パーリ学仏教文化学 (21) - 007藪内 聡子「The Shift of Sihala Power to the Southwestern Parts of Sri Lanka in the Thirteenth Century」

The

Shift

of

Sihala

Power

to

the

Southwestern

Parts

of

Sri

Lanka

in

the

Thirteenth

Century

-A _{Study of the Campaign}

Records

_{ofMagha and}

Sihala

SatokoYabuuchi

1. Introduction

Afterthe

demise

ofParaltkamabahu I

(1

153-1186),which achieved the

unification of the _{politicalpowers} inSriLanlca,several kings,who claimed

to belongto the Kalingaroyal familyinthe Polonnaruva_period,were

coronated on thisisland.ThisKalinga

dynasty

was characterized bydiscord

between_politicalfactions,the dethronement and assassination of kingsby

generalswho seized _power.The _politicalsituation was thrown intoturmoil, and the Polonnaruva _periodcame to an end with the invasionby MAgha

(1215-1236),

which was a turning _pointinthethirteenthcentury. According

to the th, VijayabEhuIII

_(1232-1236)

and ParaltkamabahuII

(1236-1270)defeatedand exiled Magha'sarmy; these Sihalakingsascended the

throne at Dathbadeniya.However, itisunclear why thecapital was shifted

to the southwestern partsof the islandfbllowingtheseevents. Thisartiele

aims to examine therecords of Magha'sinvasionand the influxof South

Indianraces, using theCu and epigraphic materials. Further,itconsiders the

effects ofthe campaigns bythe Magha and Sihalasovereignties.

2. Magha'sArmy

During the Polonnaruva period,the SriLankan dynastythathad been

undermined after the demiseof ParaltkamabaliuI established temporary

s4 ie-v#asig s({z\

Nissaukamalla_passedawaM the durationsof the reigns of hissuccessors

were _{very short,} and the _.sovereign authority became weak(2). Under

such circumstances, foreignroyal _princestook advantage of the internal

disputeswith regard to the succession to the throne of SriLanka, and

MEgha aggressively attacked theisland(3).Thus,the state feIIintocomplete

disorder.

In theCv, Magha is describedas a Kalinga(4)and sometimes as a

Damila(5).Moreover, inthree instances,Magha's soldiers are describedas

Keralas(6);ineight instances,as Damilas(7);and inone instance,as both

Kera!asand Dami!as(8).The compiler states thatMagha arrived from the

Kalingacountry and conquered Lanka with twenty-fourthousand soldiers.

Based on this,itcan be concluded that the soldiers were recruited from

SouthIndia,inthe same manner as earlier _princesfrom Kalihga,such as

Anikahga

₍₁₂₀₉₎

and Lokissara

(1210-1211),

who captured the throne

of Polonnaruvawith the helpof Damila mercenaries from South India.

Another_possibilityisthatthe Keralaand Dami!a mercenaries were already

in

K51inga insearch of employment or were

in

theservice of M5gha, and came to SriLanka from K51ifigaitsel£ Itiscoajectured that there were

many Keralasat the beginningof the invasion;however,once Magha

had estal)lished himselfatPolonnaruva,more soldiers would have been

recruited from among the Damilas,who inhabitedthe northern _partsof

the _island.On considering the above, itappears thatMagha's army didnot

consist of a single ethnic group.Further,the Hvu states that enemy fbrces

numbering thousands

joined

their kings,fbrinstance,the Colas and the

Kera!as,who hadwrought mass destruction,includingthatof the Buddhist

Order,and were livinginPolonnaruva(9).Accordingto theCu,the account

thattherewere twenty-fburthousandsoldiers atthe timeofthe invasionand

forty-fburthousand Keralasand Damilas after a while, appears te support

the view that more Damilas swelled the ranks of the invadersafter their

initialvictories(iO).There isalso the _possibilitythat once Magha's army

TheShiftofSihala PowertotheSouthwesternPartsof SriLankaintheTliirteenthCentury ₅₅

3. The Invasionby Magha and the Destructionof the Safigha

As has been seen, Magha's armM whose forrnationwas facilitated

by the South Indianswho were aiready livingon and lateranived on the

island,brought_greatdisasterand chaos to SriLanka. The compiler of the

Cu ascribed thisdisasterto the omnipresent _gods,who were entrusted with

the_protectionof theislandbutfailedtofu1fi11thisobligation becauseof the

various accumulated nefarious deedsofthe inhabitants(ii).

