Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Rajasingha II.

2006-11-20T13:28:05Z

Docsubster:

[[Image:Srilanka kandy lake.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Senkadagala ([[Kandy]]), capital of Rajasingha II; note the mountainous hinterland that provided the city with natural fortifications]]'''Rajasimha II''', also known as '''Rajasingha II''', reigned [[1634]] – [[1686]]; third king of the kingdom of [[Kandy]] in [[Sri Lanka]]. Rajasingha requested [[Netherlands|Dutch]] aid to help expel the [[Portuguese people|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 replaced them as the major [[colonial]] power on the island, and from 1645 onwards Rajasingha was engaged in sporadic warfare with his erstwhile allies.

==Birth and early life==
Rajasingha was the son of Senarat (Senarath), the second ruler of the kingdom of Kandy, based at the city of Senkadagala (modern [[Kandy]]) in Sri Lanka's mountainous interior. Since the Portuguese annexation of much of Sri Lanka's coastal areas the kingdom had represented the sole independent native polity on the island. Near incessant warfare had significantly embittered the Kandyans towards the Portuguese; furthermore the brief success of the warlike kingdom of Sitawaka a century earlier had convinced many in the kingdom that the total expulsion of the colonial power was a distinct possibility.

As a young man Rajasingha participated in the 1612 counter-offensive that routed a Portuguese invasion into Kandyan territory.

Rajasingha succeeded his father to the throne in 1634 (1629 in some sources)

==Early Reign: The Arrival of the Dutch==

Rajasingha's father had long courted the Dutch as a potential ally against the Portuguese. A treaty had been signed between Kandy and Dutch envoy Marcelis Boschouwer but had not amounted to much. Soon after Rajasingha's accession however the Dutch, now firmly established in [[Batavia]], put Portuguese [[Goa]] under a blockade. Rajasingha sent a request for aid to the admiral Adam Westerwolt and by [[23 May]] [[1638]] had signed an extensive military and trade treaty with them [http://www.kandyhotels.com/kandy/about_kandy/late_kings/index.html][http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/CH11Df02.html].
The Dutch seized [[Batticaloa]] on [[18 May]], [[1639]] and a joint Kandyan-Dutch campaign began to make inroads into Portugal's lowland territories. The alliance was however deeply unpopular with the inhabitants of Kandy[http://www.sridaladamaligawa.lk/english/perahara_in2.html].

[[Image:Central province2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The rugged terrain of the Kandyan kingdom, an area now largely within the modern Central Province]]Tensions soon arose between the two parties. Batticaloa was the traditional port of the Kandyan kingdom ([[Trincomalee]] had long been lost, first to the [[Jaffna Kingdom]] and then to the Portuguese), and Rajasingha was eager to acquire it as soon as possible. The Dutch, however, demurred, demanding full payment for their assistance in displacing the Portuguese. Despite a rising suspicion that the Dutch were not in Sri Lanka to expel the Portuguese, so much as to replace them, the alliance was one that was too valuable for Rajasingha to simply cancel, and joint Dutch-Kandyan efforts resulted in the seizure of [[Galle]] on [[13 March]] [[1640]][http://www.kandyhotels.com/kandy/about_kandy/late_kings/index.html] and the restriction of Portuguese power to the west coast of Sri Lanka by 1641.

The slow end of the [[Eighty Year's War]] however soon resulted in a truce being called between Dutch and Portuguese forces in Sri Lanka (imperial [[Spain]] was Portugal's [[suzerain]]) sometime between [[1641]] and [[1645]]. Rajasinga, and many of his advisers, furiously concluded that the Dutch intended to carve Sri Lanka up with the Portuguese, to the detriment of native power. The alliance of 1638 came to an abrupt end and Kandy launched into what was to be a hundred years of intermittent warfare with the Dutch[http://www.kandyhotels.com/kandy/about_kandy/late_kings/index.html].

