Kandy: the roots of the rebellion
When the British arrived in ancient Ceylon, the country was being governed by the Dutch East India Company which was shrewdly monopolizing trade and export in Ceylon at that time. Whilst ruling the Maritime Provinces, the Dutch also had established links with the Kandyan Kingdom in order to obtain certain concessions. They disliked these methods. Jan Schreuder, Dutch Governor from 1757-1762 recorded, "We cannot even stir, if we did not play the crouching little dog to the Court which is not amenable to reason."
According to historians, the tussle between the Dutch authorities and the Kandyan rulers existed for a long time, and owing to the monopolistic attitude of the Dutch, the Kandyans with much reservations decided to accept the British offer of help. The animosity between the Dutch and the Sinhalese grew especially with the introduction of new taxes in the areas governed by the Dutch.
When the British became the masters of the Dutch possessions in Ceylon in 1796, the desire to capture the rest of the territory bringing it entirely under the King of England also increased. But as England was at war with Holland, the Dutch East India Company was allowed to manage the affairs of the island for the time being, and Ceylon became part of the territory governed by the Governor in Madras.
Many British delegations seeking to arrange treaties of alliance between the British and the Kandyans failed. After a turbulent period of civil dissatisfaction, Ceylon was declared a Crown Colony and Frederic North (subsequently the 5th Earl of Guildford) became the first Governor.
North despite his state craft and shrewdness made several mistakes during his rule. He realised the country's potential and the benefits the British could derive by bringing the Kandyan Kingdom under the Crown.
What paved the way for the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom which appeared indestructible to the forces outside, was the death of King Rajadhi Raja Sinha in 1798 leaving no children.
It is his first Adigar Pilima Talawe who promoted a Malabar Prince named Kannasami who was a nephew of one of the King's wives. He had no right to the throne as other close relatives were alive. Kannasami had no proper education and was considered young and immature. But these disadvantages were overlooked by Pilima Talawe who intended the king to be a mere puppet in his hands. Certain historians have been kinder to Pilima Talawe- attributing his zeal to the noble cause of restoring the Sinhala Dynasty, for he himself was a descendant from the Royal family of Ceylon. The Adigar's efforts paid off when Kannasamy ascended the throne as Sri Wickrama Rajasighe. As Rajadhi Rajasinghe's relatives were imprisoned and his second Adigar was killed by Pilima Talawe, the former king's brother in law Muttusamy who was the rightful heir, sought protection from the British.
Pilima Talawe provoked the British on many occasions to make them wage war against the Kandyan Kingdom. From 1803 there had been sporadic fighting. Despite the lack of intense fighting, there was civil unrest and disenchantment.
Maitland who succeeded Governor North, tried to understand the native culture. He was greatly assisted in this endeavour by John D'Oyly who had mastered the language of the country thereby establishing good links with the Sinhalese, and earned their much needed respect and trust. D'Oyly contributed largely to the expansion of the Bogambara Lake, and imposed severe penalties on British subjects who infringed upon the rights of the Ceylonese. All this culminated in his gradually winning many Kandyan leaders to his side.
The significant changes in the Kandyan Kingdom took place during the tenure of Sir Robert Brownrigg who succeeded Sir Thomas Maitland in 1812. Whilst improving the living conditions of the people, Brownrigg also invited the various Missions to establish themselves here. As a result, the Baptist Missionaries came in 1812, Wesleyan Missionaries in 1814, American Missionaries in 1816 and the Church Missionaries in 1818.
Meanwhile, the young king had embarked upon a course of tyrannical rule. But the King committed his ultimate mistake when he employed brutal methods to kill Ehelepola Adigar's entire family. This brutal act shocked the people and led to a week of mourning. This thrust the Adigar in to the arms of the British, and Brownrigg promised all support to relieve the Adigar of his suffering. The king also provided the much awaited excuse when he tortured ten native traders who were British subjects, hence leading to the proclamation of war against him in January 1815.
