to put the Prince of Siam upon the
throne of Candy in consideration of his being the king of a country where the
doctrine of the Buddhoo is instructed and professed in its purity”.
(Dharmadasa, 1979).
Facts pertaining to
the Plot
Irrespective
of what is contained in the above documents, the facts are :
- There was a plot to kill
the king
- He was to be replaced with
a Siamese Prince.
- 4 of the nobles involved
were beheaded
- The Sangharaja & the
head of the Malwatte Chapter were imprisoned
- They were restored to
their positions several years later by the King.
The reason given for the attempt on the life of the King was that he was
following Saivite practices including appying ash on his forehead though
he professed to be a Buddhist. This does not seem to be a convincing reason at
all for the attempt on the King's life. The involvement of the Sangharaja,
whose pupil the King was, & who helped him to revive Buddhism &
conferred on him the title of Sangharaja is beyond belief & appears to
be an unpardonable act of ingratitude. The same applies to the head of
the Malwatte Chapter, who was a pupil of the Sangharaja. One of the nobles
involved was a cousin of the Malwatte monk. The real motivation for the plot
may never be known. It is possible that the resentment against the Nayakkar
community, in particular, the high handed actions of the King.s father, &
their business activities may have been a contributory factor, as the King
possibly turned a blind eye to these activities.
The King mentioned the assassination attempt in two of his land
grants.but makes no reference to the monks involved. (Dewaraja, 1970)
Dutch Involvement, if any, in the Plot
It has been suggested that the
Dutch may have had prior knowledge of the plot to kill the King (Goonewardena,
1984). This is quite possible because they could have come to know either
during negotiations to undertake the third journey to bring monks from Siam or
in the course of the journey from those who took part. However, there is
apparently no material to suggest that the Dutch had any hand in planning or
preparation.
Attacks on the Dutch Establishments
An year
after the attempt on the .King's life, the Dutch
were now facing problems to which they had not been accustomed to before :
1. the
Court was demanding a share of the trade in cinnamon , arecanut, elephants
& grain etc.
2. there
was unrest as the Dutch wanted to reclaim land possessed by the villagers over
a long period of time
3. there
was discontent regarding the collection of dues from the rice
fields.
4. in
1760 there was a rebellion in the the Sinhalese provinces &
" for some months the country was in the hands of a
riotous mob which burnt down the schools and rest-houses and destroyed even the
Landraad House at Galle."
5. the
cinnamon peelers set fire to the cinnamon they had collected and fled within
the King’s dominions. They appealed to the King to redress of their
grievances (Pieris, 1924).
6. Counter
attacks by the Dutch resulted in the city of Kandy being abandoned, & the
Sacred Tooth Relic being removed to a place of safety. The Dutch plundered the
city & the Dalada Maligawa before leaving.
7. Repairs
to the Maligawa had been carried out on the instructions of the King & on
completion, the Temple was declared open by the King during the month of
Vesak in the year 1776 ie. over ten years later. (Pieris, 1924,
Seneviratne, ).
Some items plundered by the Dutch (1762-1766) from
Kandy, displayed at the Rijks museum & returned in 2023.
Dutch Attempts to bring the Siamese Prince
While the
attacks on Dutch positions continued, the Dutch conceived the idea of bringing
the Siamese Prince back to the island, with a view to placing him on the throne
once they succeeded in defeating the King's forces.
Accordingly, their first attempt was made in 1762, but the Siamese were
suspicious of the arrangement & turned down the request.
The second attempt was made in 1764, but this did not materialise due to the
onset of the war between -Burma & Siam.
By 1766, the Dutch had regained control of the maritime ptovinces & entered
into an advantageous treaty with the King & the need to pursue the
strategy did not arise. (Lehrer, 2022 ).
Death of the Sangharaja
"The
King's grief knew no bounds. Under the supervision of His Majesty, preparations
were made for the funeral. A few days after, amidst the firing of guns and
blowing of trumpets, and the lamentations of hundreds and thousands from all
parts, the remains of the Sangharaja, shrouded in costly silk robes, and
encased in a coffin of superb workmanship . and placed in a gorgeous car,
prepared for the purpose, were taken to Ampitiya, escorted by a large body of
soldiers and attended by the King, sub king, the princes and high officials of
the Court, as well as by hundreds of the leading bhikkhus. There the coffin was
placed on a pyre "six storeys high" , the usual religious ceremonies
were performed and to the doleful strains of funeral music, the pyre was
lighted. Sentries were placed around the spot, and a few days later, ashes were
collected with great ceremony and subsequently enshrined in a dagoba, the
Sangharaja Cetiya, which stands even today as a monument to the Last of the
Heroes of Lanka, whose life so pure, noble and rich in blessings to his
country, we have tried to sketch briefly in these pages. "
(Jayathilake, 1934).
