Ehelapola: ‘Prince of Kandy’ in Mauritius
Lal Keerthie Fernando
We drove from ‘Port Louis’, Capital of Mauritius, going North about
18 km. Once you enter the town, Arsenal, we continued, another 500
metres and at the end of forest by the side of the dual carriageway, a
monument I wanted to visit - Monument of Ehelapola.
Reasonably maintained, needing a coat of paint, the monument had its
abode since 1829. Mauritian National Heritage Law, cares it well... A
short fence which surrounds the monument, reminding us that this ‘Prince
of Kandy’ is alone. From the large forest at the back, now and again, a
light wind..., which embraces, the monument and them, who are there to
pay homage and remember.....!
The odd tourist, usually a British, on his way to the beautiful North
of the Island: the coast, dotted with Beach Resorts of repute; where the
wealthy and the well known remain in solitude...., would drop by at the
monument, to get a glimpse of the British past and history. One or two
Sri Lankans, now having stayed in Mauritius for almost three decades,
would drop in, on April 24 at the monument; once again to remember....
They would light a candle or a Hadunkooru, on that day, where
Ehelapola’s body was laid to rest, in the year, 1829. And..., according
to Mauritians - British had collected the ashes after the cremation of
Ehelapola, also according to his wishes and Buddhist traditions and
placed in a pot made out of copper which was buried beneath the
monument. It took me sometime to get over my instincts, as I peeped
closer to look at the inscription in English on a faded epitaph, in the
sturdy monument.
There it was: “Sacred to the memory of Ehelapola, Wijesundara,
Wickramasingha, Chandrasekara, Amarakoon, Wahala Mudianse, late First
Adiga or Prime Minister to the King of Kandy, who died on April 24, 1829
- age 57 years”..... It took 133 years for Lanka to have another Prime
Minister after the 1815 rebellion! Remaining silent for a while, I was
far keener to look around this magnificent monument.
The back of the monument, faced the forest and it was here and to my
amazement, I was able to read.., the Sinhalese letters so clear, even
after 179 years, inscribed on marble stone. It was a translation of what
was on the epitaph in front of the monument. British rulers that time
had the inscriptions done in Ceylon and had the plaques shipped to
Mauritius.
The Sinhala letters are clear but the style could be easily traced
back to the Kandy area, where the inscriptions, probably done by local
stone masons. The respect given to Ehelapola, by British rulers
willfully eloquent and were to remain, as years passed by.... for
others, probably very few to read.
Mauritius was a British colony that time and was known as the ‘Penal
Colony’, where British subjects of ill repute and others were deported
to Mauritius, from various colonies of the British Empire. Was Ehelapola
a traitor or a despotic leader? It is not heard of that British rulers
built and preserved monuments for such persons. Or was he just another
victim of the British political astute of the bygone period during
Governor Robert Brownrigg (1812-1818), Kandy in turmoil?
Ehelapola lived in Mauritius for seven years, probably, arriving
there in 1822, as persona non grata, in his own home country but never
lived as prisoner confined to four walls but known and well written
about him in Mauritius, as the ‘Prince of Kandy’. He lived in style and
was in residence at Chateau Mon-Plasir, a mansion, architecture of
French Renaissance period.
It was built by the French, by Count Mahe de La Bourdonnais (1735),
as Mauritius was a French colony before and the British conquered the
island in 1810. It is now owned by wealthy Franco - Mauritian family. It
is open to the public; an exclusive restaurant added to its past glory.
Ehelapola, must have been at home in such surroundings, reminding him of
his own ancestral past and home, ‘Ehelapola Wallauwwa’, the present
folklore and Gem museum, at Ratnapura.
The distance from the monument to the traffic congested dual carriage
proceeding North is about 10ft. The local Municipality has its plans for
development and road widening. Is time running out for history - and for
them, who are more keen to know, what historians of varied colour
differed?
Sometimes, it is better to see the truth, rather wait to read?
Between Kandy and Matale is the Hamlet - Ehelapola.. Probably,
thousands await, not knowing what they should have known! Air Lines of
the two countries have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U)
for the inauguration of flights between the two countries,
Mauritius/Colombo and was headlines in Mauritian media, sometime back..
In the successfully completed SAARC Summit in Colombo, recently,
Mauritius held observatory status. As it is said: What “was” ours - “is”
ours.
media.fernando@ webspeed.dk
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