Rajasinha II

Rajasinghe II
Thrisinhaladisuwara [1]
Lankeshwara
Bhupathi
Imperador of Ceylon[2]
Rajasingha II, from Robert Knox's A Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, 1693
King of Kandy
Reign1635 – 6 December 1687
Coronation1635
PredecessorSenarat
SuccessorVimaladharmasurya II
Regent of Kandy[3]
Tenure1628 – 1635
MonarchSenarat
Bornc. 1608
Aluthnuwara Palace, Mawanella, Sri Lanka
Died6 December 1687
Hanguranketha Palace, Sri Lanka
Burial
Royal Garden of Hanguranketha, Sri Lanka
later; Royal Cremation Yard, Asgiri Temple, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
SpouseA princess from Madurai
IssueVimaladharmasurya II
FatherSenarat
MotherDona Catherina of Kandy
ReligionTheravada Buddhism[4]
The King's device of the Red Lion on a gold ground, representing Rajasinghe II (1635 – 1687)
Reconstructed emblem(device) of Rajasinghe II featuring a Red Lion on a gold ground.[5]

King Rajasinghe II, also known as Rajasingha II (pre coronation, Prince Dewa Astana/Dewarajasinghe), was a Sinhalese King, reigned 1629 – 6 December 1687; seventh king of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Rajasingha requested aid from the newly formed Dutch East India Company to help expel the Portuguese from the island, which they successfully did in 1656. By this time however it had become clear to the Kandyans that the Dutch not only intended to expel the Portuguese but to replace them as the major colonial power on the island. This transfer of power is also believed to be where the Sinhala idiom / figure of speech “ඉඟුරු දී මිරිස් ගත්තා වාගේ” Inguru di miris gaththa wagay (Literal meaning: Like one exchanged ginger for chili) was originated - in reference that the Dutch Rule was much more of a menace to the king and cruel to the people in the island than the Portuguese. From 1645 onwards Rajasingha was engaged in sporadic warfare with his erstwhile allies.

  1. ^ "chapter 1, Kandyan kingdom, page 7".
  2. ^ Padma Edirisinghe (2006). "The Historical Background that Influenced the Personality of Rajasinghe 11 (1635-1687)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. 52 (1): 160. JSTOR 23731304.
  3. ^ Padma Edirisinghe (2006). "The Historical Background that Influenced the Personality of Rajasinghe 11 (1635-1687)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. 52 (1): 163. JSTOR 23731304.
  4. ^ "Rajasinghe-II of Senkadagala". WWW Virtual Library-Sri Lanka.
  5. ^ Pieris, P. E. (Paul Edward) (1999). Ceylon and the Hollanders, 1658-1796. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, p. 32.