Samanera Saranankara's contribution to Buddhist Literature
Samanera Saranankara was entrusted by the King with
the preparation of several works on religious topics:
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Munigunaalankaara,
a Sinhalese poem in praise of the Buddha,
Saaraartha
Sangraha, a treatise on various doctrinal teachings in Buddhism.
Abhisambodhi-alankaara, a Pali poem in a hundred stanzas on the life of the
Buddha from the time of Dipankara up to his enlightenment,
Satara
Banavara Sannaya
Ratnatraya
Pranama Gatha sannaya
Madhuraartha
Prakaasanii, a Sinhalese commentary the Pali Mahaabodhivamsa,
Ruupamaalaa,
a work on Pali grammar.
Katikawata or Code of Rules prepared for the
guidance of the conduct of the priesthood.
Several others who were pupils of Saranankara Thero also composed many literary
works:
Books on
Pali by Attaragama Bandara Thero
Updating of the Mahawansa by Malwatte Mahanayake
Ven. Tibbotuwawa Siddhartha Buddharakkita,Thero, with a copy received from
Siam
Commentary on Balawatara by Sitinamaluwe
Dhammajothi Thero of Wehelle, the first to join the Silvat Samagama
Works of Others are as follows :
Sangharaja Vata - the story of the Sanguaraja's
life recorded in verse by Munkotuwa Rala at the request of Bhikkhu Ven.
Moratota Thero , a pupil of the Sangharaja in 1782 after the latter's
death
Sangaraja Sadhu Chariyawa by Aiththaliyadde
Muhandiram Rala
Dunuwila Hatana & some clever erotic
verse, by Dunuwila Gajanayake Nilame
Makaradajja by Dissanayake Mudaliyar
Bhesajja Nidane by Tilakaratne Mudaliyar
Poetical works of great skill, based on the
Jataka stories, were produced by priests, such as Ven. Dhammananda Thero
of Kirambe
Pieris (1924 , Wachchissara, 1961, Dharnadasa,
1989)
Instances where Sangharaja failed to make an impact
The
following instances have been highlighted :
(Wachchissara , 1961 )
1.
The Silvat Samagama associates were not given a prominent place as the Sangha
hierarchy which consisted of members of the aristocracy already
held important positions.
2.
The practice of ordaining relations of monks to inherit temple lands &
engaging in unorthodox occupations continued. Even the Sangharaja 's close
relatives controlled the Gadaladeniya & Suriyagoda temples
3.
There was no caste discrimination in the Silvat Samagama when Siamese
Upali Thero conferred higher ordination in 1753. The King however, later
decreed that only those from the Govigama caste should be ordained in the Siam
Nikaya. The Sangharaja should have intervened at this stage.
4.
There was a prohibition on the grant of lands to monks in their individual
capacity & on the appointment of monks as officers of state. Yet exceptions
were made .
5.
Plot against the King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe - The Sangharaja should have stopped
it or informed the King.
6.
Upcountry & Low country monks - A controversy about Upcountry &
Low Country monks took place during the life time of the Sangharaja.
Apparently, it arose over a dispute on whether the incumbency of Sri Pada
should be held by the Malwatte Chapter & whether the Mahanayake of the Low
Country should be a a Low Country monk. “According to the Kuttapitiya Sannasa
the King had granted the village Kuttapitiya to Saranankara Sangharaja Thero
and his pupillary succession for the maintenance of the Sacred Footprint at
Samanalakuta. (A computrt printout of the Kuttaptiya Sannasa is available at
the National Archives, Colombo.) “. (de Silva, 2011).
The
Malwatte monks apparently considered themselves superior to Low Country monks.
In the end the Low Country monks formed several Nikayas of their own. Perhaps,
the Sangharaja was unable to unify the two groups.
7. Rivalry between the Chapters
– This could have been avoided if both chapters were amalgamated at the time
the Siam Nikaya was formed.
Nayakkar Domination
An
interesting question has been raised on how the Nayakkars were able to hold on
to power for nearly 75 years in the country. The answer is stated in the
following terms; "The success of the Nayakkars in maintaining their
position was due as much to the divisions among the nobility as to the fact
that they were the only ksatriyas in the island. Apart from the ideology of
status, the other major' ideological influence was Buddhism. All Nayakkars had
to, at least overtly, declare adherence to the Buddhist faith. Thus it is
evident that the decisive criteria of the legitimacy of power had been derived
from principles related to ritual status and religious affiliation rather than
membership of the Sinhala group. Owing to a combination of factors, the ideology
of ritual status gained such an influential position in the last century of the
period of the Kandyan kingdom that in effect it disqualified members of the
Sinhala group from assuming kingship." (Gunawardena ,1979).
There
is support for this view from another source : “The coronation was a rite of
transformation. The person of the king was transformed into a Buddhist
bodhisattva-to-be and a god within the pantheon of Sinhala Buddhism. The Tamil
origins of the Nayakkars, ideally speaking, became subordinate or irrelevant.”
