Episodes

  • Anagarika Dharmapala: Buddhist Revival and Sri Lankan Nationalism — Fexingo History

    Anagarika Dharmapala: Buddhist Revival and Sri Lankan Nationalism — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Anagarika Dharmapala, the fiery Buddhist revivalist who ignited a nationalist movement in British Ceylon. Born David Hewavitarne in 1864, Dharmapala rejected his colonial name and became a lay ascetic, fighting for Buddhist rights against Christian missionary dominance. He founded the Maha Bodhi Society in 1891 and led a campaign to reclaim Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment, from Hindu control. Dharmapala's powerful oratory at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 thrust him onto the global stage. His secular yet religious nationalism sowed seeds for Sri Lanka's independence movement, influencing figures like D. S. Senanayake. The episode also covers his later ordination as a monk and his role in the temperance movement, which became a flashpoint for anti-colonial protests. This is a story of identity, faith, and the birth of modern Sri Lankan politics.

    #AnagarikaDharmapala #BuddhistRevival #SriLankanNationalism #MahaBodhiSociety #BodhGaya #WorldsParliamentofReligions #1893Chicago #TemperanceMovement #BritishCeylon #ColonialCeylon #DSenanayake #Buddhism #SinhaleseBuddhistNationalism #IndependenceMovement #19thCentury #ReligiousReform #History #FexingoHistory #SriLanka #AncientKingdoms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • Coffee, Railroads, and Reform: British Ceylon 1815–1900 — Fexingo History

    Coffee, Railroads, and Reform: British Ceylon 1815–1900 — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    With the Kandyan Kingdom annexed in 1815, the British faced a new challenge: how to make their colony profitable. This episode traces Ceylon's transformation under colonial rule, from the coffee boom that turned the central highlands into a plantation economy to the construction of the island's first railway. We meet the coffee barons who grew rich on the hillsides, the Tamil labourers brought from South India to work the estates, and the British governors who modernized the colony's infrastructure. The episode covers the rise and fall of coffee cultivation (ruined by leaf disease by the 1880s) and the pivot to tea that would define modern Ceylon. We also discuss the Colebrooke–Cameron reforms of 1833, which centralized administration and introduced English education, creating a new English-educated elite that would eventually challenge colonial rule. The episode ends with the temperance movement and the Buddhist revival, setting the stage for the independence movement that would follow.

    #BritishCeylon #CoffeePlantations #ColebrookeCameronReforms #TeaIndustry #CeylonRailway #PlantationEconomy #KandyanHighlands #SriLankanHistory #Colonialism #TamilLabourers #BuddhistRevival #TemperanceMovement #19thCentury #SouthAsia #History #FexingoHistory #CoffeeLeafDisease #EnglishEducation #SriLanka #AncientKingdoms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • The British Conquest of Kandy: 1815 and the End of Independence — Fexingo History

    The British Conquest of Kandy: 1815 and the End of Independence — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In 1815, after two centuries of resistance, the Kandyan Kingdom fell to the British. This episode traces the final years of Sri Lanka's last independent realm, from the internal strife under King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha to the betrayal by Kandyan chieftains known as 'Disawe'. Lucas and Luna explore the 'Convention of 1815', the abolition of the monarchy, and the imposition of British rule. They discuss the Sri Dalada Maligawa in the power struggle, the role of John D'Oyly — the British diplomat who secured the throne through negotiation — and the aftermath: the Uva Rebellion of 1818. No more native kings, just a crown colony. A story of ambition, loyalty, and the painful birth of modern Sri Lanka.

    #KandyanKingdom #SriVikramaRajasinha #ConventionOf1815 #JohnDOyly #UvaRebellion #Disawe #SriDaladaMaligawa #BritishCeylon #1818Rebellion #Kandy #SouthAsia #ColonialHistory #SriLankaHistory #FexingoHistory #Podcast #History #KingdomOfKandy #BritishEmpire #SriLanka #AncientKingdoms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • The Dutch in Ceylon: Cinnamon, Forts, and Colonial Rule — Fexingo History

    The Dutch in Ceylon: Cinnamon, Forts, and Colonial Rule — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Dutch colonial period in Sri Lanka, starting with the VOC's arrival in 1638. They discuss the Dutch alliance with the Kingdom of Kandy against the Portuguese, the subsequent betrayal at the Treaty of 1638, and the Dutch takeover of coastal areas. The episode covers the importance of cinnamon trade, the establishment of forts like Galle and Jaffna, and the implementation of a colonial administration with the Roman-Dutch law system. It touches on the transformation of local society through the Dutch Reformed Church, the rise of a mixed Eurasian community, and the economic impact of forced labor and monopolies. The episode concludes with the British takeover in 1796, reflecting on how Dutch rule reshaped Sri Lankan society and set the stage for British colonialism.

