The death of King Senarat
The people were very unhappy about the return of Almeida. But the officers in Goa were not bothered about this. On the other hand, the people were sad that . De Melo was sacked from his position and sent back. Though a stern person, Almeida was an efficient worker.
In Colombo too, there were revolts. When the Portuguese King heard of these revolts, he ordered the Viceroy in Goa to send Diego de Melo Castro back to Sri Lanka. In the meantime, in 1635AD, King Senarat passed away.
He wanted to make the fort of Colombo stronger. For this purpose, he himself made plans. But as he was rather stubborn and irrational, once again the people turned furious. The soldiers revolted against the Captain whom he appointed. They marched towards Colombo.
The next to ascend the throne of Kandy was the youngest son of King Senarat, namely Prince Rajasinghe. He became king as
King Rajasinghe II. Even when King Senarat was alive, it was this prince who carried on most of the administrative functions.
He was a brave prince who was after glory.
Out of the three sons, King Senarat loved Rajasinghe the youngest prince most. This prince who received his education, under Christian priests, learnt everything that his European counterparts learnt. Other than the two other princes, it was the youngest – Rajasinghe, who displayed skill in all these subjects. He was better equipped to be a ruler.
By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Kamala Silva
Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila