King Kassapa V [898-914 CE] | AmazingLanka.com

Predecessor		Successor
Kassapa IV [898-914 CE] -House of Lambakanna-	Kassapa V [914-923 CE] -House of Lambakanna-	Dappula IV [923-924 CE] -House of Lambakanna-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

King Kassapa V was a ruler of the Second Lambakanṇa Dynasty, reigning for approximately nine years from 914 CE. He ascended to the throne following the death of his uncle, King Kassapa IV. He was a deeply learned and scholarly monarch who also compiled the Dampiyā-aṭuvā-gäṭapada, a Sinhalese glossary of the Dhammapada, which remains a highly respected literary work.

Early life and role as Yuvarāja

Kassapa V was the son of the powerful King Sena II and his queen, Samgha. His birth was celebrated with great ceremony, and tradition records that his father compared the occasion to the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. Uniquely, Kassapa was consecrated as Uparāja (Yuvarāja) on the very day of his birth. Despite this early elevation, he waited nearly sixty years before ascending the throne.

Before becoming king, he served prominently as a diplomat during the reigns of his uncles, King Udaya II and King Kassapa IV, and possibly also during the later years of his father’s reign. King Sena II arranged his marriage to Princess Samgha, daughter of his brother Yuvarāja Mahinda, while King Udaya II later gave him Princess Sena, the daughter of his other brother Kassapa (later Kassapa IV). Kassapa V is also said to have had two additional queens, Deva and Rajini.

Political Environment and Military Conflict

The political climate of Kassapa V’s reign was heavily influenced by the growing power of the Cola Empire in South India. Around 915 CE, the Pandyan king, Māravarman Rājasimha II, facing invasion by the Cola ruler Parāntaka I, sought military assistance from Sri Lanka.

Honoring the long-standing alliance between the Sinhalese and the Pandyas, Kassapa V dispatched a large expeditionary force under the command of his son, the Sakkasenāpati. The allied forces confronted the Colas at the Battle of Vellur (modern Vellore). Although the Sinhalese troops fought bravely, the campaign was devastated by a severe outbreak of plague. The Sakkasenāpati died during the epidemic, and Kassapa V was compelled to recall his remaining forces to prevent total destruction of the army.

This intervention firmly aligned the Sinhalese with the Pandyas against the Colas, a decision that would have lasting political consequences in the years that followed.

Death and Legacy

King Kassapa V passed away in the tenth year of his reign, around 923 CE, and was succeeded by his Yuvarāja, Dappula IV. The ancient chronicles do not clearly record the genealogical links of the kings who followed, from Dappula IV to Sena IV, leaving their precise relationship to the main royal bloodline uncertain. To address this gap, Professor Paranavitana relied on epigraphic evidence, using inscriptions to reconstruct and clarify the lineage of these later rulers.

Works of King Kassapa V

Rebuilding of Mirisaweti Chethiya which was in ruins
Restored Ganthakara Pirivena in Mahameghavana
Built Bhandika Pirivena in Abhayagiri Viharaya. According to an inscription found, this pirivena was built in honor of his mother, Samga, who was also known as Sang Banday

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

Geiger, W., & Rickmers, C. M. (1929). Culavamsa: Being The More Recent Part of The Mahavamsa: Vol. Part I–II. Pali Text Society.
Gunasekara, B. (1895). A Contribution to the History of Ceylon: Translated from Pujavaliya. H.C. Cottle.
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
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.
Upham, E. (1833). The Mahavansi, the Raja-Ratnacari, and the Raja-vali, Forming the Sacred and Historical Books of Ceylon; Also, a Collection of Tracts Illustrative of the Doctrines and Literature of Buddhism: Transl. from the Singhalese (1st ed., Vols. 2–3). Parbury, Allen, and Co.

Predecessor		Successor
Kassapa IV [898-914 CE] -House of Lambakanna-	Kassapa V [914-923 CE] -House of Lambakanna-	Dappula IV [923-924 CE] -House of Lambakanna-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA