Keppetipola Disawe

Rajapaksa Wickramasekera Mudiyanselage Bandaranayake Monarawila Keppetipola

(Sinhala:රාජපක්ෂ වික්‍රමසේකර මුදියන්සේලාගේ බණ්ඩාරනායක මොනරවිල
කැප්පැටිපොල),[1][2][3] more widely known as Keppetipola Disawe was a Disawe, a high-ranking
official under t he rule of King Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe and lat er under t he Brit ish Administ rat ion in
Sri Lanka (t hen known as Ceylon). He was a prominent leader of t he Uva rebellion of 1818 aft er
he joined t he rebels whom he was sent t o suppress by t he Brit ish. The rebellion was defeat ed by
t he Brit ish, and Keppet ipola Disawe along wit h several ot her leaders of t he rebellion were found
guilt y of high t reason and sent enced t o deat h. He is well known for t he except ional courage t hat
he showed at t he moment of his execut ion and is now a nat ional hero of Sri Lanka.
 Rajapaksa Wickramasekera Mudiyanselage Bandaranayake Monaravila
Keppet ipola

Born Udugoda, Udasiya Pattuwa, Matale, Sri Lanka

Died 25 November 1818

Kandy, Sri Lanka

Cause of death Executed by beheading

Resting place Sri Lanka

Nationality Sinhalese

Occupation Disawe of Matale & Disawe of Uva

Known for Leading the Uva Rebellion of 1818

Spouse Delwala Ethanahamy (Rathnapura)

Children 2 sons

Parent(s) Golahela Disawe (Father),Monaravila

Kumarihamy (Mother)

Relatives Ehelepola Kumarihamy (Younger sister),

Madduma Bandara Ehelapola(nephew)

Website https://keppetipola.org/
Early life and family

Keppet ipola was born in Galboda t o Golahala Nilame a court ier in t he court of King Rajadi
Rajasinghe and King Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe, who served as t he Diyawadana Nilame t o t he king and
Disawe Of Tamankaduwa. Ehelepola Kumarihamy, t he wife of Ehelepola Nilame was his younger
sist er who was put t o deat h along wit h her children by King Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe.[4]

The Beginning of the British Rule and Joining the

Rebellion

Keppet ipola Disawe was one of t he Sinhalese leaders who signed t he ‘’Udarat a Treat y’’ at Kandy
on 2 March 1815, bringing t he whole island under t he Brit ish rule. Keppet ipola was one of t he
t hree leaders who signed t he t reat y in Sinhala. This is not ed by some as a sign t hat even t hough
Keppet ipola signed t his t reat y, he was not willing t o bring his count ry under t he Brit ish rule.

Keppet ipola served under t he Brit ish rule as a Disawe, in charge of t he Uva Province. By 1817 t he
rebellions were get t ing uncont rollable and at t empt s at negot iat ions also failed. As advised by
t he Brit ish Resident in Kandy John D’Oyly, Governor Robert Brownrigg sent Keppet ipola wit h 500
men t o suppress t he rebellion. However, upon meet ing t he rebels Keppet ipola joined t hem as
t heir leader at t heir request . His men are also said t o have joined wit h him, but Keppet ipola
ret urned his arms and ammunit ion t o t he Brit ish governor saying t hat he did not wish t o dest roy
t hem wit h t heir own weapons.[5] Keppet ipola cont inued t o lead t he rebellion wit h great success
unt il it was ended wit h t he disbanding of t he rebels.

The Rebellion of 1818 under the leadership of Keppetipola

Mart ial Law was declared in Kandy and t he surrounding provinces and t wo army divisions were
sent t o Uva immediat ely aft er t he news reached t he Governor t hat Keppet ipola has joined t he
rebels.[5] Soon aft er t his, Wilbawe who had claimed t o be t he heir t o t he t hrone, was formally
crowned. Under t his new king, Keppet ipola was appoint ed as t he Maha Adhikaram (Chief Minist er)
and t he rebels were urged t o fight against Brit ish colonial rule in Ceylon.

