Surrounded by magnificent mountains, the city of Kandy, home of the temple of the sacred Tooth and the Royal Palace, was the capital of Lanka for about 300 years.
Gananath Obeysekere paints a vivid portrait of the kings of these great green highlands of Kandy, revealing a complex and advanced society every bit as violent as any other civilization. Focusing on Kings Vamaladharmasuriya 1, Rajasinghe 2 , Sri Vijaya Rajasinha and Kirti Sri Rajasinha, he brings the Kandyan monarchy to life, depicting them not as mythic figures but as real flesh and blood, larger than life characters who ruled over the last citadel of Lankan aristocracy.
The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom examines the politics and culture of colonial attempts to gain control of the entire island, and the events that preceded Lankas deadliest intrigue - the betrayal of the last Kandyan King.
