He was the Pallegampahe Adigar, and held the honorary title of Maha Nilame from 1811 to 1814 under the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy.

Ehelapola joined a revolt against King Rajasinha in Sabaragamuva province after he was sent to conquer it, and his entire family was executed.

He was the son of a chieftain named Wijayasundere Wickremasinghe Chandrasekere Seneviratne Senanayake Jayatillake Ekanayaka Amarakoon Rajapakse Wahala Pandita Mudiyanse Adikaram and Pilimatalawe Kumarihami, sister of Pilimatalawe Pallegampaha Adikaram.

His grandfather was awarded the position of Mohottala of the Dadimunda Shrine, Aluthnuwara by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe and was the youngest out of four brothers who belonged to the family of Madawla Kulatunga, a Kandyan Radala family who had been chieftains of the Uva Province for centuries.

In 1811, Pilimatalawwe was beheaded after he was convicted of high treason for attempting to remove the King and replace him with the young Prince Kannasamy.

Following an engagement with Molligoda's men, Ehelepola went to the coastal areas of the island to gain support to overthrow the king.