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.

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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.

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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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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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