He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri Lankan history.

Dom João Dharmapala (Don John Dharmapala) was born as the eldest child of Weediye Bandara, a Prince from Madampe and his wife Samudra Devi, daughter of King Bhuvanekabãhu VII the King of Kotte.

His maternal grandfather, King Bhuvanekabahu VII, raised him under the supervision of the Portuguese.

After his conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism in 1557[4] he would bequeath (in 1580) his entire realm to the King of Portugal.

The Portuguese takeover of Kotte, however, was resisted by the Sinhalese Buddhists and would only be completed during the captaincy of Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo (1594 - 1612).