The origin of Anuradhapura as an organized city.

The Anuradhapura city was created and developed as an organized city during the reign of king Pandukabhaya who was born to Deegagamini and Unmadhanie Chiththa. The king should be bestowed honor for his great service of building a city which came to be called Anuradhapura the reasons being the Anura Nekatha which was the chosen auspicious time to start the construction coupled with the fact that it was the residence for two important people named Anuradha. (the minister of king Vijaya and the brother of queen Baddrakachchayana. Only after having built the city that he claimed kingship establishing Swarnapali Devi as his chief consort. Therefore, the king also holds an important place being the first monarch in the history of Sri Lanka. He placed the soldiers in due positions and spared the life of king Abhaya considering the help offered by him both to Pandukabhaya and his mother and assigned him with the task of safe guarding the city. From then onwards a position called Nagara Guththika came in to being within the city. The emergence of the so-called position point to the beginning of the official positions in the city. He built many waters of which one was named Jaya Wewa for the reason that the king bathed there after obtaining victories. To the east of the city he built the Kalawelayaku Devalaya

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The nature of the foreign invasions during the Anuradhapura period.

Sri Lanka has met with foreign invasions in the Anuradhapura  kingdom which either resulted in the death of the native king or causing the ruler to withdraw from the capital seeking for refuge. However, both had equally disastrous outcomes such as the instability of the kingdom and the ill-fated condition of the Buddha Sasana in the face of foreign occupations. Besides the arrival of Vijaya in Sri Lanka, which cannot be entirely assumed to be an invasion but more likely a migration as Vijaya grasped the throne thanks to the aid of the local queen Kuweni which is a feature absent in the cases of later foreign occupations. King Surathissa’s reign was marked by the invasion of the two horse traders named Sena and Guththika who were said to be pious rulers and adopted Buddhism. Sena and Guththika marked an end to the ten year rule of Surathissa. The Mahavamsa mentions them as in possession of a great power whose reign lasted for twenty-two years.

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The history of the annual Dalanda Perahara in Sri Lanka.

The annual Dalanda Perahara (Esala Perahara) held in honor of the tooth relic of lord Buddha traces its origins back to the period of king kithsirimewan who was also known by the name of Kirthi Siri Meghawarna. He succeeded his father Mahasen to the Anuradhapura kingdom and can be fairly given credit to as the one who brought to light the areas kept in darkness by his father. His reign was of much significance especially due to the fact that the sacred tooth relic of the lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka during his time. To elaborate, in honor of the sacred tooth relic, an annual procession called a Dalanda Perahara had begun by the king. It is said in the Mahavamsa that in the ninth year from his advancement to the throne, a Brahmin woman brought the tooth relic of the lord Buddha to Sri Lanka from Kalingu rata and king Kithsirimevan, having it handed over to him, made offerings to it with high respect which was afterwards placed by him in a golden reliquary and installed in the house called Damsak built by king Dewanampiyatissa within Rajaramaya. By then onwards, that house was known by the name of Datadathugara. From that time, the king, by spending nine lakhs started the grand Dalanda procession. He ordered to carry the tooth relic to the Abayagiriya every once a year and to continue with such processions.

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King Mahasen, an embodiment of both merit and demerit.

Bad company leads anyone in the wrong path regardless of his or her position, gender, and age. It is common both to an ordinary man and even to a king. If it was a king who was led astray, it endangers a whole community. This is not something peculiar for Sri Lanka, even king Ajasath of India caused patricide following the instructions and guidance of Devadaththa, who despite being a bhikkhu had a growing hostility for king Bimbisara. Similarly, this is what occurred during the reign of king Mahasen of ancient Anuradhapura kingdom, who was preceded by king Detuthis and was succeeded by his son Sirimevan. His name was added to the history as a king who caused an immense demerit to the Mahavihara monastery representing Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, by following the road shown by a bhikkhu named Sanghamithra. But his specialty lies in the fact that Mahasen was not noted only for his demerits. On the contrary, the Mahavamsa mentions in reference to Mahasen that the intelligence ones eradicate the bad company as a poisonous snake and proceed with what he feels to do. As evident by the above account, Mahasen was a king who did both meritorious and de meritorious actions. Strangely, both king Ajasath of India and Mahasen of ancient Anuradhapura kingdom was provoked to move in the wrong path by a bhikkhu. In the case of Ajasath it was Devadaththa while in the case of Mahasen it was Sanghamithra.

