Sovereigns of Sri Lanka: King Chattagahaka Janthu [432 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
King Sotthisena [432 CE] -House of Lambakanna I-	King Chattagahaka Janthu [432 CE] -House of Lambakanna I-	King Mittasena [432-433 CE]
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

About King Chattagahaka Janthu

King Chattagahaka Janthu (also called Lamini Tissa) was a brief ruler of the Anuradhapura Kingdom in Sri Lanka. He came to power through a rather unusual and somewhat controversial means. He was the husband of Princess Sangha, the daughter of King Mahanama (410-43).

When King Mahanama passed away, his son Sotthisena, born to a Tamil consort, ascended the throne. However, on the very same day of his coronation, Princess Sangha orchestrated the assassination of Sotthisena.

Janthu, who held the position of Chattagahaka (umbrella bearer) in the royal court, was then installed as the king. The position of Chattagahaka is historically significant, as its mention during Janthu’s rise marks the first time this title appears in Sri Lankan chronicles.

His reign was short-lived, lasting only about a year. He was succeeded by Mittasena. With him ended the rule of the first House of Lambakanna clan.

Works of King Chattagahaka Janthu

Chattaggahaka Wewa Reservoir

Ancient Manuscripts Detailing the Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

Sovereigns of Sri Lanka are chronicled in several ancient manuscripts. These texts not only record the lineages of kings but also the significant events and developments of their reigns. Some of the most significant ancient sources are:

Dipavamsa: compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, and the earliest known historical chronicle
Mahavamsa: Initially compiled by Mahanama Thero in the 5th or 6th century CE, this chronicle was later expanded upon by other authors who added additional chapters. Covers events up until the reign of King Mahasena of Anuradhapura
Culavamsa: Starts where the Mahavamsa stops and records the history of Sri Lankan rulers from the 4th century to 1815. Mahavamsa and Culavamsa are often seen as one extended chronicle, commonly referred to simply as the Mahavamsa.
Pujavaliya: Written by a monk in or around 1266 during the reign of King Panditha Parakrama Bahu of Dambadeniya Kingdom
Rajavaliya: A 17th-century historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, covering the history of the island from its beginnings up to the accession of King Vimaladharmasurya II in 1687.

References

Blaze, L. E. (2004). History of Ceylon. Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1933)
Geiger, W., & Rickmers, C. M. (1929). Culavamsa: Being The More Recent Part Of The Mahavamsa: Vol. Part I–II. Pali Text Society.
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.
Paranavitana, S. (1959). History of Ceylon (University of Ceylon): Vol. 1 (part 1)–3. Ceylon University Press.
Suraweera, A. V. (2014). රාජාවලිය. Education Publication Department of Sri Lanka. (Original book published in 1976 from the original documents from the 17th century)
Fa-Xian, & Legge, J. (1965). A record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an account by the Chinese monk Fa-hien of his travels in India and Ceylon, Ad 399-414, In search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline. Paragon Book Reprint Corp. and Dover Publications, Inc. (Original work published 5th century)

Also See

Full list of Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

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