411 



CHAT. XII. 



FATE OF THE SIXGIIALESE MONARCHY. —ARRIVAL OF 

 THE PORTUGUESE, A.D, 1501. 



The reign of Pralo-ama Balm, the most glorious in tlie a.d. 

 annals of Ceylon, is the last which has any pretension to ^''^^^' 

 renown. His family were unequal to sustain or extend 

 the honours he had won, and his nephew \ a pious 

 voluptuary, by whom he was succeeded, was killed in a.d. 

 an intrigue with the daughter of a herdsman whilst ^^'^^• 

 awaiting the result of an appeal to the Buddliist sove- 

 reign of Arramana to aid him in reforming religion. 

 His murderer, whom he had pre\'iously nominated his 

 successor, himself fell by assassination. An heir to the ^{gj^ 

 throne was discovered amon2;st the Sino-halese exiles on 

 the coast of India ^, but death soon ended his brief reign. 1199. 

 His brother and his nephew in turn assumed the crown ; 

 both were despatched by the Adigar, wdio, having alhed ^•^• 

 himself wdth the royal family by marrying the widow of 

 the great Prakrama, contrived to place her on the throne, 

 under the title of Queen Leela-Wattee, a.d. 1197. With- a.d. 

 in less than three years she was deposed by an usurper, 

 and he being speedily put to flight, another queen, 

 Kalyana-Wattee, was placed at the head of the kingdom, a.d. 

 The next ill-fated sovereign, a baby of three months ^~*^^' 



^ ^"ij'iyo Balm II., killed by I ^ xirti Nissanga, brought fi-om 

 Mihiudo, a.d. 1187. j Caliiiga, a.d. 1192. 



