Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
91
King Sangha Tissa II
Kingdom of Anuradhapura
618 AC - 618 AC

fter King Aggabodhi II, the throne was taken over by one named Asiggahaka Sanghatissa. Since there was another king previously bearing the same name, this ruler is referred to as Sanghatissa the Second. His rightful claim to the throne or his exact relationship to King Aggabodhi II is not clearly known. According to the Pujavaliya and Rajavaliya, he is said to have been a Malanu (palace official or attendant) of that king.

In the first chapter, it has been mentioned that King Aggabodhi II appointed a relative of his queen to the position of Asiggahaka (the sword-bearer). His name was given there as Samsabhadra. It is possible that this same person later became the above-mentioned Sanghatissa. However, there is no evidence that he possessed any direct hereditary right to the throne. King Sanghatissa, who was inclined toward justice, is said to have distributed official positions properly for the welfare of both the religion and the country, and to have protected the people, but there is no record of him performing any other remarkable deed. It also appears that he did not have sufficient time to accomplish much.

During this period, the rule over Ruhuna (the southern region) was held by a prince named Moggallana, who was a nephew of King Aggabodhi II. When he learned that Sanghatissa had ascended the throne, he opposed it. Having gathered an army, he marched against the king and established his camp at Mahagalla. Mahagalla is generally considered to be the present-day Nikaweratiya area in the Kurunegala District. It was located in the region corresponding to the ancient southern province. Later, it became a stronghold of the Solians (Cholas) as well.

King Sanghatissa sent an army against Prince Moggallana, but Moggallana easily repelled them and then set up his camp at a place called Ratti Vihara. After the battle at Mahagalla, Prince Moggallana advanced further, halted at Ratti Vihara, and reorganized his forces. The exact location of this place is still unidentified, but it is presumed to be the area now known as Ras Vehera, where a sacred Buddhist shrine stands. The army sent by King Sanghatissa was defeated by Moggallana in a battle at a place called Kadalinivata. However, Prince Moggallana did not retreat; he reorganized his troops and went to Rahera Mountain. In the Mahavamsa, this is recorded in two versions as Karehere and Karera, depending on the manuscript. Professor Senarath Paranavitana identifies this as Rahera, and in another context, he recognizes Rahera Mountain as the one where the Sessaruwa Great Buddha Statue now stands.

Although King Sanghatissa ordered his general to go to battle, the general claimed to be ill and took to his bed. The king himself then prepared to go forward for battle. However, the king had fallen into a most unfortunate state. It appears that he received little or no support even from within his own palace. The townspeople deserted him, and even food was no longer cooked in the royal household. The only food brought to the king came from the Mahapali alms hall. Overcome by great distress, King Sanghatissa, together with his son and a small group of followers, went to a place called Pacinatissa Pabbata. This could not have been the place below Nuwara Wewa on the Anuradhapura–Mihintale road, because the geographical details in the description of the battle do not match that location; it must have been a mountainous area. Meanwhile, Prince Moggallana’s army continued to advance.

The end of King Sanghatissa was drawing near. After the king had gone to war, the general who had feigned illness rose from his bed, took an army, and struck the king from behind. It is likely that Prince Moggallana had bribed him. His earlier claim of illness thus clearly appears to have been deceitful. The king’s army split—some joined the treacherous general, and others went over to Prince Moggallana’s side. The king was left alone.

At this time, another ominous event occurred. As the king’s royal elephant passed under a tree, a branch broke off and fell, striking the elephant’s back and breaking its seat. The enemy gave this saddle to the treacherous general. He climbed to the summit of a hill and raised the saddle high, and those remaining in the king’s army, thinking that the king was there, went to that spot. Surrounded by the two enemy forces, King Sanghatissa, now isolated, fled with his son and a loyal minister into the forest called Merumajjara.

King Sanghatissa had another son named Dethutissa, who fled to the country of Malaya and hid there. The prince and the minister who went into the Merumajjara forest went to a monastery called Veluvana, donned monk’s robes as a disguise, and departed toward Ruhuna. But at Minneriya, they were captured by the soldiers of Prince Moggallana, who were guarding the pass. Considering the battle zones and the path of the king’s flight, it is apparent that Prince Moggallana had advanced his army from the western side of Ruhuna, and that guards had been stationed along the well-known route crossing Kacchaka Titha (Kaccakatittha ferry). Thus, Prince Moggallana was able to secure control over the southern region and capture the fleeing king. It is evident that the ruler of Rohana (Ruhuna) possessed a keen understanding of military organization.

Prince Moggallana ordered his soldiers to kill the king and the prince but to bring the general alive. The soldiers took them to Sigiriya, where they killed them and sent their heads to King Moggallana. The conduct of the king’s general at this point is said to have been exemplary. Although the soldiers had been instructed to spare him and bring him alive, upon seeing the murder of his master, King Sanghatissa, the general refused to live and took his own life. Thus, all three—the king, the prince, and the general—were killed, and this was reported to Prince Moggallana. Thereafter, the obstacle that stood between Moggallana and the crown was removed. According to the Pujavaliya and the Rajavaliya, the reign of King Sanghatissa lasted only two months.

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