The period between 1645 and [[1649]] saw the Kandyan adopting a [[scorched earth]] policy in eastern Sri Lanka. Capturing and annexing Dutch held territory was out of the question for the Kandyans who could muster neither the fire power nor the man power for an occupation. Nevertheless Rajasingha's policy of intentionally burning crops and depopulation villages drove the Dutch to the negotiating table and in 1649 and the Kandyan-Dutch alliance was resurrected, albeit on slightly different terms[http://www.kandyhotels.com/kandy/about_kandy/late_kings/index.html].

==Late Reign: Stalemate==
[[Image:Srilanka galle fort.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The fort of Galle in southern Sri Lanka, first a Portuguese, then a Dutch stronghold]]Despite the resurrection of the treaty tensions remained between the Dutch and the Kandyans. The [[Treaty of Munster]] had secured Dutch independence in Europe in [[1648]] and they could now pursue colonial and mercantile expansion without fighting a ruinous war on their doorstep simultaneously. In contrast the kingdom of Kandy was exhausted by constant war, and still without access to Batticaloa, Trincomalee, and the lowlands. Furthermore it had limited resources, and was increasingly wracked by internal instability.

Nevertheless from 1652 joint Kandyan-Dutch forces waged an increasingly brutal war against Portuguese strongholds along the coast. During this time Rajasingha had to request support from the sub-king — Patabanda — of Koggala[http://www.defonseka.com/k24.htm#_ftnref1], which suggests that the Kandyan kingdom had by this time become very decentralised, and that local leaders held considerable power.

The landlocked Kandyans were successful in the inland area of the Korales and Sabaragamuwa but relied heavily on Dutch sea power. Accordingly in August 1655 a large Dutch fleet commanded by Gerard Hulft arrived and the war entered its final phase with the siege by land and sea of the Portuguese colonial capital [[Colombo]]. By this point Rajasingha did not trust the Dutch at all and insisted that the city should be ceded to the Kandyan the moment it fell. When this happened in 1656, however, the Dutch shut the gates and left the Kandyans in the hinterlands. Faced with what he saw as yet another example of Dutch perfidy, Rajasingha repeated his devastations of the mid-1640s in the hinterlands of Colombo and withdrew to Kandy. The Dutch in the meanwhile secured power over the kingdom of Jaffna in [[1658]] and essentially replaced the Portuguese as Kandy's natural enemy on the island.

Safe in his mountain fastness Rajasingha now adopted the same tactics he had deployed against the Portuguese to harass the Dutch. In 1660 his army is known to have been in the vicinity of Dutch-held Trincomalee, and seized the Englishman [[Robert Knox]]. Knox subsequently moved to [[Kandy|Senkadagala]] and lived there until the 1680s; his writings provide one of the best sources on the Kandyan kingdom in the 17th century. Rajasingha may also have considered involving the French in Sri Lankan politics in an attempt to get yet another European power to displace the Dutch[http://www.blessedjosephvaz.com/apostolate_in_kandy.htm]

In Kandy, Rajasingha faced discontented nobles and a populace who had always been opposed to the alliance with the Dutch. The internal situation became so unstable that for a while Rajasingha was forced to abandon the palace and allow rebels to seize control of Sengkadagala, and even suspended the annual [[Perahara]]. In 1664, he faced open rebellion from a noble known as Ambanwela Rala, and, unable in his fury to think of a suitable punishment, sent him to the Dutch, assuming they would execute him as a Kandyan noble. It was a mistake — Ambanwela Rala traded his knowledge of the workings of Kandy for a large coconut estate in Dutch territory and died a rich man[http://www.lankalibrary.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=990&highlight=rajasimha].

Despite this the king managed to retain control of the crown and expanded the sacred precint of Kandy, the Dalada Maligawa, adding an extra storey to the central building[http://www.sridaladamaligawa.lk/english/tooth_relic_in3.html].

