King Mahinda II - House of Lambakarna II | Anuradhapura - (778 - 797) - Sri Lankan History - Kings - Governors - Prisidents

King Mahinda II

House of Lambakarna II | Anuradhapura - (778 - 797)

The seventh King Aggabodhi had a son named Mahinda. He acted as sub-king, but since he died prematurely, the position of sub-king remained vacant. Traditionally, this meant that there was no member of the royal family to inherit the throne. However, there was a heir to fill that gap. He was Prince Mihindu, the son of Salamevan Aggabo, or the sixth King Aggabodhi. During this time, the seventh King Aggabodhi called him, appointed him to the position of commander, and entrusted him with the administration of the kingdom. However, he did not accept the position. After King Aggabodhi, the throne was succeeded by this Prince Mahinda. The Mahāvaṃsa states the following regarding this. The sixth King Aggabodhi asked astrologers to examine the birth stars of Prince Mahinda. They declared the prince to be suitable for the kingdom. The king instructed them to record this secretly and not reveal it to anyone, and he safely raised the prince in hiding. When the prince came of age, he was granted the position of commander. During the conflict between the sixth and seventh King Aggabodhi, the administration of the kingdom was entrusted to Prince Mahinda. However, after his father’s death, he refused to take the position of commander under the seventh King Aggabodhi. He acted as the governor of Mahathiththa (Mannar) instead. Mahathiththa was a key stronghold for commercial and military activities and needed to be well-protected. Occasionally, it seems he also administered the northern regions from there. However, Professor Senarath Paranavithana states that all this happened because Prince Mahinda did not have a legitimate claim to the throne. The second King Mahinda who later ascended the throne is the same prince, referred to in the chronicles as Salamevan Mihindu. The Mahāvaṃsa details how Prince Mihindu ascended the throne. When the seventh King Aggabodhi died, Prince Mihindu was in the Mahathiththa (Mannar) region, which was the principal western port of Lanka. The official in charge of this port is recorded in inscriptions as a person of great authority. As noted earlier, attacks from southern Bharata to the Anuradhapura kingdom passed through this port. Likewise, foreign trade relations were conducted via this port. Therefore, the king’s trusted official had to pay constant attention to this region. Prince Mahinda’s presence there was likely for this purpose. Meanwhile, the fifth King Aggabodhi died. On learning this, Prince Mahinda immediately went to the capital, fearing that a power vacuum might emerge. He found that the northern governors had stopped payments and created disorder. Prince Mahinda sent a military force to subdue them. Professor Paranavithana suggests that no one feared that Prince Mahinda would seize the throne, since he had no claim to the kingdom, and therefore he could act with authority without threat. Consequently, he was not an anointed son of Salamevan Aggabodhi, but there is no evidence to claim otherwise. At that time, the king’s final acts had concluded according to ritual precedents. Prince Mahinda assumed that the widowed queen, his mother, would act after the king’s death. Seeing the queen, he comforted her, saying that she should not grieve for the king but assume responsibility for the administration, and she remained silent. Her inner thoughts are revealed later, as she secretly proposed to kill the prince to place another queen in power. However, fortunately, Prince Mahinda discovered this plan, spread the information to his supporters, and restrained her, securing the situation peacefully. Professor Paranavithana interprets this differently. According to him, Prince Mahinda tried to marry the queen to legitimize his position. He sought to confirm his authority, but there is no evidence in the Mahāvaṃsa to support this. Legally, Prince Mahinda had a claim to the throne, and since it was impossible to kill or displace him, the queen submitted to him, as later described in the Mahāvaṃsa. After ascending the throne, Prince Mahinda could not maintain control peacefully. Dappula, a powerful leader with no direct relation to the throne but influential in the southern region of Kala Wewa, caused disorder. The Mahāvaṃsa notes that Dappula was a servant of Salamevan Aggabodhi (the sixth king). Prince Mahinda did not immediately attack, as he had to organize his army and proceed carefully to Sanggama, which corresponds to present-day Kurunegala district, part of the ancient southern region. Therefore, it is clear that the initial challenge to Mahinda’s authority came from Dappula, the southern prince. Prince Mahinda, acting as commander, took the widowed queen and moved against the enemy, resulting in a major battle. Dappula was defeated and retreated to Achchiselaya (Valasgala). Mahinda could not pursue him because the