    #DutchCeylon #VOC #CinnamonTrade #FortGalle #JaffnaFort #TreatyOf1638 #RajasinhaII #KandyanKingdom #RomanDutchLaw #DutchReformedChurch #EurasianCommunity #SriLankaHistory #ColonialSriLanka #SpiceTrade #SouthAsia #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #SriLanka #AncientKingdoms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins
  • The Portuguese in Sri Lanka: Forts, Conversion, and Resistance — Fexingo History

    The Portuguese in Sri Lanka: Forts, Conversion, and Resistance — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Portuguese colonial period in Sri Lanka, from 1505 to 1658. They discuss the arrival of Lourenço de Almeida, the establishment of fortifications like the Colombo fort and the Fort of Jaffna, and the aggressive conversion campaigns led by Franciscan missionaries. The episode covers the bitter resistance of the Kingdom of Sitawaka under Rajasinha I, the shifting alliances of the Kandyan kings, and the eventual decline of Portuguese power through the Siege of Colombo. Key figures include Dharmapala of Kotte, who converted to Catholicism, and the Kandyan ruler Vimaladharmasuriya I, who allied with the Dutch. The episode sheds light on the cultural impact of Portuguese rule, including the introduction of Catholicism and new crops like tobacco and chillies, and the brutal methods used to enforce conversion, such as the destruction of Buddhist and Hindu temples.

    #SriLanka #PortugueseColonialism #LourencoDeAlmeida #RajasinhaI #Sitawaka #KandyanKingdom #Dharmapala #VimaladharmasuriyaI #Franciscans #ColomboFort #SiegeOfColombo #TobaccoSriLanka #CatholicConversion #ColonialWarfare #SouthAsianHistory #FexingoHistory #16thCentury #Empire #AncientKingdoms #Anuradhapura

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • The Kandyan Kingdom: Sri Lanka's Last Independent Realm — Fexingo History

    The Kandyan Kingdom: Sri Lanka's Last Independent Realm — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    This episode explores the Kandyan Kingdom, the last independent monarchy in Sri Lanka, which resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial ambitions for over three centuries. Lucas and Luna delve into the kingdom's origins in the highlands after the fall of the Kotte Kingdom, the strategic city of Senkadagala (modern Kandy), and the Temple of the Tooth Relic. They discuss key rulers like Vimaladharmasuriya I, who established the kingdom and brought the sacred tooth relic to Kandy, and Rajasinha II, who famously defeated the Portuguese at the Battle of Gannoruwa in 1638. The conversation also covers the kingdom's complex alliances with the Dutch, the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinha, and the final annexation by the British in 1815 after the Kandyan Convention. The episode highlights the Kandyan nobility's internal divisions, the role of Buddhism in statecraft, and the legacy of the kingdom in Sri Lankan identity. Listeners will gain insight into a resilient highland kingdom that preserved its sovereignty through diplomacy and warfare until the dawn of British rule.

    #KandyanKingdom #Kandy #Senkadagala #TempleOfTheToothRelic #VimaladharmasuriyaI #RajasinhaII #BattleOfGannoruwa #KirtiSriRajasinha #KandyanConvention #1815 #SriLankanHistory #Buddhism #PortugueseCeylon #DutchCeylon #BritishCeylon #NayakkarDynasty #HighlandKingdom #FexingoHistory #SriLanka #AncientKingdoms

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • Jaffna Kingdom: The Tamil Kings of Sri Lanka's North — Fexingo History

    Jaffna Kingdom: The Tamil Kings of Sri Lanka's North — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Jaffna Kingdom, a Tamil Hindu kingdom that ruled northern Sri Lanka from the 13th to 17th centuries. The conversation begins with the collapse of Polonnaruwa after Kalinga Magha's invasion, leading to the rise of a separate Tamil polity. Lucas details the legendary founding by Kulingai Cinkaiariyan, a prince from Madurai's Pandya dynasty, and the establishment of the Aryacakravarti dynasty. The episode covers the kingdom's capital at Nallur, its Hindu cultural revival, and its complex relationship with the central Sinhalese kingdoms like Kotte. Lucas explains how the Jaffna Kingdom maintained independence through diplomacy and trade, but eventually clashed with Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century. The brutal Portuguese conquest of Jaffna in 1619 under Filipe de Brito e Nicote is described, along with the destruction of Hindu temples and forced conversions. The episode ends with a reflection on how the historical legacy of Jaffna as a distinct Tamil kingdom continues to resonate in modern Sri Lankan politics and identity.

    #JaffnaKingdom #Aryacakravarti #TamilHistory #SriLanka #Nallur #KalingaMagha #PortugueseColonialism #HinduRevival #CankiliII #FilipeDeBrito #MaduraiPandyas #KotteKingdom #Pararacacekaran #SingaiNagar #MedievalSriLanka #TamilIdentity #History #FexingoHistory #AncientKingdoms #Anuradhapura

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Great Kingdom — Fexingo History

    Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Great Kingdom — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    After Anuradhapura's decline, Sri Lanka's center of power shifted to Polonnaruwa. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of Polonnaruwa under King Vijayabahu I, who expelled the Chola invaders after decades of occupation. They discuss the reign of Parakramabahu I, the Great, who unified the island, built massive irrigation works like the Parakrama Samudra, and launched an ill-fated invasion of Burma. The conversation covers the architectural marvels of the Sacred Quadrangle, the decline under Kalinga Magha's invasion, and the subsequent fragmentation of the kingdom. They touch on the role of Buddhism as a unifying force, the influence of South Indian politics, and the eventual abandonment of Polonnaruwa as power moved to the hill country.

    #Polonnaruwa #VijayabahuI #ParakramabahuI #Chola #KalingaMagha #ParakramaSamudra #SacredQuadrangle #Irrigation #Buddhism #SriLanka #MedievalHistory #SouthAsia #Anuradhapura #Pandya #Burma #RajendraChola #GalVihara #FexingoHistory #AncientKingdoms #CholaEmpire

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-story-of-sri-lanka-kingdoms-colonies-and-civil-war-fexingo-history--6984840/support.
    Show More Show Less
    7 mins