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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mr PERERA" data-source="post: 6482203" data-attributes="member: 176031">Dutthagamani of Sri Lanka<img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/2q33k7m.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Dutugamunu Statue situated in Ruwanveliseya <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhalese_people" target="_blank">Sinhalese</a> king of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka" target="_blank">Sri  Lanka</a> who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for  defeating and overthrowing the usurping <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_people" target="_blank">Tamil</a>  king of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anuradhapura" target="_blank">Anuradhapura</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elara" target="_blank">Elara</a> of  India, expanding and beautifying the city, and projecting the power of  his native Rajarata region across the island of Sri Lanka. Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbol of Sinhalese  historical power, Dutugemunu's story is swathed in myth and legend.  However, many aspects of the accounts of his life have been verified by  contemporary inscriptions, and the basic account of his life is  generally accepted as accurate. Ancestry and  Family <img src="http://img5.travelblog.org/Photos/18100/323563/t/2841258-The-Statue-of-King-Kavantissa--Modu-Maha-Viharaya-1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />    King Kavantissa - Father <img src="http://www.mirisawetiya.org/images/New%20Folder/viharamahadevi.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Viharamaha Devi - Mother The Mahavamsa constitutes the major source on Dutugemunu's reign and  dedicates some six chapters (out of 35) to his tale. In chapter 22 he is  described as being descended from the ancient royal family of Rajarata  through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanampiyatissa" target="_blank">Devanampiyatissa</a>'s  brother <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahanaga" target="_blank">Mahanaga</a>.  At the time of his birth Dutugemunu's father was Kavantissa, king of  Ruhuna, a small kingdom in south-east Sri Lanka outside of the influence  of Rajarata in the north; the border between the two polities was the  Mahaganga, or 'Great River', possibly the modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Menik_Ganga&action=edit&redlink=1" target="_blank">Menik Ganga</a>.  Kavantissa is portrayed in the Mahamvamsa as 'devoutly believing in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism" target="_blank">three  gems</a>, [and] he provided the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangha" target="_blank">brotherhood</a>  continually with...needful things Dutugemunu's mother was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viharamahadevi" target="_blank">Viharamahadevi</a>, daughter of Tissa, king of  Kalyani. Legend has it that as punishment for Tissa slaying a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist" target="_blank">Buddhist</a> monk, Kalyani had been subject to a  series of deluges from the sea. To placate it Tissa placed his daughter  Devi in a golden boat with the words 'A King's Daughter' written on the  side, and set her out to sea. Miraculously the princess washed ashore,  alive and well, in Ruhuna, and married Kavantissa. During her pregnancy with Dutugemunu, Viharamahadevi had a series of  peculiar cravings, including the urge to sleep on a pillow made of  honeycombs. In particular her urge to drink the water used to wash a  sword that had cleaved the head of a warrior of Elara, whilst standing  on that same head, raised the interest of the soothsayers at court, who  predicted that 'The queen's son, when he has vanquished the Damilas  (Tamil invaders) and built up a united kingdom, will make the doctrine  to shine forth brightly. Viharamahadevi gave birth to a son  named Gamani Abhaya some time later, and after that to another child, a  boy named Tissa. Around the time of Gamani's birth, 'an elephant of the six-tusked  race brought his young one thither and left him here and went his way,Named Kandula, he went on to become  Gamani's mount and accompanied him through much of the prince's  adventures The Battle in the Palace  and Early Reign <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Flag_of_Dutthagamani.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Flag Of Duthtugamunu By the age of 16 Gamani was 'vigorous, renowned, intelligent and a  hero in majesty and might, if a little wayward. Determined to  expel the invading king of Rajarata Gamani, levied an army from around  Rohana and declared his intention to regain the north to his father. The  king forbade this stating that 'the land on this side of the river is  enough; the resulting  exchange between father and son saw Gamani being dubbed 'Duttha Gamani',  his friends fleeing to Malaya, and he himself being incarcerated in a  royal prison. Kavantissa is known as a brilliant strategist who recognised early  that he needed to make his kingdom powerful before waging a war against  the invaders. He assembled armies and gave made his kingdom prosperous  in "rice and betel leaf" - this meaning that the people had a lot of  agricultural surplus. The legendary ten "great giants" - men who had  great strength - are brought into the army at this time. Kavantissa  repeatedly makes Dutugemunu and Tissa swear that they would never fight  one another and that they would always respect and listen to the advice  of the priests. He also makes the ten giants swear never to pick sides  in a war between the brothers. Upon Kavantissa's death, Dutugemunu found himself having to defend  his crown against his younger brother Tissa, who had seized possession  of not only the elephant Kandula, but the dowager queen Viharamahadevi  as well. The war between the  two began with a defeat for Dutugemunu at Culanganiyapitthi, where 'many  thousands of the king's (Dutugemunu's) men' perished. Dutugemunu was  forced to flee back to Mahagama where he levied another army and engaged  Tissa in yet another battle in the vicinity of the city. Legend has it  that as Tissa, fought his brother riding the royal elephant "Kandula"  against Dutugemunu who rode a mare. Dutugemunu at one point made the  mare jump over the elephant causing the elephant to recognise its master  and attempt to kill Tissa who hastily dismounts via a tree. Dutugemunu  was victorious and Tissa was smuggled off the battlefield disguised as  the corpse of a monk. It is said that  Dutugemunu recognised the ploy and called out to his brother "Are you  not ashamed to be carried on the back of these priests?" Some time  afterwards, however, Dutugemunu and Tissa were reconciled through the  efforts of Viharamahadevi and the monks, and Tissa became one of the  king's foremost generals. </blockquote>

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