Battle of Gannoruwa The Battle of Gannoruwa was a battle of the Sinhalese – Portuguese War fought in 1638 between the occupying Portuguese forces and the Sinhalese King ' s army at Gannoruwa in the District of Kandy , Sri Lanka . The Portuguese had attempted three times without success to capture the Kingdom of Kandy , in order to bring the entire country under their rule . In 1635 , Rajasinghe II became the king of Kandy and started negotiations with the Dutch to obtain their help in driving out the Portuguese . The Portuguese hastened their efforts to take Kandy because of this , and Diogo de Melo de Castro , the Portuguese Captain General , tried to provoke the Sinhalese on several occasions . Melo seized an elephant presented to a merchant by the king , to which the king responded by seizing two of Melo ' s own horses . Following this incident , Melo assembled his troops and set out for Kandy . The city of Kandy was evacuated by the Sinhalese , and Melo ' s army found the city empty when they arrived . They sacked and burned the city , and started to return to Colombo . However , their way forward was blocked by the Sinhalese army at Gannoruwa . The Portuguese force was surrounded with all escape routes cut off . On 28 March 1638 , the Sinhalese army attacked the Portuguese force , leaving only 33 Portuguese soldiers alive , along with a number of mercenaries . The heads of the killed Portuguese soldiers were piled before the Sinhalese king Rajasingha II . The battle , which ended in victory for the Sinhalese army , was the last battle fought between the Portuguese and the Sinhalese , and was also the final battle fought by the Kingdom of Kandy . The Portuguese were driven out of the country by the Dutch soon afterward . Background . The Portuguese first landed in Sri Lanka in 1505 . The aim of the Portuguese was to capture the entire island . which was split into several kingdoms . By 1619 , they were in control of the kingdoms of Kotte , Sitawaka and Jaffna . Kandy was the only remaining kingdom under the native king ' s rule . The Portuguese attempted to capture Kandy in 1594 , 1603 and 1630 , but were defeated on all three occasions . In 1635 , with the death of King Senarath , the kingdom was split into three parts . His son became the king of Kandy as Rajasinghe II , and Rajasinghe ' s cousins , Wijayapala and Kumarasinghe , were given control of the Matale and Uva areas . Rajasinghe , earlier known as " Maha Asthana " , had fought against the Portuguese at the Battle of Randeniwala along with his father and cousins in 1630 . Rajasinghe II began negotiations with the Dutch to get their help in defeating the Portuguese . As a result of this , the Portuguese hastened their attempts to capture Kandy . Diogo de Melo de Castro was the Portuguese Captain General in Colombo , having been appointed to that position in 1633 . Provocations . Melo followed an aggressive approach towards Kandy from the beginning . A caravan of 600 men and bulls was taken into custody and later released . He also raised issues with the peace accord that had been signed earlier between the Portuguese and King Senarath . In the meantime , he assembled his troops in preparation for an attack on Kandy . These troops later encamped in Atapitiya , close to the boundaries of the Kingdom of Kandy as a show of strength . In response to this , the Sinhalese strengthened their defences with troops from Matale and Uva . Rajasinghe had presented an elephant to a Portuguese merchant , António Machado , who had gained the king ' s favour . Melo took this elephant into his possession . After hearing about this , Rajasinghe presented another elephant to the merchant . He then seized two horses that were sent to Kandy by Melo for sale , and informed Melo that the horses would be released upon the return of the elephant . The Portuguese also killed Rajasinghe ' s " Disawe " , a regional officer , of Batticaloa , much to the king ' s anger . Preparations . Melo began preparing his troops to attack Kandy after the seizure of his horses by the Sinhalese king . He ordered his Disawes to summon the army to a village named Menikkadawara . On 19 March 1638 , Melo departed from Colombo and arrived at Menikkadawara with an army of 900 Portuguese soldiers and 5000 mercenaries including Lascarins , Kaffir s , Malay s , Canarese and some Sinhalese . Troops were also brought from Malacca for the battle . Rajasinghe sent a letter to Melo through a Portuguese friar seeking