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Pilimatalawe Maha Adikaram beheaded for high treason

by Aryadasa Ratnasinghe

If we were to delve into the activities of the Kandyan chiefs, we find that plotting, scheming, under-cutting, conspiracy, stratagem and many other evils were rampant, during the reign of Sri Wickrema Rajasingha, the last king of Kandy, who was elevated to that high position by the much pretentious chief, the Maha Adikaram Pilimatalawwe, who had the greatest ambition to ascend the throne of Kandy.

With this aim in view, he tried to bring about disunity between the king and the chiefs.

In the meantime, he made overtures to the British who were ruling the maritime settlements of the island, to dethrone the king and achieve his greatest expectation.

Pilimatalawwe Wijayasundera Rajakaruna Seneviratne Abeyakoon Panditha Mudiyanse was appointed to the position of Maha Adikaram (Chief Minister) by King Rajadhi Rajasingha in 1790. From that time he deliberated on a plan to crown himself as the king.

He was also aware that the people were unsatisfied with the indolent King Rajadhi, which enhanced his ambition to hold the reigns of state, by hook or by crook.

Taking the opportunity, the Maha Adikaram manipulated his plan secretly, insidiously and by intrigue, to raise Prince Kannasamy to the throne, as the first step, to achieve his end. Kannasamy was the son of Subbamma, the wife of Venkata Perumal, who was the chief priest of the Koneswaram devale in the gulf of Mannar.

She was also the younger sister of Upendramma, the consort of King Rajadhi, on whose invitation she came to Sri Lanka, with her 8 years old son Kannasamy, and lived in that part of the Kandy town, exclusively meant for the king's kith and kin. (later named as Malabar Street).

The Maha Adikaram, who had the opportunity, of meeting this prince, now thought it would be beneficial to raise him to the throne after the death of King Rajadhi. But the child at first did not aspire to wear the crown.

However, the Maha Adikaram managed to enthrone him at the age of 17 years, with all regal honour and dignity, despite the wishes of the Most Ven. Moratota Sri Dhammakkhanda Maha Nayaka Thera of Malwatta, as it was customary to consult the Malwatta fraternity, before appointing a king.

The Maha Nayaka Thera told the Maha Adikaram: "In choosing a king, do not proceed a step further without deliberation. You must choose one who will take care of the Buddha Sasana, the country and yourself.

So, do not act arbitrarily and repent later". The forecast proved its truthfulness, when the whole episode took a different turn. The king, now placed on the throne by his professed but dubious benefactor Pilimatalawwe, was in reality an enemy of the king. The throne was surrounded by the most embarrassing perplexities which would have required a person of talent and patience to endure.

The king had to face insuperable difficulties and was blind to everything, the result being that he could not move without the Maha Adikaram's help and advice in matters of state.

Terrified by the past and apprehensive of the future and for his own security, the king, unable to withstand the torments, showed himself a tyrant. He was, to some extent, afraid of the Maha Adikaram because he was very popular and powerful among the people.

The inevitable struggle between the Sinhala chiefs and the Malabari King Sri Wickrema Rajasingha, began to take its vicious turn, when a certain faction of the chiefs, supported the king, as sneakers and spies, to win over his confidence while others supported the Maha Adikaram to depose the king. The architect of all these activities was the Maha Adikaram Pilimatalawwe.

The chiefs who were antagonistic towards the king formed a considerable party headed by the Maha Adikaram, who was second in command to the king, not only in name but also in power. In raft and ambition he was second to none.

By birth, position and power, he secured to himself as the most fitted person to revive the Sinhala sovereignty, which had become defunct with the death of Sri Viraparakrama Narendrasinha in 1739. He was the last Sinhala king of Kandy. The succeeding kings were Malabaris from South India, who were Hindus by religion and Dravidians by birth.

The Maha Adikaram who had made the young king the tool of his nefarious activities, got most of his enemies executed by the king because only the king could exercise his rights over capital punishment.

Murder, that was for many years had not appeared on the political stage, began again to raise its ugly head. Bloodshed and commotion became the scene of the day, and some chiefs appealed to the British, who were ruling the maritime settlements of the island, to intervene and save the country from despotic rule. The Maha Adikaram took the lead in approaching the British for help.

In 1798, the Maha Adikaram Pilimatalawwe profited by the political disturbances, managed to depose King Rajadhi. But his machinations proved futile, as his ambitious plans were thwarted by other chiefs, who knew what was boiling in the political pot.

According to ancient custom, it was the duty of the Maha Adikaram to choose and acclaim a new king, but having deposed King Rajadhi, he abstained from such course of action, and carried on the government, without a king. He was so powerful that the other chiefs openly did not show their disagreement but inwardly they were not in favour of such arbitrary action.

King Rajadhi, though deposed, nominated Prince Muttusamy, the queen's brother, not as successor to the throne but as inter-rex, till his queens would choose a son among one of their brothers.

The Maha Adikaram prevented Muttusamy from assuming power and the queens from choosing an heir to the throne, and awaited for an opportunity to enthrone himself as king of Kandy. As long as the deposed king was alive, the Maha Adikaram did not assume royal power though he unofficially played the role of king.

On the death of Rajadhi on July 26, 1798, instead of Prince Muttusamy, the Maha Adikaram took all efforts to place Prince Kannasamy on the throne. There were other pretenders to the throne, who were the children of King Rajadhi. They were Muttusamy, Buddhasamy, Kunnesamy, Chinnasamy, Appusamy, Ayasamy and Rengasamy.

The Nayakkars sensing what was behind the scene, appealed to Lord Clive, Governor of Madras, to intervene in the selection of an heir, but the British government was not disposed to the proposal.

The bickerings between the king and the Maha Adikaram created mutual hatred, which was soon coupled with mutual dread. The one imagining his life insecure from the machinations of the other. The king who had little control over his passions, soon gave them vent.

When the Maha Adikaram expressed a wish to wed his son to the natural grand-daughter of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, the king taking it for granted that it was merely a step to the throne, assembled the chiefs, enumerated various grounds of complaints against the Maha Adikaram, charged him of mal-administration, and accused him of being the author of everything cruel and unpopular.

Over the negligence of a trivial duty, the king took steps to imprison the Maha Adikaram, from where he was liberated in a week, and allowed to go to his country residence and lead a private life. The disgraced and irritated Maha Adikaram did not remain quiet at home, but soon hatched a plot to assassinate the king, the ungrateful sovereign.

He did not waste time to take revenge from the king. He bribed the Malay Muhandiram Asana and sixty of his companions were engaged for the purpose. Balavattala Senanayake Bamunusinghe Mudiyanse alias Balavattala Nilame was assigned the task of spying the assassination.

On the appointed day, the Nilame finding that the king was not so fast asleep, requested the conspirators to mark time. In the meantime, one of the conspirators fell into a well, and the others fled in terror, leaving the man in the well. He was soon traced by the royal guards and produced before the king.

The case was taken up for trial in the royal court in the presence of Nilames Ehelepola, Molligoda, Dehigama, Keppetipola, Angammana, Galegoda, Dunuwila, Mullegama, Unamboowe, Kapuwatte and Doollewa, who unanimously declared that it was a plot planned by the Maha Adikaram.

On August 26, 1811 Maha Adikaram Pilimatalawwe was beheaded along with Ratwatte, Daulagala and other conspirators, on a charge of high treason in trying to assassinate the king. The punishment was given at the Kumarahapuwe execution grounds, in the presence of the king and his loyal officials.

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