==Significance==
The single most important trend of Rajasingha's long reign was the replacement of the Portuguese by the Dutch. The strategy of bringing in one European power to help fend off another had backfired spectacularly, and the Kandyan kingdom found itself in much the same position as it had been with the Portuguese. Despite the Dutch being less determined to convert the mass populace and impose their cultural dominance, Europeans increasingly came to be seen as rapacious adventurers who were simply incapable of honouring their deals.

The situation inside the Kandyan kingdom became increasingly unstable and during Rajasingha's reign many of the powerful families that came to dominate Kandyan politics in the 18th century acquired greater power. It is interesting to note that attempts on Rajasingha's life appear to have been rather commonplace[http://www.defonseka.com/k24.htm#_ftnref1]. Rajasingha's reign also saw a gradual diminution of the Kandyan's dreams of reuniting Sri Lanka under a single, native, crown.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[SriLankan chronicle|Ruler of Sri Lanka]] : Rajasingha II|before=Senarath|after=Vimaladharmasuriya II|years=[[1635]].–[[1686]]}}
{{end box}}

[[Category:history of Sri Lanka]]

[[fr:Râjasimha II]]

Devanampiya Tissa

2006-11-20T13:01:47Z

Docsubster:

'''Tissa''', later '''Devanampiyatissa''', c. [[247 BC]] - [[207 BC]], was one of the earliest rulers of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. His reign was notable for the arrival of [[Buddhism]] in Sri Lanka under the aegis of Mauryan Emperor [[Ashoka]]. The primary source for his reign is the [[Mahavamsa]], which in turn is based on the more ancient [[Dipavamsa]].

==Reign==

Tissa was the second son of Mutasiva, king of Anuradhapura. The [[Mahavamsa]] describes him as being 'foremost among all his brothers in virtue and intelligence'[http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv11.php]. He ascended to the throne of the northern kingdom based at [[Anuradhapura]] sometime around 247 BCE. The majority of his subjects were Hindu, as they had been since the arrival of the first Sinhala colonists on the island around 300 years previously.

The Mahavamsa mentions an early friendship with Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Chapter IX of the chronicle mentions that '...the two monarchs, Devanampiyatissa and Dhammasoka, already had been friends a long time, though they had never seen each other', 'Dhammasoka' being an alternate way of saying 'Ashoka'. The chronicle also mentions Tissa sending gifts to the mighty emperor of the Maurya; in reply Ashoka sent not only gifts but also the news that he had converted to Buddhism, and a plea to Tissa to adopt the faith as well. The king does not appear to have done this at the time, instead adopting the moniker 'Devanam' ('Beloved of the God') and having himself consecrated King of Lanka in a lavish celebration.

Devanampiyatissa is traditionally said to have been succeeded by his younger brothers Uttiya and Mahasiva.

==Conversion to Buddhism==

[[Image:Mihintale-vista3.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Mihintale, the traditional location of Devanampiya Tissa's conversion]]Emperor Ashoka took a keen interest in the propagation of Buddhism across the known world, and it was decided that his son, [[Mahinda]], would travel to Sri Lanka and attempt to convert the people there. The events surrounding Mahinda's arrival and meeting with the king form one of the most important legends of Sinhala history.

According to the Mahavamsa king Devanapiyatissa was out enjoying a hunt with some 40,000 of his soldiers near a mountain called Missaka. The date for this is traditionally associated with the full moon day of the month of Poson.

Having come to the foot of Missaka, Devanampiyatissa chased a stag into the thicket, and came across Mahinda (referred to with the honorific title Thera); amusingly the Mahavamsa has the great king 'terrified' and convinced that the Thera was in fact a 'yakka', or demon. However, Thera Mahinda declared that 'Recluses we are, O great King, disciples of the King of Dhamma (Buddha) Out of compassion for you alone have we come here from [[Jambudvipa|Jambudipa]]'. Devanampiyatissa recalled the news from his friend Ashoka and realised that these are missionaries sent from India. Thera Mahinda went on to preach to the king's company and preside over the king's conversion to Buddhism.

