Maha Dissava
| Mahâ Dissâvas of Kingdom of Kandy | |
|---|---|
A Kandyan Maha Dissava and a Buddhist monk in the early 19th century. | |
| Member of | Amātya Mandalaya |
| Reports to | The Monarch |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Monarchical Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
Part of a series on the politics and government of the Sinhala kingdom | |
Royal Court | |
| Monarch | King |
| Queen consort | Randolis |
Sub king / Heir apparent | Yuvaraja |
| Other queens | Rididoli |
| Wife or Concubinage | Yakadadoli |
Amātya Mandalaya (Council of State) | |
| 1st Prime Minister | Pallegampahê Adikâram Mahatmayâ |
| 2nd Prime Minister | Udagampahê Adikâram Mahatmayâ |
| 3rd Prime Minister | Siyapattuwa Adikâram Mahatmayâ |
| Chief Secretary | Mahâ Mohottâla |
| Provincial Governors | Mahâ Dissâvas |
| Royal Household Officers | Dugganna Nilamês |
| Sons of Chiefs | Bandâras |
The Mahâ Dissâvas was a high-ranking office in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time, it had combined legislative and judicial powers and functioned primarily equivalent to that of a Provincial governor. The office of Dissava was retained under the successive European colonial powers, namely the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch East India Company and the British Empire. A Dissava was the governor of a province known as a Disavanies. Within his province, the Dissava held both executive and judicial authority.