(Roberts, 2004)
Another scholar, citing James
S. Duncan , L. Dewaraja & Prins Dhani Nivat, explains Kingship
in this context as follows : " Kingship in Ayuthaya and Kandy was
based on Buddhist values. Conceptions of royal authority were based on the
example of the mythical emperor Asoka as an ideal buddhist king. A king was
above all a patron of Buddhism. Because the king had done so many good
deeds in past lives he was bodhisatta, one future Buddha. A king had to be
just and calm and he had to be in continue to do good deeds in life, such as
building religious and public buildings. In addition, a king had to model
himself on the king of the gods (Sakra or Indra). These influences came from
Hinduism. A king had to be universal ruler or monarch, a
cakravartin, whereby he had to rule through justice and righteousness. The king
emphasized the glory of kingship by building palaces and cities to glorify him.
.... That the kingship in both areas is much similar can be easily explained.
Theravada Buddhism is from India, ended up in Ceylon and from Ceylon it
ended up in Pegu and in Siam." ( Broekhuizen, 2013)..
Divisions among the nobility
arose due to the following reasons: they were unable to agree on a
suitable person to take over; where they agreed on a person, they did not
pursue it, because they feared the emergence of particular local families
affiliated with that person; each of the leaders had their own ambitions; some
of them realised the benefits they could gain by remaining loyal to the king.
It is also possible that
the brutal manner in which the rebellions were suppressed with the assistance
of a section of the Kandyan nobility, may have stunted the ability of the vast
majority to rise against the Nayakkars.
Death of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe
The King died on January 2,
1782, of the injuries caused two months before by a fall from his horse after a
reign of 35 years.
Conclusion
Buddhism,
which was under severe stress & strain in the country during the Portuguese
period etc, received a more conciliatory response from the Dutch.
The reign of the Sinhala Buddhist Kings ended in 1739 with the death of
King Narendrasinghe (1707-1739)., & Samanera Saranankara who became a
novice monk in 1714, at the age of 16 years was still a Samanera in 1739.
It seems that neither the King, Narendrasinghe, in particular, nor the Chiefs
nor the Sangha were concerned about this vacuum in Buddhism.
It may seem strange that during this period , there was a Catholic revival
spearheaded by Father Joseph Vaz from 1696 to 1711 & by Fr.
Jacome Gonsalves from 1705 to 1739 under King Vimaladharmasuriya II
& under King Narendrasinghe..
The reign of the Nayakkar Kings began in 1739. It was the Nayakkars who
initiated action to bring down senior monks from Burma or Siam to conduct the
Upasampada ceremony, & Samanera Saranankara received ordination in
1753 at the age of 55 years. It was thereafter that a Buddhist revival launched
by Ven. Upali Maha Thero of Siam took place & King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe
& the monk Ven. Saranankara Thero contributed largely towards it.. A new
generation of pious & erudite monks was born & spread throughout the
island.
"The name o f Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja will be written
in letters of gold in the history of Buddhism in Ceylon for the multiple
services he rendered to the Sasana and to the learning of the Dharma. It is an
accepted fact that he was the pioneer of the religious and literary revival
which is evident today." (Wachchissara ,1961).
The Sangharaja Museums
Displays many goods and other utility items used by
the late Sangharaja Thera.
Items include : ivory statue of
the Lord Buddha & the belt presented to him by the king of Siam; the golden
statue and gold plated casket presented by king Narendrasinghe; the sandalwood
statue which was worshipped by him ; his hour glass and a brass lamp; a
silver statue of the Maitree Bodhisattva; , a bronze statueof the Lord Buddha,
a series of statues of the Buddhas related to the SuvisiVivarana; .a large
number of palm leaf manuscripts on which the tripitaka is written; some
books written by him on short palm leaves ; the palm leaf
Jataka Story book found by him at Wilbagedera Rala's home.
http://archives.dailynews.lk/2006/05/26/news25.asp
http://archives.dailynews.lk/2007/09/04/news40.asp
The Sangharaja Museum at Malwatu Viharaya , where Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero resided as Sangharaja – Displays the Vatapota (fan) gifted by the King on his appointment as Sangharaja, his robes , ola leaf manuscripts, the begging bowl, items of furniture etc. The museum was opened in 1954 with the patronage of Sir John Kotelawala & others.
Some
Exhibits at the Sangharaja Museum, Malvatu Viharaya
Manelwatte Sannasa
40 acres of land & Manelwatte Viharaya at Bollegala, Kelaniya gifted in 1962 by Mrs. Nancy Rupasinghe, Hon. J. R. Jayawardena & Mrs. Elina Jayawardena nee Rupasinghe, to pay tribute to the memory of Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero for the services rendered by him to the Buddha Sasana. The Viharaya is to be managed by the pupillary succession (shishyanu shishya paramparawa) of the Ven. Welivita Sri Saranankara Sangharaja Thero.
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