northern governors had seized the capital, but he returned to Anuradhapura, defeated the enemies, and secured the city. The northern governors occasionally caused trouble for the king, sometimes instigated by the queen or Dappula’s faction. Dappula later regrouped and reorganized his army. During this period, two loyalists from Rohana joined him. They brought a large army at night and surrounded the city. Prince Mahinda, with careful planning and consultation with his counselors, attacked and defeated them, capturing the two loyalists without killing them. In this way, the king eliminated all threats from the eastern and northern regions, protecting the queen and the child heir. After the child was born, the queen’s resistance ceased. Prince Mahinda had to face numerous challenges during his early reign. The Mahāvaṃsa notes that the queen, his minor mother, had initially opposed him, but he handled all threats skillfully and patiently, eventually securing her submission without bloodshed. This indicates that Prince Mahinda’s strategies and intentions were successful. After granting the position of sub-king to the queen’s son, there were still troubles from the southern region, where two regional governors feared losing their inheritance. Dappula, after being defeated in battle, refused to accept his defeat several times. Two regional governors from the eastern region also submitted again. The Mahāvaṃsa notes that these individuals were brothers of Dappula, and therefore sons of the sister of Salamevan Aggabodhi. Three brothers entered into an agreement and established forts near the Mahaweli River. This agreement may have been related to the succession to the throne. The king secured the city and established a fort in Mahummaragama. A battle took place in Kovilara, the exact location of which is unknown today. During this battle, the two eastern brothers died, and Dappula fled to Rohana. Through all these conflicts, King Mahinda eliminated all enemies across the kingdom. Dappula continued to attempt rebellion from Rohana. He reorganized the army without misleading the local population. Knowing this, the king realized that such rebellion would harm the kingdom’s development and oppress the people. Therefore, a royal assembly was convened, attended by monks, high officials, legal scholars, and experts, at Thūparāma. The king explained the necessary measures, and all agreed. King Mahinda entrusted the kingdom to the monks and the people and led his army to Rohana, reaching Maraparvata, corresponding to present-day Maragalkanda in Monaragala district. On the way, the Rohana people saw the destruction he caused and submitted to him. Despite Dappula being a formidable enemy, King Mahinda did not intend to destroy him, considering the future carefully. However, he deemed it necessary to punish the wrongdoers. The northern boundary of the kingdom was extended to Gal Oya for this purpose. Traditionally, the Mahaweli River marked the boundary of the Rohana region, but Mahinda established the boundary at Gal Oya, punishing Dappula accordingly. The Mahāvaṃsa refers to this river as Gālhaganga, though some manuscripts mention Kanha Ganga (Black River). In any case, the river remained part of the Rohana boundary, and extending it to Gal Oya was intended as a punishment. Historically, the Gal Oya valley was a major granary for both Rohana and the kingdom. Wars during King Dutugemunu’s time were often conducted near this fertile region. King Mahinda also changed the administrative boundaries of Rohana, as confirmed by inscriptions. Three inscriptions from Rajagala (present-day Ampara region) belong to his reign, according to Professor Senarath Paranavithana. One mentions a ritual performed by official Veerankura at Ariththara Vihara under the orders of the official Sen. Ariththara Vihara was located on Rajagala lands, identified as the Girikumubhi Vihara built by King Lajjitissa. This site, used by many kings for religious offerings, was an important ceremonial platform in the Gal Oya valley. Thus, the second King Mahinda eliminated all enemies across the island. After establishing peace, he focused on religious matters. He had the Dāma Vihara, Tembilithota in Polonnaruwa, and Abhayagiriya Mahālekhaka repaired, commissioned a Buddha statue in Ratna Prasada, Anuradhapura, and conducted a ritual for the Hemasali monks. Cows and horses were distributed for cultivation, with horses given to Tamil people when cows were unavailable. Although battles occurred, the kingdom experienced prosperous development. He repaired the irrigation tanks, provided ten thousand baskets of paddy as cattle fodder, and ensured proper collection of revenues across the island. The Mahāvaṃsa praises King Mahinda’s worthiness and ability to govern. Astrologers had declared him suitable from birth, and his reign was marked by tolerance, patience, and adherence to dharma. The account of his conflicts with Dappula demonstrates his strategic foresight, and he ruled for twenty years.