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"Mind of Virtue and an Ocean of Gems" - King Buddhadasa of Anuradhapura kingdom.

It is worthwhile to throw some light on an ancient king of Sri Lanka, who is described as a "Mind of Virtue and an Ocean of Gems" in the Mahavamsa. Buddhadasa was a King of Anuradhapura, whose reign lasted from 341 to 370 AD. He was preceded by his father Jettha Tissa and was succeeded by his son Upatissa. King Buddhadasa is mentioned in the Mahavamsa as a house for compassion. His rule was marked by the philosophy of Dasarajadharma imposed by the Lord Buddha. The best definition for his compassion over the animals is provided in the Mahavamsa as similar to a father’s mercy to his son. The king was noted not only for his noble character but also for his intelligence. He provided capital for the poor and he is specially noted for his role as an expert physician.

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The monarch as the cause for the success or failure of ancient Anuradhapura kingdom.

The respective reigns of king Mahinda IV and Mahinda V who was also known by the name of Mihindu V are the best example as to how being a strong, and a considerate ruler can be resulted in the independence of the state and its prosperity while on the other hand, how being a fragile ruler with a backward conduct can lead the kingdom towards destruction and make an object of subordination to an outside power. In ancient Sri Lanka where the monarchical form of rule prevailed, it was the conduct of the monarch which decided both the progress or the destruction of the whole community. It is important to note that king Mahinda IV was preceded by Sena IV and succeeded by his son Sena V and the last king of Anuradhapura was his remaining son Mahinda V.

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Viharamahadevi, a military woman, driven by patriotism.

It is characteristic that someone who carries in to effect something which is hard to perform in general becomes an important individual in the history. The same holds true for queen Viharamahadevi to whom most scholars attribute the victory of the war campaign undertaken by Dutugamunu in his pursuit of freedom from the South Indian invasion. Viharamahadevi being the noble mother queen of her son made herself extraordinary on account of her military performance in particular and due to her noble character in general. She occupied herself in a military task which was not something much heard of a woman of her contemporary time. In contrast, Viharamahadevi became well known for her role as the military supervisor of her son while being noted for bravery and endurance which enabled her to accompany her son to the battle field regardless of the danger she becomes exposed to. Given that, her role shouldn’t let go unrecognized considering her outstanding acts of bravery. All those who were present at the war by the side of Dutugamunu were males with the notable exception of Viharamahadevi. Saddaramalankaraya mentions the manner the mother queen arrived at the battle field as, “at this moment the king headed by the monks carrying his mother Viharamahadevi set forth in his war campaign.” Other primary sources including Mahavamsa report this in the same way. Consequently, it becomes evident that it was the king himself who decided to take his mother to the battlefield which at first sight seems to be something that can hardly be expected from a son.

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Why it remains difficult to determine whether Elara was a pious king or not?

Sri Lanka has undergone foreign invasions even from Anuradhapura period as revealed by historical chronicles such as Mahavamsa. Amongst these, the invasion of Elara (from 205-161 BCE) which took place during the reign of king Asela resulted in subjugating Rajarata and remained so during the reigns of Kawanthissa and Dutugamunu during which periods the sovereignty of Sri Lanka was no longer found. Despite the South Indian origin and the Tamil identity of Elara, Mahavmsa contains an account which paints his picture in a favorable light as a pious ruler who followed a healthy policy with regard to Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. But determining Whether Elara was a pious king or not has remained a controversial subject due to certain other factors not to mention the disparities found in various primary sources. For instance Pujavaliya reports about Elara as an invader who destroyed Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka while Mahavamsa portrays him as a pious king who being a Tamil, benefitted Buddhism. Following such available accounts the scholars have divided themselves in speaking for and against the view that Elara was a pious king. For example, most sources assume that Elara was a pious king who is distinguished for his justice, while they identify Elara’s soldiers as the ones who should be held responsible for the damage inflicted upon Buddha Sasana.  Mahavamsa’ description on how Elara punished his own son for a misdeed which reflected his concern for justice has caused many to bear with the assumption that Elara was in fact a peaceful king with the exception of his soldiers whose misbehavior ended up damaging and disrespecting Buddhist temples. Therefore it is due to the number of references Mahawamsa makes about Elara he became well known for his justice despite being an invader.

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

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

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