Battle of Mulleriyawa

Battle of Mulleriyawa
Part of Sinhalese–Portuguese War
Date1559[1][2]
Location
Mulleriyawa, Outside Colombo on the southern bank of the Kelani River
06°56′10.79″N 79°56′53.64″E / 6.9363306°N 79.9482333°E / 6.9363306; 79.9482333
Result Sitawaka victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Sitawaka

Portuguese Empire

  • Lascarins (local soldiers on the Portuguese side)

Supported by:

Kingdom of Kotte
Commanders and leaders
Mayadunne of Sitawaka
battle commanded by: Tikiri Bandara (subsequently Sitawaka Rajasigha)
Wickramasinghe Mudali		 Captain major Jorge de Menezes
Strength
4,000 Sitawaka men
Unknown number of militia
Unknown number of war elephants
Small number of cavalry[3][4]		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
Exact figures not known 1,600 Portuguese and Lascarins, several of the Kotte men and officers[5]

The Battle of Mulleriyawa (Sinhala: මුල්ලේරියාව සටන) in 1559 was part of the Sinhalese–Portuguese War. It was one of the most decisive battles in Sri Lankan history and considered as the worst defeat of Portuguese during that period. According to local chronicles the marshlands of Mulleriyawa turned red with blood after the annihilation of the Portuguese.[6] With this victory Sitawaka emerged as a military power which was able to challenge the Portuguese expansion.

  1. ^ C. Gaston Perera. Kandy fights the Portuguese – A military history of Kandyan resistance. Vijithayapa Publications:Sri Lanka; June 2007. p. 358, ISBN 978-955-1266-77-6.
  2. ^ Paul E.Peiris. Ceylon the Portuguese Era: being a history of the island for the period, 1505-1658 - Volume 1. Tisara Publishers Ltd:Sri Lanka; 1992. p. 156 Ceylon, the Portuguese era : being a history of the island for the period, 1505-1658. OCLC 12552979.
  3. ^ Fernao de Queyroz. The temporal and spiritual conquest of Ceylon. AES reprint. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services; 1995. pp. 345-347, ISBN 81-206-0765-1.
  4. ^ B. Gunasekara. The Rajavaliya. AES reprint. New Delhi:Asian Educational Services; 1995. pp. 87-88, ISBN 81-206-1029-6.
  5. ^ B. Gunasekara. The Rajavaliya. AES reprint. New Delhi:Asian Educational Services; 1995. p. 88, ISBN 81-206-1029-6.
  6. ^ Ceylon and the Portuguese, 1505-1658, By P.E. Pieris, p. 85.