User:Kasunhashanga/Galagoda family

The first sinhalese to ascend the throne of kandy, King Wimaladharmasuriya I, was non -other than Galagoda WimalaDharmasuriya Bandara of Peradeniya. He was also known as Konappu bandara and later as Don Juan when he joined the Portugese army. He changed his name several times to evade capture by King Rajasinghe I of Seethawaka who earlier has killed Don Juans father, Galagoda Weerasundara bandara, an aristocratic nobleman from Peradeniya.

The Galagoda family held the reigns of the Kandyan Kingdom from 1590 to 1739 . King Narendra Singhe , who married a Nayakkar princess from Madurai , failed to produce an heir the kingdom was passed onto the brother of the queen, Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe, a Nayyakkar from madurai. Thus ending the Sinhalese Rule and the begining of the Nayakkar rule.

However, The Nayaakars from Madurai and the kandy aristocracy got on well- after all they were relations. Keeerthi Sri Rajasinghe, who reigned during the golden era of the Kandyan kingdom, apponinted members of the Galagoda Family( cousins) to key positions in his court. Galagoda Addikaram from Peradeniya wallawwa was one of them. The king and the adhikarama was of the same age and grew up togethersince they were babies. They shared the same ‘ milk- nurse’ or ‘ Kri – mawa’ as there were milk powder those days. Because of this association Keerthi Sri Rajasighe rewarded the Galagoda family for their loyal service and bravery against the dutch. They were given land grants extending over 100,000 acres through 17 sannasa land grants. After all it was a Galagoda adhikaram who saved the king from an assasination attempt on his life by the chief priest of the Malwatte chapter. Later Galagoda adhikaram buillt and donated a large area of land and a temple which is now known as the Asgriya temple.

The South indians( Tamil, Malayali, Kannda and Andra) and the Nayakkars got on well with the Sinhalese in Kandy. During that period, kandy was a cosmopolitan city and the kings army included Dutch and Portugese advisors.

Things turned sour during the reign of the last king of Kandy. Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe, a nephew of Sri Rajadhi Rajasinghe( childless) who was not of royal blood descent . The kings leaning towards Hinuism and his style of governance did not go down well with the Nobles in Kandy. The King had many Sinhala Aristocrats and their families executed- thus forcing the Kandyan court to seek the help of the British to overthrow the KIng and thus ending sovereign rule in SRi Lanka.

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