King Vimaladharmsuriyan
In 1594, Pero Lopez de Souza led an expedition to Kandy and was able to place Kusumasana devi alias Dona Catherina on the throne, who is the daughter of Karalliyadde Bandara. Yet, Sinhalese in Kandy realized that Portuguese are trying to take hold of hill country under the cover of Kusumasana Devi and therefore, they gathered around the king Vimaladharmsuriya. King Vimaladharmsuriya, who had lived with Portuguese for a long time knew their language, customs and war strategies and ensued a fierce battle at Danture, massacred the Portuguese army and regained the throne. By marrying Kusumasana Devi, the legal heiress to the throne, he ensured a legal status to the position as the king.
He gained custody to the sacred tooth relic which was deemed the symbol of the title to the throne, which was hidden at the Delgamuwa temple for safety. The king constructed a two storied chamber in Kandy and placed the tooth relic there. Also, he restored the Lankathilaka and Gadaladeniya temples and shed light to the religion. Also, he pioneered the revival of higher ordination by getting monks from Burma (Myanmar).
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