Dharmapala or Dom Joao Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 - May 27, 1597) was king of the Kingdom of Kotte

Kingdom of Kotte

The Kingdom of Kotte , centred on Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte was a kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Its king was the last native sovereign to unify all of Sri Lanka under one rule. -Etymology:The term Kotte means fortress in Sinhalese...

, in present day Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

, from 1551 until May 27, 1597. He is also known as Don Juan Dharmapala, the only catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 king in Sri Lankan history.

Birth

Don Juan Dharmapala was born as the eldest child of Weediye Bandara, a Prince from Madampe and his wife Samudra Devi,daughter of King Buwanekabahu VII the King of Kotte. His exact date of birth is unknown, but year is commonly regarded as 1541.

External links

• Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka
• Codrington's Short History of Ceylon
• http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/portu/dona.htm