He made the winds of freedom blow across the Palk Strait and release Ceylon from the captive cage of the British. Thenceforth the Sinhala Kingdom, or rather what was left of it, went mobile to survive the exigencies of that deciding hour. From the descending southbound step to the Kingdom of Kotte, the Sinhala Kingdom took flight from the siege laid on Kotte and sought refuge in the hills: in the Sinhala stronghold of Senkadagala. Dusk had set in much earlier over the Sinhala Kingdom. The Sinhala Kingdom had entered the twilight zone; and the Sinhala Kings ruled from their fast-dwindling twilight realms.

Source: Sunday Times January 31, 2026 19:34 UTC