The Proclamation stated that the war was not against the Kandyan nation but against the King who had by the violation of the every religious and moral law, become an object of abhorrence to mankind. It promised the Kandyans full protection of person and property.
Several days later, the Kandyan Convention was signed on the 2nd day of March, 1815, at the Palace of the city of Kandy. The signatories to the convention were Robert Brownrigg, Governor over the British Settlements and Territories in the Island of Ceylon and ten representative Adikars, Dissaves and other Chiefs of the Kandyan Provinces.
The shrewd British rulers capitalizing on the sentiments of the inhabitants who had faced a tyrannical rule under Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, pressed the point in the Treaty's 1st clause that emphasised the cruelties of the Malabar ruler, for his arbitrary and unjust infliction of bodily tortures and the pains of death, - the cited reason for dethroning the king.
Clause five of the Kandyan Convention held Buddhism inviolable, and its temples and priests were to be protected and maintained as before, and the laws of the country were not to be amended and the king's levies were to be levied as before. The Brtish agreed to this as they saw no other way to get the Kandyan aristocracy to accept them without the protection clause.
The absorption of the old Kandyan Kingdom to the British administration posed serious problems to the British in making it part of the Crown Colony of Ceylon as the British had consented to the continuation of the traditional administration of the Kandyan Kingdom with the signing of the Convention. Here it was specified that the British would administer the Kandyan region without much change, according to the laws, institutions and customs established and in force amongst them. However, the British retained the right to introduce any changes as and when they deemed fit.
In 1817, Muslims in the Wellassa area began agitating , demanding that a member of their community be appointed as Muhandiram. This request was met. Meanwhile, the fields were destroyed and the British began killing the cattle for food, driving the natives to a frenzy. The cultural clash and certain decisions by the British ultimately led to the Rebellion of 1817. The first outbreak was in Uva, with the blessings from the Uva Disawe, Keppitipola. The rebellion caused heavy losses to both sides. Except for a few Provinces, the rebellion spread to all parts of the country and the British sought to suppress the rebels applying the motto by famine, sword and flame. This revolt exhibited the strength of the British military might, making Kandyans suffer severe setbacks.
A significant change with regard to Buddhism was made by the British Government at the same time. As they found that the Buddhist priests were the main architects of the rebellion, the hostile British created a new agreement which merely stated that the priests and the ceremonies of Buddhism shall receive the respect which in former times was shown to them. Despite Governor Brownrigg's resolve to set up a proper road network which would provide the British with the necessary access to the hill country, he could do little to achieve this goal with two uprisings during his tenure. It was therefore Governor Barnes who fulfilled this objective of the British for which he took a decade and did so at much cost.
The challenges of governing increased with the crumbling of the economy. Coffee plantations became non-profit making ventures driving the native and British cultivators to despair.
The seething hatred was fuelled further when the Governor sought to impose new taxes-on boats, roads, dogs etc.; Of all the taxes, the road tax was the most hated as the Ceylonese did not care for new roads and thought that they were being constructed for the benefit of the Europeans alone. Every male between 18-60 years excepting a few categories, were made to compulsorily give six days labour for road construction. It was misunderstood to be a practice similar to the rajakariya system which was abolished in 1832.
The rebellion began in the Dambulla area, where people rallied around Gongalegoda Banda and soon spread to other areas. Many were shot dead on the spot and their houses were burnt by the British Army which went on a rampage, burning and looting the properties of the Sinhalese. Puran Appu was one of the 18 executed following a brief trial by a Court Martial during this reign of terror.
