Bharana: Fleet-Footed Warrior of King Dutugemunu

In the epic narrative of the unification of Sri Lanka under King Dutugemunu (r. 161–137 BCE), the Dasa Mahā Yodhayo, or ten great warrior giants, occupy a central role. These men were not merely soldiers but elite champions chosen for their extraordinary strength and martial skill. Among this legendary group, Bharaṇa (also known as Baraṇa) was celebrated for his exceptional speed and for a distinctive method of hunting large animals during his youth. His life story reflects the transformation of a talented village youth into a senior commander in the army that reclaimed the Anurādhapura Kingdom from theChola ruler Elāra.

Birth and Prodigious Childhood

Bharaṇa was born in the mid–2nd century BCE in the village of Kappakandara (Sinhala: Kapkandura), located in the southern principality of Ruhuna. He was the son of a man named Kumāra. Historical and geographical interpretations identify Kappakandaragāma as lying on the banks of the Kappakandara-nadī, which is known today as the Mānik Gaṅgā.

From a very early age, Bharaṇa displayed physical abilities that appeared almost supernatural. Unlike several of his fellow giants—such as Mahāsona, who was renowned for uprooting palm trees with sheer strength—Bharaṇa’s exceptional talents were concentrated in the power and endurance of his legs.

At the age of ten or twelve, he would accompany other boys from the village into the forest to hunt hares. Rather than using traps or weapons, he chased the animals down and crushed them beneath his feet. By the time he reached sixteen years of age, he began hunting much larger and more dangerous animals, including antelopes, elk, and wild boars, employing the same technique of outrunning them and striking them down with his feet. These remarkable exploits soon became widely known throughout the southern districts and eventually came to the attention of the royal court.

Recruitment into the Service of Dutugemunu

The recruitment of Bharaṇa formed part of King Kākavaṇṇatissa’s broader strategy to defend the Kingdom of Ruhuna against the rule of Elāra in Anurādhapura. Anticipating that his sons, Prince Gāmaṇī (Duṭṭhagāmaṇī) and Tissa, would require an elite corps of champions, the king began identifying the strongest men throughout the land.

When reports of Bharaṇa’s feats reached the capital of Māgāma, King Kākavaṇṇatissa summoned him to the royal court. There he was formally received and placed in the service of Prince Gemunu (Dutugemunu).

Bharaṇa became one of the ten principal champions who served as the prince’s personal bodyguard. In accordance with the king’s recruitment system, each of the ten giants was required to enlist ten additional warriors. These hundred men subsequently recruited ten more each, eventually creating a specialized elite force of 11,110 soldiers. While Prince Gemunu spent his time in Mahāgāma refining his skills in archery and the management of war elephants, Bharaṇa and his companions trained with him daily in martial exercises, preparing for the inevitable campaign to liberate the island.

Battles and Martial Exploits

Bharaṇa participated in the entire northern military campaign, which began with the crossing of the Mahāvēli Gaṅgā. He took part in the general advance that resulted in the capture of more than thirty Tamil fortresses along the riverbanks.

His most notable contribution occurred during the siege of Vijitapura, a heavily fortified Tamil stronghold protected by triple moats and massive iron-clad gates. The siege lasted approximately four months (some sources state six months) before culminating in a large-scale assault. While the royal elephant Kandula, together with the giants Nandhimitta and Sūranimila, attacked the southern gate, Bharaṇa was assigned to lead the assault at one of the other cardinal gates.

The chronicles record that Bharaṇa performed “Homeric feats of valor” during the fierce fighting that followed. Using his immense strength and agility, he was among those who breached the high walls and shattered the Tamil defenses, allowing the Sinhala army to pour into the city.

During the final and decisive battle for the city of Anurādhapura, Bharaṇa served as a senior commander within the fourfold army. He participated in the defeat of Elāra’s forces and was present when the aged Tamil king was eventually slain in single combat by Dutugemunu near the southern gate of the city. Following Elāra’s death, Bharaṇa also assisted in defeating the reinforcements commanded by Bhalluka, who had landed at Mahātittha too late to rescue his uncle.

Life After the War

Following the final victory and the reunification of Laṅkā, King Dutugemunu bestowed high honors, titles, and material rewards upon his champions. Unlike Theraputtābhaya, who famously declined such rewards in order to enter the monastic order and “battle with the passions,” Bharaṇa remained a respected pillar of the royal state.

References

Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya or a historical narrative of Sinhalese kings from Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
Mahanama, Geiger, W., & Bode, M. H. (1912). The Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Ceylon. Translated into English by Wilhelm Geiger. For the Pali Text Society by Henry Frowde.
Nicholas, C. W., & Paranavitana, S. (1961). A Concise History of Ceylon : From the Earliest Times to the Arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. University of Ceylon.
Senaveratna, J. M. (1946). Dutugemunu: His Life and Times. Sinha Publications.