==Notable locations==

[[Image:Anuradhapura25.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Thuparama in Anuradhapura, believed to have been constructed in Devanampiya Tissa's reign]]
Given the extremely early date of Devanampiyatissa's reign, the dearth of sources, and the impossibility of archeological inquiry due to current political instability, it is difficult to discern what impact this conversion had, in practical terms, on Devanampiyatissa's reign. For example whislt there are references to a Tissamahavihara and various other temples constructed by the king, none can be reliably located.

What is fairly certain however is that the site of his initial meeting with Thera Mahinda is one of Sri Lanka's most sacred sites today, going by the name Mihintale. The sacred precint features the Ambasthala, or 'Mango tree stupa', where the Thera Mahinda asked Mahinda a series of riddles to check his capacity for learning[http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv14.php], the cave in which Thera Mahinda lived for over forty years, and the Maha Seya, wherein is contained a relic of the Buddha.

The other major site associated with Devanampiyatissa's reign is the [[Sri Maha Bodhi]] in Anuradhapura. The tree was yet another of Emperor Ashoka's gifts to the island and was planted within the precints of Anuradhapura, and is regarded as one of the oldest trees in the world.

==Significance==

Devanampiyatissa remains one of early Sri Lanka's most significant monarchs, given that his conversion to Buddhism set the kingdoms of the island down a religious and cultural route quite distinct from that of the subcontinent to the north. Later monarchs were to refer back to Devanampiyatissa's conversion as one of the cornerstones of the Anuradhapuran polity. The city itself was to remain capital of a powerful kingdom until the early middle ages, when it was eventually subsumed under a Chola invasion and then superseded by Polonnaruwa.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[List_of_rulers_of_Sri_Lanka|Ruler of Sri Lanka]]|before= Mutasiva|after= Regent Uttiya|years=[[247 BC]]–[[207 BC]]}}
{{end box}}

==See also==

*[[Buddhism in Sri Lanka]]
*[[Mahinda]]
*[[Asoka]]
*[[Mihintale]]

==External links==

*[http://kataragama.org/sacred/mihintale.htm Mihintale]
*[http://www.srimahabodhiya.lk/run%20vate/about%20ran%20veta.htm the Maha Bodhi]

[[Category:history of Sri Lanka]]

[[fr:Devanampiya Tissa]]

Devanampiya Tissa

2006-11-20T12:58:50Z

Docsubster:

'''Tissa''', later '''Devanampiyatissa''', c. [[247 BC]] - [[207 BC]], was one of the earliest rulers of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. His reign was notable for the arrival of [[Buddhism]] in Sri Lanka under the aegis of Mauryan Emperor [[Ashoka]]. The primary source for his reign is the [[Mahavamsa]], which in turn is based on the more ancient [[Dipavamsa]].

==Reign==

Tissa was the second son of Mutasiva, king of Anuradhapura. The [[Mahavamsa]] describes him as being 'foremost among all his brothers in virtue and intelligence'[http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv11.php]. He ascended to the throne of the northern kingdom based at [[Anuradhapura]] sometime around 247 BCE. The majority of his subjects were Hindu, as they had been since the arrival of the first Sinhala colonists on the island around 300 years previously.

The Mahavamsa mentions an early friendship with Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Chapter IX of the chronicle mentions that '...the two monarchs, Devanampiyatissa and Dhammasoka, already had been friends a long time, though they had never seen each other', 'Dhammasoka' being an alternate way of saying 'Ashoka'. The chronicle also mentions Tissa sending gifts to the mighty emperor of the Maurya; in reply Ashoka sent not only gifts but also the news that he had converted to Buddhism, and a plea to Tissa to adopt the faith as well. The king does not appear to have done this at the time, instead adopting the moniker 'Devanam' ('Beloved of the God') and having himself consecrated King of Lanka in a lavish celebration.