Kurunegala and Matale districts were the most affected, and Kandy was placed under martial law and reinforcements were sought from Madras. In this backdrop, the Kudahahapola Therunnanse was shot dead at Bogambara in his saffron robes-insulting Buddhist priesthood and injuring the religious sensitivities of the people. It was symbolic that monks be executed in their robes which also marked the destruction of the Buddhist Kingdom by the British. In less than three months, the Rebellion had concluded. Torrington's manner of governing the Colony drew much criticism from the British themselves. A Parliamentary inquiry in Britain followed,resulting in his resignation in 1850 which marked the end of one of the most turbulent periods in the history of Ceylon.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/980201/plus7.html
September 21st, 2010 at 3:36 pm Dr Gunasekera, I do not think this is “only wild imagination of one man”- these are very valid points. We need to work on these issues to sort out exactly where we as a nation lost the plot. At the point of the granting of “Independence” to SL which in effect ended the deal with the Queen of England we did not have people who knew our history or could see the bigger picture in high places. With all due respect to our ‘founding fathers’ of the country we depended on Western educated, whiskey drinking, tie-coat gentlemen leaders who did not have the benefit of a ‘swabhasha’ education like we were priviledged to have. That point in time in 1948 would have been a great opportunity to change the name of SL back to Sinhale and ask the tranference of power back to the Sinhale instead of Ceylon. We should also have asked the British to offer compensation or remedy for the demographic nuclear bomb they placed under us by way of an army of South Indian immigrant labour force in the hill country and the divide and rule pampering of the Dutch imported South Indian labour force in the North. These are Sinhala grievances that no local or international person is aware of or cares about. It is time we took notice of how we feel about all this. This will certainly be a more worthwhile exercise for the other doctors who write poisonous, malicious, petty, character assassinations in the web.
September 21st, 2010 at 8:53 pm I never heard the NORTH was colonised by the Dutch. Then who were the people in the North when Dutch arrived?
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:02 am M.S.Mudali,
Mayalee (Malabar) people and Sinhala people. Even the Nallur Convention was signed in Portuguese and Sinhalese languages. Tamils were a small minority.
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:06 am Malayalee people didn’t create any trouble. In fact they supported the Sinhalese in fighting off Tamil Nadu invaders and other kallathonis. Dutch imported farming caste (vellala) people from Tamil Nadu. If natural migration from Tamil Nadu was allowed there would never be so many vellalas in Jaffna. If natural migration from Tamil Nadu was allowed the fishing caste people would be the majority in Jaffna.
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:57 am Lorenzo – I hope you are clearly differentiating between ‘fishing caste people from Tamil Nadu’ and Kshatriyas. Although I hate even to engage in a dialogue on caste, I need to clarify a point here (sorry for the drift on the topic). King Parakramba Bahu the sixth sought the assistance of mercinaries and Kshatriyas volunteered to protect the maritime provinces in Sri Lanka. Kshatriyas, Aryan in origin, who were displaced towards the south of India(lasting 3000 years or more) after the war with Pandavas, began even speaking Dravidian languages and when they arrived in Lanka, they never spoke any aryan language/dialect. Since there were no activity with regards to protection of the shores, they too began fishing and thats how the great Kaurawas became known as ‘fisher folk’. However they intermingled with Sinhala people and embrased their culture. Negambo kaurawas still use Tamil for communication. In fact during Buddha’s time (who was a Sakya an off shoot of Kshatriyas/Kaurawas) and before his time, the Noble kings and warriors were at the top of the hierarchy, naturally in Indian society, then came the priests, followed by Trades people (farmers etc) and lastly the Slaves. However, the crafty priests, the Brahmins (now Hindus) concocted the creation theory and put theselves at the top coming from the mouth of Brahma the creator, and suddenly nobility came second. The greatest being, Buddha, the greatest king Asoka and the greatest kings in Lanka were all Kshatriyas/Kaurawas/Sakyans and now their decendants unfortunately are branded as ‘fisher folk’ which is pathetic indeed.
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:22 am A constitution depend on its origins or the sources.
Decrees, Conventions, Agreements between a occupying force and the subjects cannot be compared to a constitutin among a group of people.
What is important is the actions of the occupier and its actions.
The problems of Ceylon are not different to problems of the former British Empire.
In the first place is it a British Indian Empire?
For the first time in human hystory the british brougt in ther partners in large numbers. If not for that british could not have maintained such a vast Empire.
