The Kandyan Convention of 1815

The British made several attempts to capture the Kandyan kingdom by military force without success. Several British armys were decimated in the process by guerilla warfare waged by irregular peasant forces using lances, swords and bows and arrows. The British finally suceeded in capturing the Kandyan kingdom by engineering a coup against the King. The King was captured by his own Chief and handed over to the British on 18 February, 1815.

The Kandyan Convention or Treaty proceedings took place with Governor Robert Brownrigg presiding on March 2, 1815. Brownrigg was received Maha Nilame Ehelapola, and the Dissawas led by Molligoda, together with John D'Oyly of the British Civil Service who had engineered the coup. The treaty was read by D'Oyly in English and Mudaliyar de Saram in Sinhala declaring that Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe and all his family were forever excluded from the throne. Nobles who had assisted the British invasion were promised restoration of their original provinces and a pledge that their privileges and powers would be respected so long as they carried out their administration with the general policy of the British government. Signatories of the Treaty were the Governor Brownrigg, Ehelepola and the Dissawas Molligoda, Pilimatalawe the elder, Pilimatalawa Junior, Monerawila, Molligoda the younger, Dullewe, Ratwatte, Millawa, Galgama and Galegoda. The signatures were witnessed by D'Oyly, now British resident in Kandy and Deputy Secretary James Sutherland. By entering into this agreement with British Crown, the Kandyan Chieftains ended 2357 years of Sri Lankan independence.