King Devanampiya Tissa - House of Moriya i | Anuradhapura - (BC 307 - BC 267) - Sri Lankan History - Kings - Governors - Prisidents

King Devanampiya Tissa

House of Moriya i | Anuradhapura - (BC 307 - BC 267)

After the death of King Mutasiva, Prince Tissa, his second son, ascended the throne. The sources state that although there was an elder brother, the second son was made king because he was a person endowed with superior wisdom and intelligence. With the coronation of King Tissa, many wondrous phenomena appeared. Among these were the surfacing of hidden treasures, valuable goods from ships wrecked at sea washing ashore, the appearance at the foot of Mount Jātaparvata of three miraculous staffs known as the Latā-yaṣṭi, Kusuma-yaṣṭi, and Śakuna-yaṣṭi, as well as the emergence of various kinds of pearls and gems. It is said that King Tissa and King Dharmāśoka, the ruler of India at that time, were unseen friends. Considering that some of the objects that appeared were suitable gifts for his friend, King Tissa dispatched them by ship from Jambukola with a delegation led by his nephew Prince Mahā Ariṭṭha. After sailing for seven days, they reached a port in Jambudīpa, and after another seven days they arrived at the city of Pāṭaliputta. Having received the gifts and being delighted by his unseen friend, Emperor Dharmāśoka bestowed many honors upon them. He granted Prince Ariṭṭha the rank of commander-in-chief, the Brahmin the position of royal chaplain, the minister the office of chief judge, and the accountant the position of seṭṭhi. Of the four who undertook the mission, the Mahavamsa mentions only Prince Ariṭṭha by name. The Dipavamsa gives the other names as the Brahmin Sāla, the minister Parittapabbata, and the accountant Tissaputta. The Mahavamsaṭīkā records these names respectively as Tāli, Malla, and Tissa. After being honored in this manner and residing there for seven months, the envoys returned to their own country. The sources describe the various items sent by King Aśoka with the envoys: bows and arrows, ceremonial swords, royal umbrellas, pairs of sandals, head ornaments, footstools, vessels, scented powders, unwashed garments fit for use, hand fans, nāga ornaments, fragrant clay, water from Lake Anotatta, water from the River Ganges, conch shells, nandiya-vatta, vaḍḍhamānaka, maidens, golden vessels, palanquins, aralu and nelli fruits, ambrosial substances, medicines, perfumes, and consecration implements. Along with these came a gift of the Dhamma, namely: “I have taken refuge in the Triple Gem; it is fitting that you do the same.” After residing in Jambudīpa for seven months, the envoys returned to Lanka with the gifts, and using the consecration articles they had brought, King Tissa was consecrated once again. This took place on the full-moon day of the month of Vesak. This royal consecration was the first important consecration to occur in Lanka. Therefore, it is necessary to state at least briefly the details relating to it. King Dharmāśoka had sent the five royal regalia along with sandalwood, garments, fragrant clay, Kshatriya maidens, medicines, and all other necessities as gifts. An important account of the consecration is quoted in the Mahavamsaṭīkā from an ancient Sinhala commentary. According to it, within the pavilion prepared for the consecration, a dais made of udumbara wood should be placed at the center, and the Kshatriya should be seated upon it. First, holding the vessel with both hands and pouring water upon the crown of the head, the officiant should say: “O divine one, I consecrate you to protect all Kshatriya clans. Reign in accordance with royal righteousness. Regard the Kshatriyas as your own children. Guard them with all your strength.” Thereafter, the Brahmin chaplain, suitably attired, should bring Ganges water in a silver conch and pour it upon the king’s head, saying that he should rule while protecting the Brahmins. Next, the householder, adorned with appropriate ornaments, should bring water in a jewel-encrusted conch and pour it upon the king’s head, saying that he should protect the householders. He should further declare: “Rule the kingdom in accordance with our word; otherwise, it will be as though you curse yourself to have your head split into seven pieces.” According to this account preserved in local literature, the consecration conducted for King Tissa using the articles