negotiations , but this call was rejected by Melo , who replied , saying " The little black is frightened . We shall drag him by the ears " . The king , angered by this remark , summoned his troops and prepared for the battle . The Portuguese army was put under the command of Fernão de Mendonça Furtado , the nephew and son in law of Melo . The city was evacuated , since the Sinhalese army was not capable of facing the Portuguese army head on . Everything of value in the city was taken away . Instead of facing the Portuguese directly , Rajasinghe and his generals planned a trap . The Sinhalese army encamped on Gannoruwa hill , preparing to attack the Portuguese force upon their return from Kandy . The king ' s vow . While reconnoitering with his generals in the area around a shrine called " Dodanwala Devalaya " , the king ' s crown fell from his head . He was informed by his men that he was near the Dodanwala Devalaya and that the deity presiding in the shrine was powerful . Rajasinghe vowed at the shrine that if he succeeded in defeating the Portuguese , he would present his crown and sword to the shrine . Battle . The Portuguese force advanced through Atapitiya to Balana , a fort and observation post of the king ' s army . They proceeded to Kandy , and found the city deserted . They sacked and burned the city , including the royal palace and temples , and then withdrew , intending to return to Colombo . They retreated towards Balana with the objective of entrenching themselves on the slopes of Kiriwat Talawa , but had only reached Gannoruwa by nightfall . The king ' s army was strengthened by Wijayapala ' s troops from Matale , and the combined Sinhalese army was also assisted by Indian soldiers and Moors . At Gannoruwa , Sinhalese woodmen cut down forest trees and obstructed the Portuguese path , preventing them from crossing the nearby Mahaweli river . The road back to Kandy was blocked by troops from Matale , and all escape routes were effectively cut off . The stragglers around the main force were killed by shooters hidden in the surrounding forests . On the following day , 28 March 1638 , the Portuguese force tried to resume their retreat . Sinhalese army at once attacked the Lascarins carrying provisions and separated them from the main force . The Lascarins abandoned the provisions in order to retreat and rejoin the main force . Before the Portuguese troops could reach the high ground at Kiriwat Talawa , the Sinhalese army surrounded them and opened fire with their heavy guns , including jingal s . With the Portuguese force suffering heavy damages , Melo requested an armistice . Rajasinghe did not reply to this , but ordered his drummers to proclaim that all Sinhalese that were with the Portuguese force were to leave them . They were told that those who remained would be put to the sword the next day . Numbers of the Portuguese force were rapidly reduced before the Sinhalese army charged up the hill and attacked them . Rajasinghe conducted his troops during the battle from under the shade of a tree . The Portuguese force was almost completely destroyed in the fight that ensued . Approximately 4 , 000 soldiers of the Portuguese force were killed . Only 33 Portuguese soldiers were left alive , along with a number of mercenaries . Rajasinghe and Wijayapala ordered their men not to kill the survivors after the battle was won . Heads of the killed soldiers were piled before the Sinhalese king . A search was made for Melo ' s body , but it was not found . However , some Sinhalese soldiers found Melo ' s sword , and presented it to Rajasinghe . Aftermath . After the victory , Rajasinghe presented his sword and crown to the Dodanwala Devala as he had vowed . Men who had taken part in the battle received positions and lands as rewards . The commanders who led the Sinhalese army in the battle were promoted to higher ranks . The Portuguese did not make any other attempts to take Kandy after this . The Battle of Gannoruwa was the last battle fought by the Kingdom of Kandy . It was also the last battle fought between the Portuguese and the Sinhalese . Rajasinghe eventually made an agreement with the Dutch to drive the Portuguese from the country . As a result , the Portuguese were driven out by the Dutch in 1658 . King Rajasinghe II later presented Melo ' s sword to a Dutch Admiral , Adam Westerwolt . The success of the Sinhalese army at the battle was later glorified in the poems " Konstantinuhatane " and " Mahahatane " .