Sovereigns of Sri Lanka: King Kanirajanu Tissa [30-33 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
King Amanda Gamini Abhaya [21-30 CE] -House of Vijaya-	King Kanirajanu Tissa [30-33 CE] -House of Vijaya-	King Chulabhaya [33-35 CE] -House of Vijaya-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

Prince Kanirajanu Tissa, also identified in Sinhalese chronicles as Kinihiridala, came to power by killing his elder brother King Amanda Gamini Abhaya, ending 74 years of peace and prosperity without any internal or external conflicts in the kingdom. Kanirajanu was the second son of King Kutakanna Tissa, the ruler who restored the Sinhalese dynasty after the reign of Queen Anula.

The most significant achievement and conflict of his reign involved a legal and religious dispute at the Mihintale monastery (Cetiya Giri Vihara). For a long period, a controversy regarding the Uposatha Hall—a consecrated space for higher-order religious ceremonies—had suspended the performance of rituals.

The king was called upon to mediate and listen to both parties before delivering his verdict. The king presided over an inquiry within the monastery building itself, delivering a judgment based on law and equity. However, a faction of sixty monks was unwilling to accept the verdict. In a dramatic escalation, these monks launched a coordinated attempt to murder the king before he could exit the building.

The king managed to escape the assassination attempt and responded with summary justice. He had the sixty priests involved in the treasonous conspiracy seized. In a move that shocked the populace, he ordered them to be executed by being hurled down the Kanira precipice at Mihintale. This incident likely contributed to the prefix “Kanira” in his name in later generations.

The reign of Kanirajanu Tissa was notably short, lasting only three years. He died naturally in 34 AD, leaving the kingdom to his nephew, Culabhaya.

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

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.
Obeyesekere, D. (1911). History of Ceylon : Outlines of Ceylon History. The Times of Ceylon Colombo.
Oldenberg, H. (2001). The Dipavamsa : An Ancient Buddhist Historical Record. Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1879)
Paranavitana, S. (1959). History of Ceylon (University of Ceylon): Vol. 1 (part 1)–3. Ceylon University Press.

Predecessor		Successor
King Amanda Gamini Abhaya [21-30 CE] -House of Vijaya-	King Kanirajanu Tissa [30-33 CE] -House of Vijaya-	King Chulabhaya [33-35 CE] -House of Vijaya-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

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Ancient Manuscripts Detailing the Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

References

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