KANDYAN STATE PRISONERS IN MAURITIUS (1818-1832 CE)

Abstract

The present paper is an introduction to a lesser well known historical fact of Kandyan State Prisoners in Mauritius during 1819-1832. Twenty four persons who involved in 1818 rebellion were banished to Mauritius by the British government of Ceylon in 1819. One person in 1820 and two others in 1823 who were engaged in disturbances after the great rebellion were also added to this group. Ehelepola Maha Nilame, the Prime Minister of the Kandyan Kingdom was kept in house arrest in Colombo till 1825 and then banished to Mauritius. Though there were several writings on these prisoners, all of these prisoners were not covered in those descriptions. The present paper attempts to gather details on all the prisoners collectively and individually. Original manuscripts at the National Archives in Colombo and several rare publications were scrutinized for this synthesis. Some early publications of the present writer and his late father were also utilized for the present research paper. The purpose of the paper is to lay foundation for a more detailed study in future.