In nature this type of partners are prasites. (parasites a word I do not like to use but a perfect explanation)
During the Franco -Dutch war the Dutch Studholder asked the british to look after their colonies.
After the war British in their best of morals did not return the Dutch possesion in Ceylon.
When the Dutch governer refuced to hand over, the British brought in their Madras Regiment.
The Dutch Govenor had only one choice.
The new possesions were administred ftom the Indian subcontinent. (British have not finished making India by this time).
They brought in administrators from Malabar coast intead of using the Dutch Administration.
These new administrators screwed (taxed everything and mistreated the locals) up the locals and cheated (roots of corruption) the British. The locals killed them as the most of the land was jungle and no highways and freeways.
Thereafter British engaged the Dutch administrated.
British saw the need for road and the PWD was born. As Ceylon was close to the South of the subcomtinent most of the workers who came were from the South, mainly Dravidayans.
By this time slavery was abolished, mechnised transport has begun and mass transportation of of colonial parasites began.
Ceylon, Burma, Malasia, Fiji, Mauritius, West Indies, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa…….were colonised by the colonial parasites and the British were the absentee land lord.
Remember Low Caste are not allowed to leave their habitats and all the colonial parasites are High Caste Hindus.
Colder places like Canada, Australia was colonised by the British due to the likeliness of the climate to British Isles.
And no Indian parasites were not allowed in to Australia or Canada.
Australia White policy, Canada you have to go directly from India to Canada and there were no steamers plying directly between the two.
It is time to decolonise Indian colonies.
September 22nd, 2010 at 8:19 pm Sunil Vijaya,
That is a completely different thing altogether. By the way I have absolutely no regard for caste. All I’m saying is had Tamil Nadu people freely colonized Sri Lanka, the majority in Jaffna cannot be farmers. They must be fishermen in that case as farmers didn;t leave their fertile farmland in Tamil Nadu until the Dutch forcibly removed them.
You are referring to the “Warnakulasuriyas” I guess. My understanding is that they were from Kerala and Karnataka. They have integrated with all communities very well.
April 21st, 2013 at 6:22 am At the time British began to occupy the Kandyan Kingdom it extended to the North Central and Eastern Provinces – except the coastal area. The Maritime Provinces were already under foreign rule (the British having replaced the Dutch). So the Kandyans did not refer to the coastal belt as part of Sinhale for obvious reasons.
Needless to say, the Kandyan Convention was the outcome of the invitation extended to that same foreign power to depose King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe who had by that earned the hatred of those around him. The Convention signed on March 2, 1815 was a farce. General Robert Brownrigg never meant to observe its conditions. Article No. 5 of the Convention which guaranteed the inviolability of the National Religion (Buddhism) and the “protection and maintenance of the rites, priests and temples” was inserted to throw dust in the eyes of the Sangha, the traditional guardians of the life and liberty of the people.
“In truth,” the General wrote in a dispatch to the Secretary of State Bathurst, “our secure possession of the country hinged upon this point. I found it necessary to quieten all uneasiness respecting it, by an article of guarantee couched in the most unqualified terms,” and he repeated this assurance to the Sangha of Malwatta and Asgiriya Viharas… (Revolt in the Temple)
It is hardly surprising the British never intended to honour this pledge.
“The Kandyans,” says Dr. Colvin R. de Silva in his Ceylon under British Occupation, “had called the Britisher for the sole purpose of ridding themselves of an unpopular monarch, and they had not contemplated the establishment of British rule.”
The ascendancy of a Christian government in the Kandyan Provinces constituted a distinct menace to Buddhism. The Colonial power was never in truth legally bound to protect Buddhist interests before or after 1818.
These were the circumstances under which the Uva uprising of 1818 occurred. The rest is history. For further background information you may read Professor Tennekoon Vimalananda’s THE STATE AND RELIGION IN CEYLON SINCE 1815 (which is the most comprehensive book on this subject).
It is therefore hardly surprising that the Ceylon we got back from the British in 1948 was not the Sinhale they occupied in 1815. They had almost erased the religious and cultural identity of that nation