Person

Vimaladharmasuriya I

reigned 1590–1604 · 16th century · Also known as Konappu Bandara

Vimaladharmasuriya I was king of Kandy from 1590 to 1604. Brought up as a Catholic by the Portuguese under the name Dom João, he returned to Buddhism, seized the Kandyan throne and in 1594 destroyed a Portuguese army at Danture. He fortified the kingdom, built a temple for the Tooth Relic in Kandy and made it the centre of resistance to the Portuguese.

Vimaladharmasuriya I
Image: Alain Manesson Malle · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kingdom of Kandy

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vimaladharmasuriya I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vimaladharmasuriya-i
MLA
“Vimaladharmasuriya I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vimaladharmasuriya-i. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Vimaladharmasuriya I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vimaladharmasuriya-i.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vimaladharmasuriya I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vimaladharmasuriya-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