A fair appreciation to the contribution of king Kavanthissa in the rescue mission of king Dutugamunu.

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History holds true both the successes and the failures of various attempts made by the rulers either to gain more power or to save the limited territory from the subordination to an external invader. By the very sense of the word, the war undertaken by Dutugamunu against the south Indian invader Elara can be fairly introduced as a rescue mission. More importantly this is due to two significant reasons which made Dutugamunu’s reign unforgettable. Firstly, this war brought back the long-lost sovereignty of the state. Secondly it established Buddha Sasana which culminated in making Dutugamunu’s reign the golden age of Buddha Sasana. Therefore, it is worthwhile to throw some light on the important figures who lent a hand to the success of Dutugamunu’s effort to achieve the said objectives. In fact, anyone who took part in the mission should not be deprived of a proper appreciation for their contribution of any form. Here the main focus is on the assistance rendered by Kavanthissa, the father of Dutugamunu who was also  the former king of Ruhuna.

 Dutugamunu’s victory over the enemy is more likely an outcome of the combined efforts of Kavanthissa, Viharamahadevi, and Dutugamunu. Kavanthissa being a far-seeing king, in the face of the foreign invader, ensured the future safety of Ruhuna in order to prevent an invasion on the part of Elara as Ruhuna remained the only area outside of Elara’s control by that time. It was with that purpose on mind Kavanthissa carried out measures to improve the security near Mahaweli River which by then acted as the boundary which separated Ruhuna from Rajarata under the rule of Elara. What made Dutugamunu’s undertaking much easier is none other than Kavanthissa’s far sighted decision to organize a strong army especially comprising ten giants. Saddarmalankaraya lays before us an elaborate account on Kavanthissa’s measures despite the fact that he was content with his security measures which didn’t extend to the degree of undertaking war against the enemy. By means of his military preparations, he ensured the security of Ruhuna to such a degree that Dutugamunu was released from much burden.

Evidently, it is not fair to assume that Kavanthissa was not brave enough to defeat Elara in a battle. Given his contemporary political condition which was followed by the instability he was less assured of a victory over the enemy provided that Elara received both the internal and external help in maintaining his power which Kavanthissa lacked. Similarly, he had to prevent his son confronting Elara which can be resulted in a disastrous defeat. Under such circumstance he had to satisfy himself with whatever measures he had taken to prevent a possible subjugation of Ruhuna. Taking in to account the said obstacles he was confronted with, it is not reasonable to think less of the king. Though Mahawamsa’ account doesn’t portray Kavanthissa in a good light when it reports certain incidents such as Dutugamunu sending his father women’s attire gesturing his father’s  unmanly nature, by taking note of the possible biased of the authors, such accounts should be looked at with a rational mind. As agreed by a number of scholars, Mahanama thero, the author of Mahavamsa, operated with his unfading intention to promote Dutugamunu as the hero over any other king which is evident when Mahanama thero allocated 11 chapters out of 37 in Mahawamsa to talk about Dutugamunu’s reign. This is much understandable when observing the fact that during the time Mahavamsa was composed, Mahavihara monastery where Mahanama thero resided was chiefly patronized by Dutugamunu. His reign was known to be the golden age of Mahavihara monastery.

Therefore, Kavanthissa should not be under estimated depending on the accounts we find in historical chronicles provided that authors when composing history were often inclined to work in accordance with their own ambitions. Kavanthissa’s reluctance to let his son engage in war against the enemy ended up in an estrangement between the father and the son and caused Dutugamunu to live away from the palace in disguise. According to some scholars this dispute resulted in further postponing the overthrow of the enemy which also led the enemy to further strengthen his position and power in the absence of any challenge from the native kings. Despite that we should not be haste to put the entire blame on Kavanthissa without due consideration.

Often many tend to find Viharamahadevi as more heroic than Kavanthissa as the former accompanied her son to the battle field and nurtured her son’s heroic qualities whereas the latter discouraged him and prevented him from declaring war against the enemy. Owing to the decisive performance of Viharamahadevi in the battle field when the father’s presence was no longer available, the queen became a role model while being presented as a representation of patriotic Sinhala women. Undoubtedly Viharamahadevi’s contribution here was beyond what was expected by Dutugamunu from his mother. However, the same holds true for Kavanthissa whose far sighted nature laid the foundation to Dutugamunu’s future mission to rescue the land. Though Kavanthissa was not present when Dutugamunu fought against Elara, he acted as a wise king who predicted the future.

On these grounds, it should not be forgotten in giving the proper recognition for their services for the final outcome which comes in the form of a victory that if it wasn’t for the background preparations carried out by Kavanthissa prior to Gamunu’s undertaking, Gamunu’s success seems to be a much difficult task. Therefore, Kavanthissa’s contribution as the forerunner of Gamunu’s mission is both immeasurable and equally appreciable. The best definition to the role played by Kavanthissa and Dutugamunu, the father and the son respectively, is none other than to introduce the war undertaken by Dutugamunu as the latter step of the project started by Kavanthissa. This identifies Kavanthissa as the forerunner of what was completed by Dutugamunu.


Mrs. Karunarathne,
University of Peradeniya,
Sri Lanka 

References
Pagngnaloka, M. Ven., (ed.), Saddarmalankaraya, Buddhist cultural center, Dehiwala, 2011
Wimalajothi, Ven., (ed.), Mahavamsa, Buddhist cultural center, Boralasgamuwa, 2003
Kehelgamuwa., G.B., Kothmale Purawrutha, Jinalankara press, Colombo, 2002
Liyanagamage, A., Gunerawardana, R., (ed), Anuradhapura Yugaya, Vidyalankara press, Colombo, 1961
De Alwis, M., "The Moral Mother Syndrome." Indian Journal of Gender Studies, http://www.cepa.lk/content_images/publications/documents/185-S-De%20Alwis%20-Indian%20Journal%20of%20Gender%20Studies-The%20moral%20mother.pdf 11.1, 2004.
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