Well known for his prowess of warfare, he was the central figure of the Kotte army, in a series of relentless wars against King Mayadunne of Sitawaka and occasionally, against the Portuguese.
Chief among them were King Bhuvanekabahu VII, his younger brother Mayadunne, the ruler of Sithawaka and the Portuguese, who were starting to establish themselves along the western coast of Sri Lanka.
[1] From a very early age, he had access to the royal courts and there, he and the king's daughter, Samudra Deviya, were said to have developed a deep affection towards each other, that would later trigger a catastrophic chain of events.
[2] While Veediya Bandara was away crushing a rebellion, a rumor was spread involving Samudra Deviya and a Portuguese officer at the royal court.
[8] According to legend he wept at the water's edge, as the lifeless body of his loving wife, one of the renowned beauties of her time, was floating on the lake.
When Mayadunne sued for peace, King Bhuvanekabahu, upon Veediya Bandara's insistence, demanded the heads of the two South Indian commanders who had dared to invade Kotte.
[3] When the words reached Veediya Bandara in Uva, he made haste and descended upon the army of Kandy before it joined forces with Mayadunne.
Veediya Bandara himself, retreated with several of his guards only to be betrayed by them as there was a hefty price on his head while Velayuda Arachchi fighting alone with enemies for make time to fall back his Master and Friends of Commanders .
After the tragic death of king Bhuvanaikabahu VII, his grandson (and the son of Veediya Bandara's first marriage), Dharmapala, ascended the throne of Kotte.