432 AC - 433 AC

After the one-year reign of the Chattagahaka king ended, a friend of his, named Amatiya, carried out the final acts of kingship in the palace and installed a person named Mitrasena on the throne. The Mahavamsa notes that he was very powerful and a thief (Vihichorang Mahabalam). This requires some clarification. It appears that a thief who practiced stealing rice was installed on the throne, as indicated here, so this could be considered a disgrace to the Sinhalese royal lineage. The Mahavamsa uses the word Vihichora. Sri Sumangala Nahimi and Batuwantudawe Pandituma translate this as “karal sora” (thief). Sinhalese sources also describe Mitrasena as a “karal sora.” The term “chora” in the Mahavamsa does not mean a thief in the conventional sense.
As mentioned earlier, in several instances, the word “chora” in the Mahavamsa was used to mean a rebellious or opposing person, as in the case of King Walagamba opposing the Brahmin Teeya Subha. In these cases, the scholars translating it as “karal sora” for Mitrasena followed the Sinhalese usage. Professor Wilhelm Geiger initially interpreted “chora” as a thief, but here he translates it as “rice thief.” All these translators failed to examine the original Sinhalese meaning of the word Vihichora in the text. Sinhalese sources correctly translate it as karal sora. The word karal is rendered in the Mahavamsa as vihi, though the term vihi itself has no meaning. In places like “goyam karal” or “wee karal,” it has another meaning. In Sinhalese sources, the word karal sora is rendered as Vihichora in the Pali text of the Mahavamsa. The Sinhalese root word karali refers to someone engaged in theft or rebellion. Mitrasena, known for plundering and rebellious activities, is therefore accurately described as a powerful rebel rather than a lowly rice thief. Someone engaged in petty theft could not have occupied a royal palace position.
The Amatiya, who installed Mitrasena on the throne, used a stratagem. He claimed that the king had fallen ill and must be examined for royal duties. Although sources do not explicitly state it, it is possible that Sangha, the widow of the Chattagahaka king, supported this, since Amatiya was a friend of the Chattagahaka king. The stratagem was not fully successful, though some time passed. On a ceremonial day, the people caused a commotion, saying that if there were a king, he should attend the ceremony with them. At that moment, Mitrasena, fully adorned in royal garments, appeared. The Mahavamsa describes a remarkable event: elephants brought into the palace for the ceremony did not obey the king, who was bound with ropes, and he had to mount the elephants to proceed to the palace. Later, the elephants were stopped at the site of the Cetiya and placed there. This incident is described with minor variations in texts such as Pujavali and the royal chronicles.
"He quickly went to worship the Tooth Relic and returned to the palace. The Amatiyas brought elephants for the procession. After a short pause, the king said, ‘The elephants are not suitable for me.’ Then the king saw the elephants tied with ropes and had to mount them, proceeding to the palace."
This extraordinary story may carry some symbolic meaning. As noted, the Mahavamsa portrays Mitrasena as a powerful figure, suggesting his influence. However, the way the kingdom was administered—Sotthisena being formally installed but sidelined, and the Amatiya exercising power—caused the administrative system to weaken and become chaotic. During this troubled period, it appears that southern Indian invaders had opportunities to enter the country. Among them, a Tamil invader named Pandu invaded the kingdom, killed Mitrasena, and captured the throne. This king’s reign, who installed the three-tusked elephants and ceremonial gates, lasted only about one year.