Welcome to
Keerawella Royal Family
of Sri Lanka
The Story of Dantha & Hemamala (310 AD)
Dantha & Hemamala
In the year of 310 A.D, prince Dantha and princess Hemamala had arrived in the island, Sri Lanka bringing the blessings of Lord Buddha's Sacred Tooth Relic as they were given the responsibility by the King Guhasiva (father of Hemamala) in India. They are the descendants of Brahmadatta Royal Family (relations of Siddhartha Gauthama) who were given the responsibility to protect the Sacred Tooth Relic without treasuring it, since the death of Lord Buddha around 488 B.C.
Due to the arrival of the Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka, the two were accepted with a cordial welcome by the King, Keerthi Sri Meghavarnabhaya (also called King Kithsirimewan). And on the instructions of the king's grandmother (Princess Sakurnamedha - mother of King Mahasen), the village named "Keerawella" was offerred to Dantha & Hemamala with many more valuables.
Moreover, in order to qualify as the King of Lakdiva (Sri Lanka) in the system of government based on the Sacred Tooth Relic, it was compulsary for the first queen of the king to be a princess of Keerawella dynasty. Until the reign of King Parakumba, the descendants of Keerawella Royal Family held similar positions to the king.
Present Lay Custodian of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Senevirathna Keerawella
The person named Dantha Hemamala Keerawelle Dhatawansa Keerawella Anuruddha Sirimanna Adhikaram Mudiyanselage Udaya Deepthi Wasantha Senevirathna has the hereditary heritage of the Noble Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
On May 20, 1853, the post of "Diva Nilame", who was the lay custodian of the Tooth Relic, was lost to their descendants and the post was robbed by the person who supplied water ("Diyawadana Nilame") to the king.