ELADETTA VILLAGE HOLDS FOND MEMORIES OF ROBERT KNOX

Eladetta village is located in a lovely and attractive countryside in the Udunuwara Division in the district of Kandy. This village has a long tradition behind it.

- By SHANTHA CHANDRASIRI

History has it recorded that the English trader, sailor and writer Robert Knox, who had been taken prisoner by King Rajasinghe 11 who ruled in Kandy, had lived in captivity for 19 years in Eladetta village. His name has gone down in the annals of Sri Lankan history owing to “A Historical Relations of Ceylon”. This book contains a vivid account of his experiences and a nice portrayal of the socioeconomic and cultural sphere of Sri Lanka and the rule of the Kandyan Kingdom.

A village skirted by a vast stretch of smiling paddy fields and a highly sensitive environment, Eladetta has a history that runs as far back to the time of legendary ruler Rawana.

Eladetta has been the seat of many a legend associated with the life of Robert Knox, who spent the prime of his life as a prisoner of the Kandyan Kingdom.

“A Historical Relations of Ceylon” authored by him is a rich source of history of the Kandyan Kingdom, which was under the Sinhala kings.

Robert Knox's father was the captain of a merchant ship that lost its course, was damaged by a gale force wind in the Mediterranean Sea and drifted away. Captain Knox managed to steer clear of the hazardous situation and headed his ship towards the ancient Kottiyaram Port in Muthur.