Keppet ipola led a guerrilla war against t he Brit ish colonial forces, knowing t hat t he rebels were
out numbered and lesser in firepower. There were only a few large face-t o-face bat t les done
against t he Brit ish army during t he ent ire rebellion, and most of t he at t acks were carried out in
t he form of ambushes. Under t he leadership of Keppet ipola, t he rebellion gained new st rengt h
and grew rapidly, spreading t o a large part of t he count ry. On 1 January 1818, governor Brownrigg
declared Keppet ipola and sixt een ot hers as rebels, outlaws and enemies to the crown and t heir
lands and propert y were confiscat ed.[5]

As it became clear t hat t he rebels were gaining t he upper hand and t he Brit ish forces st at ioned
in t he count ry cannot do enough against t hem, reinforcement s were brought in from India. The
rebels were unable t o face t he st rengt hened Brit ish forces, and were facing difficult ies wit h
supplies as most of t he cult ivat ions and livest ock in t he areas where t he rebellion t ook place had
been dest royed. As a result of t his and because of t he hardships t he civilian populat ion of Uva
had t o face, t he rebels were disbanded and Keppet ipola fled t o t he Nuwara Kalawiya area in
Anuradhapura.

Capture and Execution of Keppetipola

Cranium of Keppetipola Disawe.

On 28 Oct ober 1818, Keppet ipola along wit h Pilimat halawe, anot her rebel leader were capt ured
by Capt ain O’Neil of t he Brit ish army, wit h t he assist ance of Nat ive Lieut enant Cader-Boyet of
t he Ceylon Rifle Regiment .[5] As t he t roops surrounded t he house he was in, Keppit ipola Disawe
boldly came out and greet ed Capt . O’Neil ident ified himself t o t hem and gave himself in. Aft er his
capt ure, Keppet ipola was t aken t o Kandy where he was t ried for high t reason and sent enced t o
deat h by beheading.[6]

On 25 November 1818, Keppet ipola and Madugalle, anot her rebel leader, were t aken t o t he
Temple of t he Toot h, where t hey performed t heir religious rit uals. Here Keppet ipola made his
final wish as t o be born in t he Himalayas on his next birt h and at t ain Nirvana.[5] He offered a clot h
he wore t o t he t emple, and present ed his Dhammapada t o his friend Simon Sawers. He
request ed Sawers t o come t o t he execut ion grounds wit h him and wit ness his deat h but was
refused as Sawers did not wish t o see his friend's deat h.

Keppet ipola and Madugalle were t aken t o t he execut ion grounds at Bogambara, where
Keppet ipola request ed t he execut ioner t o behead him wit h a single st roke of t he sword.
Keppet ipola t ied up his hair over his head t o avoid it falling ont o his neck and bent t o receive t he
sword st roke, ut t ering t he supreme and great qualit ies of t he Buddha. However, t he execut ioner
failed t o behead him wit h one st roke as request ed and Keppet ipola was killed on t he second
st roke.[5]

Aft er his deat h, his skull was t aken t o Brit ain and placed in t he Phrenological Societ y of
Edinburgh. When Ceylon gained independence from t he Brit ish in 1948, Keppet ipola was declared
a nat ional hero, because he'd fought against foreign rule. In 1954 at t he request of t he
Government of Ceylon his skull was ret urned home, and ent ombed in t he Keppetipola Memorial in
Kandy.[6]

References

1. "The execution of Keppetipola Dissawe" (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/keppetipola.ht

ml) .

2. "Monaravila Keppetipola Maha Disawa" (http://www.divaina.com/2009/11/25/feature03.html) .

3. "Vimukthi hatana ha Monaravila Disawa" (http://www.divaina.com/2009/11/26/feature02.html) .

4. "Keppetipola and the Uva Rebellion" (http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/keppetipola2.htm) .

5. "The 1818 rebellion and the execution of Keppetipola Dissawe" (http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/keppet

ipola3.htm) .

6. "Keppetipola Disawa - The matchless hero" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075650/http://www.

dailynews.lk/2001/11/26/fea09.html) . Archived from the original (http://www.dailynews.lk/2001/11/2
6/fea09.html) on 2008-05-24.

External links

Great warrior Keppet ipola and t he rebellion against t he Brit ish (ht t p://www.nat ion.lk/2008/11/3
0/newsfe12.ht m)
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Last edited 21 days ago by Vanisaac