Kingdom of Kandy

Kingdom of Kandy was a state in Tamil south and Sri Lanka (South Asia) that lasted from 1469 to 1815 CE, about 346 years. Its people spoke Indo-Aryan languages (Vedic, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Sinhala).

The last independent Sinhalese kingdom, protected by the central highlands. It held off the Portuguese and Dutch and kept the Tooth Relic of the Buddha until its chiefs handed it to Britain in the Kandyan Convention of 1815.

See Kingdom of Kandy on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1469 to 1815 CE

Duration

346 years

Type

State

Region

Tamil south and Sri Lanka, South Asia

Language family

Indo-Aryan

Capital

Senkadagala (Kandy)

Became

• British Ceylon 1796 to 1948 CE

Events in South Asia during its time

• 1498 Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut
• 1526 First Battle of Panipat
• 1565 Battle of Talikota
• 1632 Taj Mahal begun
• 1739 Nader Shah sacks Delhi
• 1757 Battle of Plassey
• 1761 Third Battle of Panipat

Neighbours in South Asia

• Mughal Empire 1526 to 1857 CE
• Ahom Kingdom 1228 to 1826 CE
• Kingdom of Mysore c. 1399 to 1950 CE
• Delhi Sultanate 1206 to 1526 CE
• Vijayanagara Empire 1336 to 1646 CE
• Kingdom of Nepal 1768 to 2008 CE
• Bengal Sultanate 1352 to 1576 CE
• Hyderabad State 1724 to 1948 CE
• Bahmani Sultanate 1347 to 1527 CE
• Maratha Confederacy 1674 to 1818 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
• Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Mali Empire c. 1235 to 1670 CE, North and West Africa
• Ayutthaya Kingdom 1351 to 1767 CE, Southeast Asia

Questions