1815 : Kandyan Convention - උඩරට ගිවිසුම

The Kandyan Convention was an agreement signed on the 02nd of March 1815 between the British and the Chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, in Sri Lanka for the deposition of rule King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The king who was of South Indian ancestry faced powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to reduce his power. A successful coup was organized by the Sinhala chieftains in which they accepted the British crown as their new king. This ended the line of the Kingdom of Kandy and King Rajasinha was taken as a prisoner.

A drawing depicting the

Kandyan Convention

being drawn up at the

Audience Hall (Magul Maduwa)

Read More

The progressive era of Udarata

Main characteristics of the epoch.

Konappu Bandara’s (also known as Wijesundara Bandara) triumph over Udarata in 1592, immediately following the death of Yamasinghe Bandara who had received the kingdom under the patronage and the aid of the Portuguese was an event which marked a new era both in the history of the kingdom and the history of Sri Lanka as a whole. Only when the way in which history evolved is closely examined in later times, it became clear that it was the ascendency of Konappu Bandara who claimed kingship by the name Wimaladarmasuriya I (1592-1604) that marked a climax point in the history of the island.

Read More

"Kalikala Sahitya Sarvagna Pandita", king Parakramabahu II of ancient Dambadeniya.

Literature and education is not something distinctive for professional artists or writers. In this regard, the well-read, king Parakramabahu II of Dambadeniya is the best affirmation, who was bestowed the honorary title of "Kalikala Sahitya Sarvagna Pandita". Inevitably, the term ‘panditha’ implies that king Parakramabahu was well learned while the term ‘sahithya’ bring in to light his inclination to literature.  He succeeded his father Vijayabahu III to Dambadeniya kingdom and was succeeded by his son Vijayabahu IV. The reign of Parakramabahu II lasted from 1234-1269AD. He is a king who was noted both to his determination to fight the Magha invaders who had captured Polonnaruwa and to his devotion to carryon processions in honor of the Sarvagna Dathu. As the Mahavamsa mentions, accompanied by great processions, the Buddha relics were brought to Jambudroni. The king’s high concern and respect for the Buddha relics, prompted him to build a mansion near his palace to house the relics so that he can worship them whenever needed. Once the king arranged a splendor procession and he placed the tooth relic in his hand and in the presence of the Sangha, performed a passive resistance. His yearning was to defeat the Tamil invader Magha who was occupied in destroying Buddha Sasana and after having overthrown the enemy, to nourish the Loka Sasana. Therefore, his priority was given to the protection of Buddha sasana which was followed by his resolution to put an end to the Magha rule.

Read More

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.

Read More

"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.

Read More

The invasion of Kalinga Magha and the fall of the Polonnaruwa kingdom.

 It is commonplace that the disunity among the natives inevitably makes a state vulnerable, as it keeps them occupied in their internal struggles which has the result of drawing their attention from possible external conquests. A similar event occurred in ancient Sri Lanka, to be more specific, during the Polonnaruwa kingdom. Sri Lanka was marked by the Kalinga Magha invasion in 1215 AD which led to the fall of the Polonnaruwa kingdom along with several other factors which were equally undesirable to the continuity of the kingdom. However, the other reasons aside, the Magha invasion alone can be looked on as a climax point of Sri Lankan history due to two reasons. Firstly, it operated as the immediate cause among a number of long term causes for the collapse of the Polonnaruwa kingdom. Secondly it marked a striking change of the capital of Sri Lanka which was transferred from Polonnaruwa to Dambadeniya.

Read More

Ancient Ruhuna as a base for the resistance movements and as a place of refuge.

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

The heroic role of the Buddhist monastic community as the protector of both the monarch and the Buddha Sasana in ancient Sri Lanka.

In ancient Sri Lanka, especially during the Anuradhapura kingdom period Buddhism formed an important portion of the responsibilities of the monarch. This is particularly due to inseparable connection maintained between the ruler and the Buddhist monastic community which has its roots back to the period of king Devanampiyathissa. It was the duty of the monarch to preserve Buddha Sasana under any circumstance. What was characteristic of Sri Lankan culture and society is that the ruler and the Buddhist monastic community operated as the protector of each other without which neither was possible. Further, the monastic community had a substantial part to play in the consolidation of power of the king which was peculiar for the Sri Lankan setting. At first glance it would appear that it is not possible for the bhikkhus to maintain such an influence over the power of the ruler since these two don’t reveal any visible connection on the surface. Therefore, to acquire a better understanding this aspect should be examined along with the cultural and religious influences of the time.

Read More

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

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.

Read More

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.

Read More