Accordingto the Cv.,Magha's army

had

subjugated thewealthy

people, tortured them, and seized their_{possessions(i2).}His soldiers

destroyedtheimage housesand many cettyas, ravaged the temples and

maltreated thelaybrethren.Thisarmy allowed many of the bodilyrelics to

disappear(i3);the _pagesof many scriptural textswere torn from the cords

that bound them, and scattered indifferent_places(i`).Magha invadedall of Polonnaruva and captured Parakkamapa4du

(1212-1215),

who was the

Monarch atthattime. Parakl<amaparpdu'seyes were _gouged out and allhis

treasureswere _{plundered(t5).}

Afterhisconsecration as a ruler inSriLanka,Magha _pillagedall the

belongingsofthe Safighaand fbrcedthe_peopletoadopt a falsefaith(i6).The

viharas, theparive4as, and the

dyatanas

were allceded toMagha'swarriors

as tenements(i7).Furvther,MEgha caused _greatconfusion among the four

sharply dividedcastes(i8).Villagesand fields,housesand _gardens,slaves,

cattle, buffaloes-everythingthat belongedto the Sihalaswas surrendered

to the Keralas(i9).Before commencing the battleagainst VijyabaliuIII,

the areas through which the Damila soldiers marched were not only

Patittharattha

(Rajarajtha),

includingPolonnaruva, but also Mayarattha

(Daklchinadesa)(20).

AccordingtotheCv.,theDamilawaniors, inimitationof thewaniors

ofMfira, destroyedthe laityand the BuddhistOrder(2').From thisaccount, it

isclear thatMagha was not a Buddhist(22).On theother hand,NissaJikamalla

56 i<-V#tstwXk*

dynastydescendedfiromthelineageofOkkEka(23), exerted himselfto_protect the Safigha.Moreover, _predecessorsof Magha who belonged totheKalinga

dynastyat leastdid not destroythe Buddhist Order. Although M5gha

belongedto the Kalinga dynasty,he was an exception among the many

kingsof SriLanka,inthathisbehaviorwas anti-Buddhist.

Howeveg itisnecessary toconsider the_possibilitythatthecruelty of

Magha atthe timeof the

invasion

was exaggerated intheCv.becausehedid'

not assume a tolerantattitude toward Buddhism. However, the implications

of Codagafigadeva'sarrival at Gokaun.a

(Trincomalee),

estimated to

have taken _{placein1223 A.D.} and recorded inthe Sanskritinscription

at [Ihincomalee,are noteworthy(24). From the name Codagahga(25),itis

presumed that Codagahgadeva was a Kalinga from the eastern _part of

Gafiga,and Magha isconsidered to haveasked fbrreinforcements from the

Kalifigacountry. As Magha was unable toreunify the SriLankan_peopleand

his reign was being _protracted,he asked Codagafigadevaforsupport; the

1atterthen

journeyed

to SriLanka fbrthis_purpose.Due to the shortage of

resources caused by the resistance to hisrule, _giventhe continuous state of

war, itiscoajectured thatMagha hadtoturntohishomelandforhelp.

Itisrecorded thatMagha ascended the throneas a royal 'dignitary of

thisislandatPolonnaruva(26);however,theextent ofhis domainisuncertain.

According to the Cu, duringthe reign of Magha, several virtuous _people

hadfbundedtowns ot villages on many of the most inaccessiblemountains, such as Subha(27),Govindamala(28),and Gafigadoni(29),and _protectedthe

Iaityand the BuddhistOrder(30).Inthe inscriptionon the slab at Minipe,

itisstated that these areas had been independentbeforethe invasionby

Magha(3i).Furthermore, according to

the

account in the Uvu, when the

enemy fbrcesadvanced, theministers and other such

important

_personages

and thousands of other _peoplelefttheirvillages and townships and sought

Ihe ShiftofSihala Pewer tetheSouthwestern Partsef SriLanka intheThirteenthCentury 57

4. The Aecessionof the SilialaKings and ForeignInvasionsafter

M5gha

Out of fearof the enemM the Sihalaking Vijayabahuwithdrew to

several inaccessiblefbrests,and was accepted as the kingof the Vanni.The

word "Vanni" isa derivativeof vana

(forest),

and isconsidered to have

beenborneby chieftains who ruled tractsofterritory3 mostly inforests(33).