Devanampiyatissa is traditionally said to have been succeeded by his younger brothers Uttiya and Mahasiva.

==Conversion to Buddhism==

[[Image:Mihintale-vista3.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Mihintale, the traditional location of Devanampiya Tissa's conversion]]
Emperor Ashoka took a keen interest in the propagation of Buddhism across the known world, and it was decided that his son, [[Mahinda]], would travel to Sri Lanka and attempt to convert the people there. The events surrounding Mahinda's arrival and meeting with the king form one of the most important legends of Sinhala history.



According to the Mahavamsa king Devanapiyatissa was out enjoying a hunt with some 40,000 of his soldiers near a mountain called Missaka. The date for this is traditionally associated with the full moon day of the month of Poson.

Having come to the foot of Missaka, Devanampiyatissa chased a stag into the thicket, and came across Mahinda (referred to with the honorific title Thera); amusingly the Mahavamsa has the great king 'terrified' and convinced that the Thera was in fact a 'yakka', or demon. However, Thera Mahinda declared that 'Recluses we are, O great King, disciples of the King of Dhamma (Buddha) Out of compassion for you alone have we come here from [[Jambudvipa|Jambudipa]]'. Devanampiyatissa recalled the news from his friend Ashoka and realised that these are missionaries sent from India. Thera Mahinda went on to preach to the king's company and preside over the king's conversion to Buddhism.

==Notable locations==

[[Image:Anuradhapura25.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Thuparama in Anuradhapura, believed to have been constructed in Devanampiya Tissa's reign]]
Given the extremely early date of Devanampiyatissa's reign, the dearth of sources, and the impossibility of archeological inquiry due to current political instability, it is difficult to discern what impact this conversion had, in practical terms, on Devanampiyatissa's reign. For example whislt there are references to a Tissamahavihara and various other temples constructed by the king, none can be reliably located.

What is fairly certain however is that the site of his initial meeting with Thera Mahinda is one of Sri Lanka's most sacred sites today, going by the name Mihintale. The sacred precint features the Ambasthala, or 'Mango tree stupa', where the Thera Mahinda asked Mahinda a series of riddles to check his capacity for learning[http://www.vipassana.com/resources/mahavamsa/mhv14.php], the cave in which Thera Mahinda lived for over forty years, and the Maha Seya, wherein is contained a relic of the Buddha.

The other major site associated with Devanampiyatissa's reign is the [[Sri Maha Bodhi]] in Anuradhapura. The tree was yet another of Emperor Ashoka's gifts to the island and was planted within the precints of Anuradhapura, and is regarded as one of the oldest trees in the world.

==Significance==

Devanampiyatissa remains one of early Sri Lanka's most significant monarchs, given that his conversion to Buddhism set the kingdoms of the island down a religious and cultural route quite distinct from that of the subcontinent to the north. Later monarchs were to refer back to Devanampiyatissa's conversion as one of the cornerstones of the Anuradhapuran polity. The city itself was to remain capital of a powerful kingdom until the early middle ages, when it was eventually subsumed under a Chola invasion and then superseded by Polonnaruwa.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[List_of_rulers_of_Sri_Lanka|Ruler of Sri Lanka]]|before= Mutasiva|after= Regent Uttiya|years=[[247 BC]]–[[207 BC]]}}
{{end box}}

==See also==

*[[Buddhism in Sri Lanka]]
*[[Mahinda]]
*[[Asoka]]
*[[Mihintale]]

==External links==

*[http://kataragama.org/sacred/mihintale.htm Mihintale]
*[http://www.srimahabodhiya.lk/run%20vate/about%20ran%20veta.htm the Maha Bodhi]

[[Category:history of Sri Lanka]]

[[fr:Devanampiya Tissa]]