News
All in wax: The Ehelepolas’ tragic story and the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom
View(s):By L.B. Senaratne
A wax museum at the historic Ehelepola Waluwa in Kandy that pays tribute to the men and women immortalised by history, both for standing up to the British as they took over the last sovereign kingdom in the country and for facing the tyranny of the last king of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, will open to the public later this month.
The Ehelepola Waluwa and its ground, which spans over 140 acres, was the home of Ehelepola Maha Adikaram (1773 – 1829 A.D.), who fell foul of Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, which led to the execution of his wife, Ehelepola Kumarihami, and their children on the orders of the king.
The story of the brutality with which the family members were put to death and the bravery of his second son, Madduma Bandara, who faced the executioner’s sword with courage, has become the stuff of legend. The museum aims to convey their story along with the subsequent fate of the Kandyan Kingdom as it seceded to the British in 1815, the exile of Sri Wickrama Rajasinha to Vellore in South India, and the Uva-Welessa uprisings when a final but failed attempt was made to oust the colonisers from the Kandyan Kingdom.
The Ehelepola Waluwa is believed to have been constructed between 1800 and 1810. In 1818, after the Uva-Wellessa uprising in which Ehelepola Maha Adikarama played a pivotal role, the British seized the residence and converted it into a prison. Ironically, Ehelepola himself was among the first persons to be imprisoned there, along with Keppetipola Disawe. Ehelepola was subsequently exiled to Mauritius, where he died in 1829. Keppetipola was not so lucky. He was tried for high treason and executed on November 26, 1818.
The wax museum will feature life-size figures of the national heroes, including Keppitipola Disawe, Ehelepola Maha Adikaram, and Devendra Mulachari, as well as members of the Ehelepola family.
The aim of the museum is to retell the history in a compelling manner so as to make it an attraction to both local and foreign visitors.
The Ehelepola Walauwa which was vested in the state, was handed over to the Dalada Maligawa by a Cabinet decision taken by the previous government in February 2024. A decision was also made to set up a wax sculpture museum in this building, reflecting the history of the Kandyan Kingdom during the period.
The ceremonial opening of the Wax Museum will take place on July 20, following which it will be open to the public.
Meanwhile, a Pirith Pinkama organised by the Diyawadna Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Pradeep Nilanga Dela, was held at the Ehelpola Museum.
The Pirith and Alms giving was headed by the Anunayake Theras of the Malwatta Maha Viaharaya.
This will be the fourth wax museum in the country; the last one was opened in Pollonnarwa in 2019 by former President Maithripala Sirisena.
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