Vljayabahubroughtall the dignitariesof the Sihalasunder his influence

and marched forwardwith a Sihalaarmy. Afterhe had freedMay5rattha

from the clutches of the foe,he ascended the throne at Daihbaderpiyaas

Vijayab5hu III

_{(1232-1236)(34).}

His eldest son, Paralckamabahu II

(1236-1270),also succeeded tothethrone atDazihbadeniyaafter hisfather'sdeath.

However,theCu also contains records of the struggles fbr_power between

Paraltkamab5huIIand the foreigninvaders(35).At thattime,the fortresses of the Damila warriors still existed on the islandin Polonnaruva and

Kotthasara;atGafigatalaka;inKakalaya,Padi,Kurundi,and Manamatta: at

Mahatittha,Mannara,and Pulacceri;inValika,Goma,and Gonusu;and at

Madhupadapatitthaand Sukaratittha(36).

Afterthe invasionby Magha, there were mere than fiveforeign

invasions

or expeditions to the island

during

the Darbbaderpiyaand

Yapahuva _periods.The firstof thesewas the

invasion

by the J5vakaruler

Candabhfinuinthe eleventh _year of the reign of ParakkamabahuII,that

is,1247(37).Accordingto the Cv.,thisinvasionby the Javakaruler was

undertaken with Javakatroops from hiskingdom(38).The next expedition

was that by Jatavarman Sundara Pai)dya,sometime before1258(39).This

can be concluded becausethe Pandya inscriptionsdatedfrom hisseventh

regnal _yeag thatis,1258 recorded the factthathe exacted a tributefrom

the SriLankan ruler{4e). The PEi)dyaarmy may have come to SriLanka to

providesupport to the SihalaarmM although itsarrival isnot mentioned in

the C57.The factthatthe Sihalaforceswere waiting forMfigha'sretreating

ss 7e-v\{tsva]s(fla#

Sihalaswere acting inconcert(4i). The second Parpdyaexpedition appears to havetaken_placeinor about 1263(42).Thisrecord isalso not foundin the Cv. and isknown to us only from the inscriptionsof JatavarmanVira

PErpdya,according to which one ofthe kingsof SriLanka was slain and the

other was required to _pay a tribute.From this,itiscertain thatthere were

at leasttwo kingsinSriLanka at thistime(43).Around the same time,the

Javaka ruler Candabhanu leda second invasionof the Sihalakingdorn,on

thisoccasion with the helpof many Damila soldiers, whom he recruited

fromthe countries of the Pfirpdyasand Colasand elsewhere. The defeatof

Candabhdnuisreferred tointhe P5rpdyainscriptionsof 1263.Itisthus clear

thatthe Sihalasand the Parpdyasattacked Candabhanuat thesame time(44).

After 1263,.a

few

minor

invasions

of theislandappear tohave occurred

under the leadershipof Pandya feudatoriessuch as Kalingardyaraand

Codagafigadeva.Accordingto theCv.,thesetook _placeafter the accession of BhuvanekabfihuI

(1272-1284)(`5).

hround 1284,the next invasionwas

led_bythe _{Pandyafeudatory}named

Ariyacakkavattin(`6).

Itissufflcient to note thatthesefrequentinvasionsbroughtfurther

bands of mercenaries and other soldiers to the island.Many of them

may have stayed behindand foundednew homes inthe new kingdom in

northern SriLanka or inthe VtLnnichieftaincies. Theseinvasionsadded to

the strength of the [familelement inthe island.Therefbre,they might be

importantfactorsinthe establishment of Tamilsettlements inthethirteenth century.

5.The SihalaRegime 'and Patittharattha

In the historyof Sri Lanka, by the thirteenth century, there had also been many Dami!a invasionsof the islandon itsnorthern _part,

Pati#harattha.Sihalasociety was thrown intoturmoil; Buddhist buildings were destroyed,and the sovereignty and the capital were also _plundered.

