The battle of Randeniya – 1630 August

While serving in Koslanda as the District Medical Officer in the year 1966 to 1967, I was in the habit of seeking out and visiting historic sights. Wellawaya  was an un-policed  area in the early 1950s but there was a police station in 1966. Mr. Werapitiya who retired as Deputy Inspector General of Police recalled in his later years, how he had to go from his post at Haputhalle as Inspector of Police and Officer in Charge, to conduct a murder inquiry  at Wellawaya.

          I had heard about a historic battle at a place called Randeniya, a few miles into a jungle track from Wellawaya  town, where a Portuguese army had been routed and its commander Constantine De Saa killed.

The expedition to Uva was made in 1630 by Constantine de Sa de Noronha, Captain-General of Ceylon

‘Constantine de Saa, the governor, stimulated by the reproaches of the viceroy at Goa, at this state of affairs, who inquired whether De Saa was playing  merchant or soldier, imprudently marched into the Oovah country with all the troops he could collect, 1,800 Portuguese and 9,000 low country Sinhalese’. After invading Badulla and burning the town he had withdrawn to go most probably to Balangoda where a detachment of Portuguese soldiers were present. Quite a few of the Sinhalese lascarins under his command deserted on a fiercely rainy day, while camped near a river, the waters of which were rapidly rising.

‘Kxox says that Constantine de Saa, rather than fall by the enemy, " called his black boy to give him water to drink, and snatching the knife from his side, stabbed himself."

Thus ended the life of Constantine de Saa, who was venerated by his compatriots. The Sinhalese poet of that time, Alagiyavanna Mukaveti,  composed the poem ‘Kustatinu Hatana’, celebrating the life of de Saa.

It is related that Prince Rajasinghe – later to become King Rajasinghe II - who was commanding the Kandyan forces, was bathing in a brook nearby, when they brought the severed head of de Saa to him. The head was placed in a drum and taken to the capital Kandy to be shown to Prince Rajasinghe's father, King Senarath. The King is supposed to have addressed, the severed head and said ‘How many times have I told you not to harass my Kingdom?’

In 1966 the tracing for the proposed highway from Ella to Wellawaya was being done. A young engineer called Mr. Wijedoru was in charge. He told me that the tracing had to go close to the Ravanella falls, on the instructions of the Minister in charge of the Public Works Department, at that time..

Farm produce was brought by ‘Pack Bulls’ from the hills in the 1960s, to the ‘Pola’ in Wellawaya.

Now there is an ill tended memorial of the site of battle at Randeniya, bordering the highway from Wellawaya to Ella. Well-tended paddy fields surround the area of the historic battle.

Click on the web-page below to get more details :-
 http://www.island.lk/2004/09/01/midweek3.html