sent by Emperor Dharmāśoka may reflect the form of that consecration. By the time the text was written, additional elements may have been incorporated. The influence of Buddhism is evident, yet the original framework appears to have been shaped according to Indian custom. The inclusion of a curse such as the splitting of the head indicates this, for such ideas are not supported by Buddhist doctrine. During King Tissa’s consecration, water brought from Lake Anotatta was used. It is said that no such consecration had taken place here previously. Earlier kings are said to have ruled by bearing a new staff as a symbol of authority. Thereafter, seven specific places from which clay should be taken for making consecration articles were designated. The epithet Devānampiya may have been acquired by King Tissa following this consecration. In his analysis of this consecration, Mahācārya Senarath Paranavitana raises the question of why King Tissa, who had already received an earlier consecration, was consecrated again using articles obtained from Jambudīpa. He answers that this clearly indicates King Tissa’s acceptance of Emperor Aśoka’s suzerainty. The most remarkable event of this king’s reign was the arrival of Mahinda Thera in Lanka to establish the Buddhist dispensation. The chronicles describe in detail the circumstances that led to this momentous event. After Emperor Dharmāśoka took refuge in the Triple Gem, great patronage was extended to Buddhism. Thousands of heretics, greedy for gain and honor, donned the robes and corrupted the religion, distorting the Dhamma. With the participation of Arahant Moggaliputta Tissa, the emperor convened a council, purified the dispensation, and then acted to spread this sublime Dhamma throughout the world. When missionary groups were sent to nine countries, Lanka was selected as one of them. The leader of the group sent here was Mahinda Thera, the emperor’s son, who had already become an arahant. At that time, the full-moon day was reserved for recreation by the people of Lanka. Having organized festivities for the townspeople, the king went hunting at Missaka Mountain, eight miles from Anuradhapura. Mahinda Thera arrived there with the elders Iṭṭhiya, Uttiya, Sambala, and Bhaddasāla, the novice Sumana, and the lay devotee Bhaṇḍuka. This occurred in the 236th year after the Buddha’s Parinibbāna, or in the eighteenth year after Emperor Dharmāśoka’s consecration, on the Poson full-moon day. Meeting the king at Missaka Mountain, Mahinda Thera preached the Dhamma. The king and his retinue took refuge in the Triple Gem and became Buddhists. This episode is beautifully narrated in the Mahavamsa. While pursuing a deer, the king ascended the mountain. The deer disappeared, and a voice was heard from the summit calling “Tissa, Tissa.” Astonished, the king looked in the direction of the sound and saw the monks. Frightened at first, he was questioned by Mahinda Thera with two questions known as the Mango Question and the Relatives Question. From the king’s answers, Mahinda Thera recognized his wisdom and preached the Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta. Thus, the discipline of the Dispensation became clear to the king. On the following day, the king invited Mahinda Thera to the capital and donated the Mahāmeghavana garden, originally established by his father. Mahinda Thera pointed out the boundaries for the monastery, the pond, the refectory, the Bodhi site, and the site of the Great Stupa, and delivered many sermons. According to the chronicles, Anulā Devī, the wife of the king’s brother, attained stream-entry after hearing the Dhamma and wished to renounce the world. Upon consulting Mahinda Thera, the king sent envoys again to Pāṭaliputta to bring his sister Saṅghamittā Therī—already an arahant—and a branch of the Jaya Sri Mahā Bodhi. The leader of this delegation was again Prince Ariṭṭha. They crossed the sea from Jambukola and reached Pāṭaliputta. Although Emperor Dharmāśoka was reluctant to send his daughter so far away, he consented for the sake of spreading the Dhamma. The southern branch of the Jaya Sri Mahā Bodhi was obtained, and from Tāmralipti they sailed back to Lanka. Along with it came people of various castes to attend to the Bodhi Tree. Among them were eight brothers of Vedisa Devī, the mother of Mahinda Thera. The southern branch of the Jaya Sri Mahā Bodhi was