Here lies the crafty Doyle
An abridged tour of Kandy's Garrison Cemetery:
'Some crafty, ingenious Doyle here may rest', snapped the Sinhala
patriot when he took a stroll across Kandy's Garrison Cemetery. The
time-wracked Doyle's tomb is a vestige of a grim past.
 His
close rapport with the Sinhala, their language and culture was an added
advantage to ensure rift among the Sinhala chieftains, especially
Pilimatalawwe and Ehelepola. He certainly exploited hostile relations
among them, including the King himself. King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe
became a virtual slave to foreign liquor due to Dole's evil influence.
Doyle's life span was cut prematurely when he died on May 25, 1824,
aged 49. It was at a time when Cholera and Malaria took a heavy toll of
human lives. Doyle was a sort of modern day spy who maintained secret
contacts with Kandyan Chiefs. He was the type of schemer the Empire
needed to fulfil its mission of world domination. Legendary Sinhala
poetess Gajaman Nona is said to have sought his assistance in her
misery.
Doyle is not alone in the Garrison cemetery. Keeping him company are
several dignitaries of the British Establishment. Prominent among them
are Lady Elizabeth, wife of Governor William Henry Gregory. Her tomb
tells a different story still retaining its majesty, as wife of the
Governor.
Others relatively significant are former Estate Superintendents, a
young British officer killed by an elephant, Captain James McClain, and
Lt. Gen. John Fraser.
Doyle's gimmicks eventually succeeded when King Sri Wickrama
Rajasinghe was captured on February 18, 1815 at Bomure Arachchi's
Udupitiya residence in Meda Maha Nuwara and Sri Lanka became a British
Colony on March 2, 1815, following the Kandyan Convention of 1815.Thus
ended the 2357 years old uninterrupted Sinhala Royal Dynasty.
The Garrison Cemetery, about 120 perches in extent, is presently
looked after by a curator and a watcher. There is a protective fence
around the Doyle's tomb. This appears to be of recent origin.
Reported by Thilak Pushpakumara Senanayake
Pix Gamini Ranasinghe
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