TheShiftof SihalaPower totheSouthwesternPartsof SriLanka intheThirteenthCentury 59

island,and the Sihalakingsrecaptured the capital each time. However, thisisdoubtfu1after the thirteenthcentury, the invasionby M5gha, and the

subsequent advance of Candabhdnu.

Accordingto the Cu, by perfbrmingthe ceremony of the royal

consecration and shifting the Iboth Relicfrom the BillaMountain to

Darbbadeniya,Parakl(arnabahuIIwas said to have united all the _people who were in7isihala(47).That is,he was considered to have united the

entire islandafter ousting Magha's army. However, itisuncertain whether

thisisan historicalfact.As mentibned earlier, according to the epigraphic

records, therewere at leasttwo kingson the islandduringthe reign of

ParaltkamabahuII(`8).

Later inhis life,Parakkamabahu IIand hisson Vijayabahu IV set out with the intentionof restoring the royal cities of Polonnaruva and

Anuradhapura. They succeeded intheirefforts tobring_prosperityto some

extent(49).However,after hisreconstruction of theseold cities,Vijayabahu

IV charged theVannito _protectAnuradhapura.Accordingtothe CLi,the

Vannihadindependentchieftaincies inPati#.harattha(50).The Sihalakingsat

Daihbadeniya allowed them tohavenominal sovereignty.

During his lifetime,Paraklcamabahu II perfbrmed the ceremony

of the royal consecration twice.The firstceremony was heldwhen he

succeeded to thethroneatDathbadeqiya(Si),after hisfatherVijayabaliuIII,

as mentioned above. The second ceremony was heldat Polonnnaruva as

perthe intentionofhis son VljayabahuIV

(1270-1272)(52).

The factthatthe

ceremony was _performedagain atPolonnaruvaimpliesthatParakkamabahu

IIconsidered Polonnaruvaas the base of _power and thathe wished tobe

enthroned there(S3).Italso impliesthe recognition of hisvictory against the

Damilas inthesuburbs ofPolonnaruva. The establishment oftheparive4as,

theircontribution to the SafighainAnuradhapura(54),and the restoration of Ratanavali-cetiya(55)

by

_yuvariij'aBhuvanekabahuwere started around

thistime; however,therestoration was interrupted.A hostileenvironment

60 i{v-V#thvaRik#

Patittharattha.VijayabaliuIY who acceded to the throne after the deathof

Parakl(amabaliuII,was assassinated two _yearslater.However,intheCu,he

issaid to haveheldsway over all ofLanka(56).

The reasons that Parakkamabaliu IIchose Dathbadeniya as a capital and that Sihalasociety itselfshifted to the southwestern _partsof the

islandare the concerns of scholars invarious fields.The factthattheseat of _govemment was not shifted to PatitthEratthaeven after Polonnaruva

'

was regained by the Sihalas,reveals that the conditions there were rather

unstable. The collapse ofthe control mechanism forthe maintenance of the

irrigationsystem, thesudden change of climate, soil erosion, theprevalence

ofdamage by blightand harmfu1insects,thecollapse ofthe watercourse by

a

flood,

thespread ofmalaria, etc.,are cited as thereasons

for

thissituation.

However, there isno firmbasisforthe emergence of these factorsaround thethirteencentury(57).

Itispossiblethatthe most importantreason isthattheenemy hadnet

beendrivenout entirelM as confirTned bythe epigraphic record. On earlier

occasions, when the capital city was regained from invaders,they were

completely ousted from the island.However, inthis case, ifthe Damila

influencewas not completely eliminated from the islandand Magha's

army could migrate to itsnorthern _partsafter he had been exiled from

Polonnaruva,the invadersafter Magha would also be able to findrefuge

inthe nonhern _parts.Thus, theSihalakingswould finditmore difficultto

oust them. Itisduringthe reign ofParaklcamabahu III

(1287-1293)

thatthe

Cv.finallyrefers to Polonnaruva(S8).Further,the Cv contains no mention

concerning Anurfidhapurauntil the reign of Sirivijayarajasiha

(1739-1747)(59).