planted in the Mahāmeghavana, and the Thuparama was built. During these ceremonies, several of the king’s brothers, Prince Mahā Ariṭṭha, and many others entered the Order, thus establishing the Sangha in this land. The Mahāvihāra founded in the Mahāmeghavana became the center of Theravāda Buddhism in the country. King Devānampiyatissa built the Thuparama and enshrined the collarbone relic there. It was initially constructed using dried clay brought from the Abhaya Tank. The king welcomed Saṅghamittā Therī and her entourage with great devotion, entering the water up to his neck and receiving the Bodhi branch upon his head. The Bodhi Tree was brought in grand procession from Jambukola to Anuradhapura, attracting people from all parts of Lanka. Kshatriyas from Kataragama and Candanagrāma, the Brahmin Tivakka, and many nobles attended. Eight saplings from the Bodhi Tree were planted in various parts of the island. The king honored all who accompanied the Bodhi, assigning appropriate positions, and built monasteries such as the Hatthālaka for Saṅghamittā Therī, the Jambukola Vihara, the Isurumuni Vihara for five hundred nobles, and the Vessagiri Vihara for five hundred from the merchant caste. He also built monasteries at intervals of one yojana and kept the alms bowl relic in the palace, paying homage to it. His minister Dīghasanda built a monastery bearing his own name. Thus, the service rendered by King Devānampiyatissa toward establishing and rooting Buddhism in this land was immense. Among the major forces in Sri Lankan history, the Buddhist transformation of the island is encapsulated by the term Mahinda-āgamanaya—the Coming of Mahinda. Literature, script, sculpture, painting, the Pali language, and many other disciplines were formally introduced to the people along with Buddhism. After the Aryan settlement, a major transformation of social life occurred during King Tissa’s reign, foremost being the conversion of the people to Buddhism. Within about a decade of Mahinda Thera’s arrival, people from all regions entered the Order. Through ordinations and monastic observances, Mahinda Thera became the chief advisor to the king. By offering his royal regalia to the Bodhi Tree, the king symbolically anointed the Buddha as the supreme ruler of Lanka. Society was recognized as the fourfold assembly—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—establishing a humane and rights-protecting system unlike the Brahmanical four-caste order. Prior to Buddhism, Brahmins held influence, and the king’s chaplain was a Brahmin. Inscriptions reveal that Gobhūti was the king’s teacher and physician. Yet a Brahmanical social order did not take root due to the influence of Buddhism. Thus, during King Tissa’s reign, the foundation of a peaceful and harmonious society was laid. The arrival of Mahinda is a momentous historical event, confirmed by archaeological evidence such as inscriptions—most notably the Rajagala inscription, which records the relics of Elders Iṭṭhiya and Mahinda. Another inscription at Mihintale lists four elders of the missionary group. A sculpture at Sanchi depicting the bringing of the Bodhi Tree further confirms the historicity of this event. King Devānampiyatissa himself is a historical figure. Although some scholars believed that the king mentioned in early Brahmi inscriptions was his brother Uttiya, inscriptions from Pindiyā clearly identify Devānampiyatissa. These inscriptions confirm the royal title Gamini (Gamīṇi) for King Tissa. While the Mahavamsa records many beliefs during Pandukabhaya’s time, it shows that before Buddhism there was no fully developed religious system providing moral meaning to life. Such a system emerged during King Devānampiyatissa’s reign, leading to religious unity across the island—an immense historical force. Despite this unity, the entire island was not under his direct rule. Independent minor rulers existed, but remarkably, inscriptions show that all accepted Buddhism. Rajarata was under his control, while the southern region, later known as Rohana, remained independent. Local rulers such as the Kshatriyas of Kajaragama and Candanagrama controlled parts of it. Events such as Mahānāga’s flight to Rohana further indicate this independence. King Devānampiyatissa, regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Sri Lankan history, reigned in Anuradhapura for approximately forty years.