Feminine role in politics and war in ancient monarchical Sri Lanka with special attention to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period.

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Though the roles ancient monarchs came to play in Sri Lankan history is a much discussed subject, an equal attention has not been paid to observe the role of their female counterparts. What is noteworthy in this regard is though infrequently, women have advanced to power more commonly owing to a critical political condition mostly followed by an assassination of a king, when the kingdom has fallen in to decline. However, while some queens in power acted with altruistic intentions, some other queens’ actions were driven by egoism which made them strikingly different from each other. Therefore it is observable that while the former operated in favor of the common well-being, the latter functioned overwhelmed by sheer desire for power. Therefore history of Sri Lanka is made of women of both kinds, generous and vicious. Unlike certain countries in the world’s history, in ancient Sri Lanka, women were allowed to lay hold of power. But it should be noted that by tradition, the kingship passed by inheritance which was passed either from father to the elder son or from the elder brother to the younger brother. According to this tradition peculiar to ancient Sri Lankan monarchical period, women had no opportunity to become a ruler. However as revealed in history, depending on the circumstance women had the chance to take hold of power. For instance queen Anula of Anuradhapura was able to seize power owing to the death of her husband, king Choranaga

Despite that, most queens were not preoccupied with desire for power as they stick to their role as a mother and a queen consort of a powerful king to whom they supported especially in times of crisis. For instance Soma Devi is a highly esteemed queen in history for the nobility she displayed in aiding the retreat of king Valagamba when the Tamils invaded the territory. With no regard for her own safety Soma Devi eased king’s escape. But that is only one side of the picture since Sri Lankan history has also witnessed a great deal of female brutality as well. For instance Anula Devi who ruled Anuradhapura from 47-42 BC committed the murders of her husbands after having maintained inappropriate relationships with them and subsequently placing them on the throne. Anula Devi is said to be the first queen in Asia to rule a state despite the cruel appearance she made to the world. Eventually the Queen gets killed by King Mahaculika’s second son, named Kutakanna Tissa, who had formerly fled in fear of Anula Devi. A palace guard named Siva, A carpenter by the name of Vatuka, A wood career named Tissa, and a palace priest named Niliya were among those who fell victim for Anula’s ill conduct. It is more near to the truth to assume that Anula committed these crimes not out of desire for power but out of passion. When observing Mahavamsa it becomes crystal clear that Anula committed all the murders by following the same pattern. To put it differently, she had them married to her first and subsequently killed them when her passion shifted for someone else. But Anula’s power was extraordinary that no risings against her were reported until the invasion of Kutakanna Tissa.

Indeed, Queen Sugala and Viharamhadevi are two important queens who played a revolutionary role but in two contrasting circumstances. In this regard Viharamahadevi the wife of king Kawanthissa and mother of king Dutugamunu, guided her son during his war campaign against Elara and her very presence in the battlefield made her extraordinary. It turned out to be an immense help in the final victory of the war against Elara. Her endurance of hardships in attending the battlefield combined with her warfare skills and tactics testify that Viharamahadevi is an embodiment of bravery, courage and resourcefulness. With a similar bravery but in a different background queen Sugala actively led a riot against king Parakramabahu of Ruhuna whereby she showed her hostility to the power of Parakramabahu which points to the leadership qualities exemplified in her character. Queen Sugala was the queen consort of the former king of Ruhuna named Siri Wallaba. Parakramabahu was able to become the sole ruler of the state only after shutting off the rebel started by Sugala. This undoubtedly exhibits her courage and bravery against her powerful male counterpart which is something none existent in the history of certain countries.

Not only that but also we come across women who ruled the kingdom in the place of the dead king. For instance queen Lilwathi of Polonnaruwa is the queen consort of king Parakramabahu who ruled peacefully which lasted for three years. Some queens had a long lasted reign most probably as they obtained the favor of common people. For instance queen Kalyanawathi, the consort of king Nishshankamalla ruled Polonnaruwa for six or eight years which is comparatively a long time period may be longer than the reign of certain kings who ruled Polonnaruwa. However both Lilwathi and Kalyanawathi resemble each other in two respects. Both of them were widows who rose in to power with the assistance of generals. During this time due to the critical political condition which was caused especially by the lack of powerful heirs to the throne, generals became powerful by whose will the next heir to throne were decided. The respective reigns of these two queens were marked by peace and prosperity. Therefore both Lilawanthi and Kalyanawathi should be given credit for maintaining peace and prosperity on such a critical condition.

Besides those who ruled ancient Sri Lanka we also encounter such queens who in the death of their husbands, established their sons on the throne and ruled the state on son’s behalf. For instance after the death of king Dala Mugalan, his consort queen made her son named Kithsirimega ascend to the throne and she ruled the kingdom on his behalf. She holds great resemblance to queen Olympias of ancient Macedonia, the mother of Alexander the Great, who ruled the state in the absence of her son from the state on his behalf.

However these queens in overall testify that ancient Sri Lankan women possessed both a military knowledge and a political knowledge thus extending beyond the traditionally expected role of ordinary women. Such roles reveal a real but a hidden fact that political knowledge and military knowledge were something that was shared by both men and women in ancient times as well as in modern times on which grounds women should be regarded as important as men in performing important tasks.

Mrs. Karunarathne,
University of Peradeniya,
Sri Lanka 

References

Wimalajothi, Ven., (ed.), Mahavamsa, Buddhist cultural center, Boralasgamuwa, 2003.
Weththamuni., W., Mahavamsaya ha Sinhala Jana Jeevithaya, Tharanji prints, Dehiwala, 2008
Premarathna., J.M, lakdiva Weera Detu Diyaniya - Viharamahadeviya, House of books, Ahaliyagoda,  2016
Chandrasiri., L.,Ven., Lakdiva Abhisheka Mangallaya, S Godage and brothers, Colombo, 2007

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