Dinasena Rathugamage presented a Photo with this caption in The Island, 27 August 2020: “Last Ruler of theVanni Commemorated “
His account runs thus: “Vavuniya Disgrict secetary SM Saman Bandulasena garalnds the Bandara Vaniyan statue opposite the District Secretatariat on Tuesday to mark the 217 commemoration of Kulasekaram Variamuttu Bandara Vanniyan, also known as Vanni Bandara ,who is considered to be the last ruler of the Vanni befor the Birtish conquered the area. As for the folklore Vanni Bandaa led the Vanni people against the British and was killed in action. Later the Vanni people deified him and he is now consideed one of the regional gods. A large number of politicians, intellectuals and state officials were present on the occasion. “
Kindly supplied by Amila Gamage … and note a previous ‘incarnation’ in the Tamil Guardian, 2018
II: “Pandara Vanniyan remembered in Mullaitivu,” Tamil Guardian, 27 August 2018, https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/pandara-vanniyan-rememberedmullaitivu#:~:text=Pandara%20vanniyan%20was%20a%20Tamil,by%20the%20Dutch%20and%20British.
The 215th anniversary of Pandara Vanniyan’s victory was remembered on Friday in Mullaitivu. Local residents, Northern Provincial Council member T Ravikaran, and Karaithuraipettu Divisional Council (Pradesiya Sabai) members laid a garland at the P andara Vanniyan memorial.
Pandara vanniyan was a Tamil king who ruled the Vanni region in the 18th century. Known as the ‘Last King of Vanni’, he died fighting colonial rule by the Dutch and British. The statue of him was damaged by Sri Lankan army soldiers in 2010.
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III: “PANDARA VANNIYAN, THE LAST TAMIL KING OF VANNI” ….. https://www.facebook.com/971093469589660/photos/pandara-vanniyan-the-last-tamil-king-of-vannipandara-vanniyan-a-great-tamil-mili/973807779318229/
Pandara Vanniyan, a great Tamil military leader, bravely resisted all forms of foreign domination. The last Tamil king of the independent and sovereign kingdom of Vanni was Kulasekaram Vairamuthu Pandara Vanniyan, a great military leader, who bravely resisted all forms of foreign domination. He was born in 1777 AD.
During the Dutch rule, Don Philip Nallamapanan, Don Casper Kowsayinar, Ilankai Narayanan, Periyameyinar, Ambala Vanniyan, Sethukavala Vanniyan, Don Casper Nichenthiriyan, Nallanachiyar, and Kailaya Vanniyan had ruled the Vavuniya region of Vanni.
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ALSO NOTE
- “Vanni Chieftaincies” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanni_chieftaincies
- Darshanie Ratnawalli: “Into The Vanni And Jaffna Of The 17th Century,” 20 September 2013, …………… https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/into-the-vanni-and-jaffna-of-the-17th-century/
- Michael Roberts: “Challenging Ratnawalli’s Imperial Sinhala Position,” 9 August 2016, https://thuppahis.com/2016/08/09/challenging-ratnawallis-imperial-sinhala-position/
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