Every action has a counter reaction which
is equally strong and opposite. Similarly, in ancient Sri Lanka especially
during the Anuradhapura kingdom Ruhuna
remained to be the area from where counter reactions against the occupation of foreign
invaders were much heard. Magama is
known to be the capital of Ruhuna
encompassing the present Thissamaharama territory.
Ruhuna holds its importance not for
a single reason. Conversely, Ruhuna
took on different roles in the history of Sri Lanka which is marked by constant
conquests, mostly South Indian. Ruhuna still
carries its significance as a place which provided refuge for the ancient Sinhala
kings, mostly as a defensive territory to organize the army in hiding, and
occasionally as a place from where even the resistance against the ruling
native kings had taken place.
More importantly, Ruhuna bears a heroic appearance due to the fact that it nurtured
the young heirs as a future counterforce to the foreign powers whose authority
had long established and provided residence for the heroic kings to overthrow them.
Ruhuna was the area where strife and
hostility against such invasions had often come about. The very origin of Ruhuna in itself testifies that it was
a suitable place to seek protection from threats whether personal or public. King
Mahanaga who was known as the
founder of Ruhuna moved there as a
result of his queen’s effort to poison the king which was gone wrong and killed
the son of king Devanampiyathissa
instead. After he shifted to Ruhuna from
Anuradhapura he came to be known as
the prince of Ruhuna. Moreover, it served as the hiding place for
king Vijayabahu who occupied himself
in preparing the overthrow of the Chola
king who had established his authority in Polonnaruwa
which became the capital of Sri Lanka after the former Anuradhapura kingdom was
sacked by the Chola emperor. Vijayabahu, earlier known as prince Kiththi unified Ruhuna after which he occupied himself to the task of defeating the
Chola invader.
Ruhuna
also operated as a place of refuge for Sinhala kings in time of crisis in
particular. For instance, when the Chola
army captured the Anuradhapura
kingdom the native king Mahinda V
withdrew to Ruhuna who lived there
until he was taken to India as a prisoner when the Chola king extended his power towards Ruhuna. Similarly, the son of Mahinda
V named Kassapa who thereafter
assumed the kingship under the name of Vikramabahu
also led his resistance movement against the Chola invaders. He started to gather resources while treating the
employees agreeably and won over their loyalty to launch his resistance
movement against the Chola invaders.
As evident by the above account mentioned in the Mahavamsa, Ruhuna
provided shelter for king Vikramabahu
, following the death of his father. He was then being a young prince, was able
to elope from the enemy who was then brought up in Ruhuna in secret to the Chola
invaders until he started his resistance movement against the enemy.
Furthermore, during the time Elara invaded
the Rajarata territory only Ruhuna remained outside of Elara’s
control where Kavanthissa being the
ruler of Magama (the capital of Ruhuna)
strengthened the security near Mahaweli
River (the border which separated Rajarata
from Magama) and the Tamil king’s power
didn’t extend there. It was residing in Ruhuna
that Dutugamunu following the
death of Kavanthissa prepared to fight
the enemy. Further, resistance against
the rule of the native kings was also reported from Ruhuna. To draw an example, during the reign of king Valagamba in the fifth month from his
succession to the throne, a Brahmin
named Thissa led a riot in Ruhuna, against the king. Not only that
but also Ruhuna provided shelter for
the public in times of chaos caused by foreign invasions. To draw an example
during the reign of king Mithsen a Tamil king from overseas named Pandu killed king Mithsen after having fought with him. In this very instance all the
people in Anuradhapura said to have migrated to Ruhuna.
These instances show that Ruhuna served the ancient Sinhala kings
in their efforts to defeat the foreign conquerors. Its importance lies in the
fact that even during the periods Anuradhapura
was taken under the control of foreign rulers, mostly, Ruhuna remained independent for the great advantage of the native
kings who after recovering their strength being in Ruhuna, turned out to be a great blow to the foreign invaders.
Mrs. Karunarathne,
University of Peradeniya,
Sri Lanka
References
Wimalajothi, Ven., (ed.), Mahavamsa,
Buddhist cultural center, Boralasgamuwa, 2003
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