Rajasinghe II of Kandy
Who was Rajasinghe II of Kandy?
Sinhalese King
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Rajasinghe II of Kandy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Rajasinghe II, born in 1608 in Sri Lanka, was the seventh king of the Kingdom of Kandy, ruling from 1629 until he died on December 6, 1687. Known before becoming king as Prince Dewa Astana or Dewarajasinghe, he took over one of the most crucial thrones on the island during a time of fierce European colonial competition. His nearly 60-year rule focused on keeping Kandyan independence against foreign powers trying to take over Sri Lanka.
One of Rajasinghe II's key moves was reaching out to the Dutch East India Company, known as VOC, which had become a major maritime and trading force in Asia. Seeing the Portuguese control along the island's coasts as a threat to Kandy, Rajasinghe teamed up with the Dutch, offering them trade rights for military help. Together, they succeeded, and by 1656, the Portuguese were pushed out of their island bases.
But the alliance with the Dutch soon showed its downsides. Instead of leaving after the fight, the Dutch took over the coastal areas the Portuguese left, replacing one colonial ruler with another. This led to the saying among the Sinhalese, 'Inguru di miris gaththa wagay,' which means 'Like one who exchanged ginger for chili,' suggesting the new situation was worse than before. From 1645 on, and even more so after the Dutch took control, Rajasinghe often found himself in battles with these former allies.
Rajasinghe II's rule wasn't just about fighting outside forces. He also focused on upholding the administration and culture of the Kandyan kingdom, keeping some independence that lasted over a century after he passed away. His court was a hub of Sinhalese culture and religion, and his push against colonization set an example for later Kandyan kings. He died in Sri Lanka on December 6, 1687, after ruling for 58 years.
Before Fame
Rajasinghe II was born in 1608 in Sri Lanka into the royal family of the Kingdom of Kandy. This highland area remained independent even when coastal Sri Lanka came under Portuguese control in the sixteenth century. As Prince Dewa Astana, also known as Dewarajasinghe, he grew up in a court very aware of the military and political pressures from European powers on the island.
He became king at a time when the Kingdom of Kandy needed strong leadership to handle both its internal political issues and the complicated European colonial rivalries. Taking power in 1629, the young king inherited a kingdom that had long resisted Portuguese attacks and was beginning to notice the rise of Dutch naval power in the Indian Ocean, a development that heavily influenced his entire reign.
Key Achievements
- Negotiated and executed a successful military alliance with the Dutch East India Company that resulted in the expulsion of the Portuguese from Sri Lanka by 1656
- Maintained Kandyan sovereignty and independence throughout a nearly six-decade reign despite sustained pressure from successive European colonial powers
- Preserved the political and cultural institutions of the Kingdom of Kandy, allowing it to survive as an independent state long after his death
- Conducted sustained armed resistance against Dutch colonial expansion on the island from 1645 onward
- Left a lasting linguistic legacy through the circumstances that gave rise to the Sinhala idiom describing the folly of exchanging one oppressor for another
Did You Know?
- 01.Rajasinghe II's alliance with the Dutch East India Company against the Portuguese is among the earliest recorded instances of a South Asian ruler formally partnering with one European colonial power to expel another.
- 02.His reign of approximately 58 years, from 1629 to 1687, makes him one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the history of the Kingdom of Kandy.
- 03.The Sinhala idiom 'Inguru di miris gaththa wagay,' still used in Sri Lanka today, is believed to have originated during his reign to describe the bitter realization that Dutch rule proved more oppressive than Portuguese rule.
- 04.Rajasinghe II was in conflict with the Dutch from as early as 1645, well over a decade before the Portuguese were fully expelled in 1656, indicating the breakdown of trust between the parties happened while they were still nominally allied.
- 05.His pre-coronation name Dewarajasinghe reflects the Sinhalese royal tradition of bearing a distinct ceremonial name before formal accession to the throne.