Madugalle Disave
Sri Wickramrajasinghe Udagabada Nilame Madugalle (Sinhala:ශ්රි වික්රමරාජසිංහ උඩගබඩා නිලමෙ මඩුගල්ලේ),more widely known as Madugalle Disave was a Disawe, a high-ranking official under the rule of King Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe and later under the British Administration in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). He was a major prominent leader of the Uva rebellion of 1818 after he joined the rebels whom he was sent to suppress by the British. The rebellion was defeated by the British, and Madugalle Disawe along with several other leaders of the rebellion were found guilty.[1]
Sri Wickramrajasinghe Udagabada Nilame Madugalle | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sri Wickramrajasinghe Udagabada Nilame Madugalle |
| Cause of death | Executed by beheading |
| Resting place | Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sinhalese |
| Occupation | Disawe of Wellassa |
| Known for | Leading the Uva Rebellion of 1818 |
| Spouse(s) | Madugalle Kumarihamy |
| Children | 4 sons |
| Website | https://keppetipola.org/ |
Before the Rebellion
In the middle of 1816, the Madugalle Nilame and others conspired to oust the English and enthrone a Sinhala king. But a pro-British Nilame took steps to provide information on the conspiracy to the English.
He conspired to overthrow the British government and was imprisoned. He was imprisoned in Jaffna Prison from September 1816 to August 1817. He was released in mid-August 1817. The Madugalle Nilame has gone down in history as the first person to be imprisoned after overthrowing the British government.
The English have also taken steps to remove him from the post of superintendent and from the post of Gampaha. The freed Madugalle Nilame again fought to drive the British out of Lanka in 1817 and 1818
In to the Uwa Wellassa Great Rebellion
Madugalle Upa Gabada Nilame, an indomitable hero of the 1818 liberation struggle who sacrificed his life for his motherland ..!
Madugalle Nilame was one of the main leaders in the freedom struggle of 1817-1818 with the aim of expelling the British from the country and making Sri Lanka an independent state again. The English have stated that the third main leader of the rebellion was the Madugalle Nilame. The Nilame has been loved and respected by many locals for his heroic deeds on the battlefield.
The British imposed martial law to suppress the fighting and relentlessly killed the Sinhalese people. They were displaced by breaking down houses and setting them on fire. The canals and streams were broken and the plantations and fields were destroyed to starve to death. The English, as well as their helpers, slaughtered cattle and ate their meat, depriving the villagers of the benefits of cattle.
The English rulers generously gave liquor to the officers, the soldiers and those who helped them. Intoxicated, they raped and killed little girls. Women were raped and killed. Girls and women were unfortunate enough to die under the persecution of foreigners in their homeland.
In the midst of the repression, the British resorted to various tactics to capture the leaders who led the fighting. Where they could not do the work, they did not hesitate to get others to take the necessary action to accomplish it. The leaders publicly stated that they would give the captors a very high reward.
The Governor-General of England, Robert Brownrigg, published a proclamation on March 19, 1818, which contained the names of a group of rebellious leaders and the amount of gifts to be given to their captors.
Some may have been greedy enough to capture the leaders of the battle and take bribes from the British. But no one has had the ability or opportunity to capture the leaders.
On the morning of September 22, 1818, a group of 70 English men invaded Teldeniya in the Dumbara Province. At that time the power in Teldeniya was under the Madugalle Nilame. Due to the power of the Madugalle Nilame, the people of Teldeniya did not show allegiance to the British. But after about five days, some of the inhabitants gradually began to show allegiance to the English. That allegiance was so great that a Vidanevara who had served the Madugalle Nilame had agreed to hand over the Madugalle Nilame to the English.
On the night of September 27, a group of British troops, with the help of Vidanewara, marched with great difficulty to Madugalle Madugalle village in Madugalle Nilame's palace. The group had entered the Madugalle village on the morning of the 28th. The group entered the Vidanevara's house and hid there to trap the Madugalle Nilame that night.
The Teldeniya Commanding Officer Captain Dobin was alarmed as he did not receive any information about the troops who went to Madugalle village. Meanwhile, Domin also received information about a gunshot fired from the Madugalle village. Dobin, who thought his troops might be in trouble, immediately sent troops to the village of Madugalle to help. The Madugalle Nilame was informed of the arrival of the troops. Hay immediately fled.
Although the Nilame could not be captured, the English troops were able to free two Lanci men captured by the Nilame's forces in March 1818. On September 29, 1818, a group of soldiers under Lieutenant Colonel Hardy marched towards Dumbara.
On October 1, Colonel Hardy attempted to capture the Madugalle Nilame. The Nilame chased after him but could not catch him. The Nilame fled towards the ground. Although the Nilame could not be captured, they were able to seize a stock of military equipment to capture those who provided security for the Nilame.
No specific location information was available later. But steps have been taken to increase the search for the whereabouts of the leaders.
It was October 28, 1818. Lieutenant William O'Neill assaulted and restrained a man with a stone gun and obtained very special information from him. Based on the information received, at around 3.00 pm, a group of about 30 troops deployed surrounded a palace near Paravahagama.
Upon entering the palace, O'Neill was able to take control of the Keppetipola Pilimatalawa district. A group including the Madugalle Nilame who were there fled. A group of nineteen persons including the Nilame had fled. Later a group of villagers came to know about the whereabouts of the Nilame. The villagers put the information to the ears of the English. On the morning of November 2, 1818, with the assistance of the villagers of Nigawella, Pubbiliya and Kongahawela, Udugoda Korale, Matale, the Seventy-third Regiment's Ensign Suitbread, with a contingent of troops, captured the Madugalle Nilame at the Matale Kaikawala outpost. The Nilame was caught near Elahera. The English did not forget to thank the villagers who captured the Nilame. Steps were taken to give them an easier tax system.
A case was filed in the Kandy Court Martial on the charge of war. The verdict in the case was announced on November 16, 1818, and he was ordered to be beheaded. He was beheaded on November 26, 1818 at the Bogambara Lake in Kandy.
The houses and estates belonging to the Nilame were confiscated without killing him. The Nilame's wife and four sons were sent to Kalutara and his mother and sister to Colombo in retaliation from relatives.
References
- "Madugalle the forgotten hero". dailymirror.lk. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2019.