6. Conclusion

As hasbeenseen, itisrather _possibilethatMagha'sarrny remained in

TheShiftefSihala Power tetheSouthwesternPartsefSri LankaintheIliirteenthCentury 61 and thatthefbreigninvadersof SriLanka after Magha allied with him and

also sought refuge

in

the northern _partsof the island.Even ifthe Sihala

sovereignty secured a temporary victory against Magha, various reeords

confirm thatthebattlesagainst invaderscontinued thereafter.Accordingto

the Ciz,"Paral<kamabahu _II

united allthe_peoplewho were in7tsihala(60)."

However, as against thisaccount, itiscoajectured thatPatittharattha'was

abandoned as the domain of the Sihalakings after Magha, and that Sihala

society shifted tothe southwest inthe thirteenthcentury. Thisisbecause the

SouthIndianinfiuencebeganto havesovereignty over Patitthdrophafrom

around thistime.

Notes (1)Cv.8e.18-26.

(2)

Ciz80.27ff

(3)

C,i80.54ff:

(4)

Cu 80.58.

(5)

Cu

83.19.

(6)

Cm 80.61,76;81,4.

(7)

C,i80.70;81.14;82.6,27;83.12,14,24;87.25.

(8)

dr 8320a

(9)

HVu _p.32.

(10)

Cu 80.59;8320,

(11)

Cn 80.5455. (12)Cza80.64.

(13)

Cv 80.69.

(14)

Cv.80.67, (15)Cv 80.71-72.

(16)

Cu 80.73-75. (17)Cv 80.77.

(18)

C}v.80.75, (19)Cu 80.76,

(20)

Cu 81.1415.

62 ? £-V\thigXk\

Instead,they are replaced with Pati#hdratthaand Maydrattha.Geiger[1960]_p.9.

(21)

Cu 80,70.

(22)

Liyanagamage

_[2001]

_p.257. (23)nz, II,_pp.160,162,

(24)

nz._{Y pp.}170-173, (25)Paranavitana_[1961a]p.179.

(26)

Cu 80.73-74. (27)Cu 81,3.

(28)

Cu 81.5.

(29)

Cu 81.7.

(30)

Cu 81.1-2.

(31)

EZ,_{Y pp.}146-161. (32)llvv._p.30. '

(33)

Parariavitana

_[1960b]

_p.737. (34)(]u81.1O-16.

(35)

Cu 82.26-27.

(36)

Cu 83.15-18.

(37)

Paranavitana

_[1960a]

_p.620.

(38)

Cu 83.36--37. (39)Paranavitana _[1960a]p.621.

(40)

Sastri

_[1960]

_p.684,

_[1972]

_p.155,Hazra

_[1995]

_p.332.

(41)Sastri_[1960]p.685,Paranavirana_[1960a]p.621.

(42)

Sastri

_[1960]

_p.685,Paranavitana

_[l961b]

_p,285.

(43)Codrington_[19261p.78,Kemper [1991]p.50,ARE. 1912,pt.II,par,39.

(44)

Paranavitana

_[1960a]

_p.628.

(45)

Cv 90.32.

(46)

Cu 90.43-45.Sastri

[1960]

_p.685.

(47)

Cu 82.1ff:

IXsihalameans the three divisionsof the island:PatitthErattha(Rajaraltha),

Mdydrajtha(Daklchinadesa),and Roharpa.

(48)ARE. 1912,_pt.II,par.39.

(49)

Cu 88.27ff

(50)

Cu 88.87-89.

(51)Cu 82.2.

(52)

Cu 89.5-10.

TheShiftefSthala PowertetheSouthwesternPartsofSri LankaintheThirteenthCentury63

(54)

EZ. III,_p.288.

(55)

Cu 88.83-84. (56)Cu 90.1-3.

(57)

Nakamura

[1988]

_p.56.

(58)

Cv.90.55.

(59)

Cu 98.85.

(60)

Cza82.1.cf Cv.86.1. Abbreviations

ARE. AnnualRoportson EipigrapIty

Cu Ctilavamsa,ed. Geige4WL,PaliTbxtS

EZ lipigraphiaZeylanica

Hvv Hbtthcn,anagattavihdrctvarpsa,ed. God

oclety

alqJrnbura, C.E.,PaliTlextSociety

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