Sri Lankan activist and freedom fighter (1812–1848)
Veera Puran Appu
Born
Weerahannadige Francisco Fernando (full name: Weera Sanadhdhana Weera Bala Jaysooriya Patabendi Fransisco Fernando)[1]
(1812-11-07)November 7, 1812[2]
Uyana, Moratuwa, Western Province, Kingdom of Kandy[3]
Died
August 8, 1848(1848-08-08) (aged 35)[2]
Bogambara grounds, Kandy, Central Province, British Ceylon[3]
Cause of death
Executed by the British by firing squad
Nationality
Sinhalese
Occupation(s)
Political, Economic and Social revolutionary
Known for
A leader in the Rebellion of 1848
Height
5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm)
Title
kings sword bearer
Spouse
Bandaramenike (1847)[4]
Children
One daughter[4]
Parent(s)
Kalistoru Fernando (Father) Madam Helena Nonis (Mother)[1][3]
Relatives
Marcellenus Fernando (Uncle) Gunnepana Arachchi (Father in Law)
Weerahannadige Francisco Fernando, colloquially known by his nickname Puran Appu (Sinhala පුරන් අප්පු) is one of the notable figures of Sri Lanka's post-Kandyan history. Regarded colloquially as a national hero, his staunch resistance against British rule made him a symbol of independence and patriotism within many Sri Lankans. He was born on 7 November 1812 and raised in the coastal town of Moratuwa. He left Moratuwa with his family at the age of 13 in the aftermath of a village dispute and stayed in Ratnapura with his uncle, who was the first Sinhalese proctor, eventually settling in Uva Province. In early 1847, he met and married Bandara Menike, the daughter of Gunnepana Arachchi in Kandy.
Despite being an instrumental leader in leading the Matale Rebellion in 1848, the subsequent brutal suppression of the uprising by the British led to his capture along with Gongalegoda Banda and Ven. Kudapola Thera. He was executed by a firing squad on August 8, 1848, with his body being buried in Matale.
^ abPerpetual ferment : popular revolts in Sri Lanka in the 18th and 19th centuries, Kumari Jayawardena p.129 (SSA)
^ ab"WWW Virtual Library: Sri Lanka: Veera Puran Appu". www.lankalibrary.com.
^ abc"'Dedication, sacrifice of Veera Puran Appu made British Govt. more favourable to the public'". Daily News. 11 August 2003. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013.
^ abFernando, Tyronne. "Veera Puran Appu - courageous son of Lanka". Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017.
Weerahannadige Francisco Fernando, colloquially known by his nickname PuranAppu (Sinhala පුරන් අප්පු) is one of the notable figures of Sri Lanka's post-Kandyan...
Dingirala as the uncrowned king of the Sat Korale (Seven Counties). Veera PuranAppu was appointed prime minister and the sword bearer to Gongalegoda Banda...
Indian-American philanthropist, consultant, and author PuranAppu (1812–1848), Sri Lankan independence activist P. S. Appu (1929–2012), Indian civil servant Puneeth...
had a population of 168,280. Moratuwa is also the birthplace of Veera PuranAppu, a resistance fighter against British rule in Matale, the philanthropist...
movement on the island in 1848 was led by leaders such as Gongalegoda Banda, PuranAppu, Dingi Rala who were supported by many of the local people. On 26 July...
Pseudophilautus puranappu (PuranAppu's shrub frog) is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae, endemic to Sri Lanka. Scientists have know it from...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
only attempts begun and abandoned". In 1848 led by Gongalegoda Banda and PuranAppu saw the rebellion known as the Matale Rebellion. Prior to that the city...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Canada who was adopted during the Sixties Scoop. Veera PuranAppu 1978 Film about Veera PuranAppu and the Matale rebellion in 1848 for the freedom from...
August 7 – Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (b. 1779) August 8 – PuranAppu, Sri Lankan hero who led the Matale rebellion against the British (b....
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
Mohottala and Great Rebellion of 1817–1818 Vera PuranAppu 1979 1812–1848 based on freedom fighter PuranAppu Gadera 2022 1912–1913 based on an expedition...
Ehelepola Nilame Gajaman Nona Gongalegoda Banda Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Joseph Vaz Keppetipola Disawe PuranAppu Wariyapola Sri Sumangala...
British troops in the Kandyan wars. After the Matale Rebellion led by PuranAppu in 1848, in which a number of Sinhalese recruits defected to the side...
1848 the abortive Matale Rebellion, led by Hennedige Francisco Fernando (PuranAppu) and Gongalegoda Banda was the first transitional step towards abandoning...
the five minutes role as "Kudapola Thero" in the blockbuster film Veera PuranAppu. In 1996, his novella Bringing Tony Home won the Gratiaen Prize for the...
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