Kandy Convention

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First and last page of the contract.

The Kandy Convention ( English Kandyan Convention , Sinhala උඩරට ගිවිසුම Udarata Giwisuma ) was an agreement that was signed on March 10, 1815 between the British Empire and high-ranking dignitaries of the Kingdom of Kandy to depose King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and cede the kingdom to British rule .

background

In Sri Lanka violent conflicts at that time were fought for supremacy. The king, a member of the Nayaks of Kandy ( Kandyan Nayak Dynasty , Sinhala: මහනුවර නායක්කාරවරු, Tamil கண்டி நாயக்கர் , of South Indian descent) faced a powerful opposition from Sinhala dignitaries who wanted to curtail his power. After a successful coup d'état by the chiefs, the king was deposed, captured and imprisoned in Vellore, ending the 2358-year self-determined rule on the island. The treaty is unique in that it was signed not by the monarch but by members of his court and other dignitaries of the kingdom. Thus the colony of British Ceylon came into being .

The convention gained some negative notoriety when, according to later sources, the Buddhist bhikkhu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala took control of a Union Jack that had been planted by the British and trampled on it, demanding that the Kandy flag be hoisted for at least that long should remain until the contract was signed.

The authenticity of the signatures of the local dignitaries has recently been called into question.

Signatory

British

Kandyer

The Kandy negotiators.

main points

  1. 'Sri Wickrema Rajasinha', the ' Malabari ' king, [must] renounce all claims to the throne of Kandy.
  2. The king is declared fallen and deposed, and his dynasty's claim to inheritance is revoked and extinguished.
  3. All of his male relatives are banned from the island.
  4. The Dominion is transferred to the sovereignty of the British Empire, which is carried out by the Colonial Governors, with the exception of the Adikarams, Disavas, Mohottalas, Korales, Vidanes and other subordinate officers (civil servants), whereby their rights, privileges and power are within their respective Ranges is obtained.
  5. The religion of Buddhism is declared inviolable and its rights are preserved and protected.
  6. All forms of physical torture and mutilation will be abolished.
  7. The governor alone can sentence a person to death and all corporal punishments carried out in the presence of accredited government agents.
  8. All civil and civil jurisdiction over people of Kandy is to be applied according to the established norms and customs of the country, the government reserves the right to decide when it is necessary.
  9. Other items unrelated to Kandy [privileged as before] under British Law.
  10. The proclamation on the annexation of the Three and Four Korales and of Sabaragamuwa is withdrawn.
  11. Duties and taxes are collected for the King of England and for the maintenance of the island's internal facilities.
  12. The governor alone can allow trade and commerce.

document

The original of the Government of Sri Lanka Treaty (contains original copies of the Convention).

  • page 1

  • Page 2

  • Page 3

  • page 4

  • page 5

  • page 6

  • Page 7

  • page 8

  • Page 9

  • Page 10

  • Page 11

  • page 12

  • Page 13

  • Page 14

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nihal Karunaratna: Kandy, past and present, 1474-1998 AD . Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs, Kandy 1999, ISBN 955-613-121-3 , p. 116.
  2. ↑ Lalith Gunawardena: රටම රැවටූ උඩරට ගිවිසුම. (raṭama rævaṭū uḍaraṭa givisuma: Kandyan pact that deceived the country) Divaina, divaina.com March 3, 2010.