Some hold the view, that his sudden death was a good end to the disgusted life of King Rajasinghe. In actual fact, the people were so disgusted with the king, that they did not attempt to treat his wounds
properly. There is a story that the people, on the pretext of treating his wound, had made it worse. Whatever reasons are attributed to the death of King Rajasinghe, he was a king who brought about both suffering and pleasure to his people.
History of Sri Lanka recognizes King Rajasinghe as a heroic leader. He hated the Portuguese even more than his father did. When he fought against the Portuguese and won, his fame spread even beyond the shores of the country. Portuguese described him as more powerful than Hannibal, Alexander and even Caesar. That of course was to gain more credit to the Portuguese.
It was a plus point for them to be known
for defeating such a
powerful leader. However, there is no question about his efficiency, diplomacy and skill in warfare.
In these areas, he stood unparalleled. However, he was unable to rule the country wisely and
consolidate his power in the areas that he
conquered. If not for his hot temper, hatred and urge to take revenge, he had the ability to rule the entire country as one unit.
It is because of these bad qualities in him that made the people rise up in revolt against him. He was such a stubborn ruler, that he went against Buddhism, the religion of the masses. He embraced Hinduism. The people including some of the historians began to hate him for this. For no reason, did he go to the extent of murdering some Buddhist monks. This made him a wicked
murderer.
He had destroyed a lot of Sinhala books and was noted as a cruel patricide. There are enough facts to prove that he was a cruel, proud and indiscriminate ruler. Rev. Fr. S. G. Perera, in his book says that these descriptions may be exaggerations.
Whatever that may be, immense is the service he has rendered to the
country.
King Rajasinghe I stands as a powerful
king who worked with
determination. Undoubtedly he is the one who shines as the most powerful king of the
century. The effort he made and the struggle he went through to chase away the Portuguese from the
motherland is immense and praiseworthy.
This made him a
real hero to his people. The Portuguese were eternally scared of the skill and power that this king wielded.
However brave a ruler is and however skilled in the art of
warfare, a king is
instrumental in bringing about the progress or the downfall of a kingdom, due to the wrong advice given by his advisors.
King Rajasinghe is a
concrete example for this. He unfortunately missed the chance he had to be the protector of the
country. Instead, he became the destroyer of the land he ruled. The situation in the country completely changed with his death. He even lost his faithful friends towards the end.
He destroyed
whoever was likely to be a threat to him. As a result, not a single prince who could be a challenge to the Portuguese survived. The huge kingdom he had won, fell in no time. The Portuguese became the masters of this land.
It is as a result of his death however, that a new line of kings came to power in Kandy. |
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