King Panduvasdeva [504-474 BCE]

Predecessor		Successor
Regent Upatissa [505-504 BCE] -House of Vijaya-	King Panduvasdeva [504-474 BCE] -House of Vijaya-	King Abhaya [504-474 BCE] -House of Vijaya-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

Panduvasdeva, the youngest son of Sumitta, King of Sinhapura, was the nephew of King Vijaya, the first ruler of Lanka. During King Vijaya’s final days, he sent a message to his brother, Sumitta, asking him to take over the kingdom. However, Sumitta, already ruling as the king of Sinhapura with three sons, was unable to go himself. When Vijaya’s messengers arrived, Sumitta asked his youngest son, Panduvasdeva, to go in his place. Panduvasdeva, along with 32 sons of Sumitta’s ministers, set sail for Lanka.

Upon their arrival at Upatissagama, the ministers who had been governing the kingdom since Vijaya’s death handed control over to Panduvasdeva. However, Panduvasdeva could not be officially crowned as king because he did not yet have a royal consort.

This changed when Princess Baddhakachchana arrived in Sri Lanka. She was the daughter of Pandu Sakka, who was a first cousin of Gautama Buddha, thus linking the Sinhala monarchy directly to the lineage of the Great Sage. According to a prophecy, her father had sent her, along with 32 maidens, afloat on a ship down the Ganges River, fearing the prediction about her future. The ship eventually reached Lanka, where the women, disguised as nuns, were welcomed at Upatissagama.

Panduvasdeva married Princess Baddhakachchana, and he was subsequently crowned king of Lanka. The 32 maidens were married to the sons of Sumitta’s ministers, thereby solidifying alliances and securing the new rule. His accession marked the formal shift of the royal seat from Vijaya’s capital at Tambapanni to Upatissagama

Children of King Panduvasdeva

Queen Baddhakachchana gave birth to ten sons and one daughter, the youngest being Citta, the daughter. The Dipavamsa, the Chronicle of the Island, which was written much earlier than the Mahavamsa, names the brothers as Abhaya, Tissa, Utti, Tissa, Asela, Vibhata, Räma, Siva, Matta, and Mattakala.

The Brahmins prophesied that Citta‘s future son would one day kill all his uncles to claim the throne. Fearing this prophecy, Baddhakachchana‘s brothers considered killing Citta to prevent future danger. However, the eldest brother, Abhaya, persuaded them not to kill her.

Instead, they decided to confine Citta in a chamber atop a pillar, with the only access to the chamber through the king’s sleeping quarters. They assigned a single maid to attend to her and posted 100 soldiers to ensure no man could approach her. Despite this, Citta grew into an extraordinarily beautiful woman, so much so that those who caught even a glimpse of her were driven to madness. Because of her mesmerizing beauty, she became known as Unmadacitta (“Citta who drives men mad”).

Brothers of Princess Baddhakachchana

Baddhakachchana had seven brothers. When they learned of their sister’s arrival in Lanka, six of them also set sail for the island. Upon reaching Lanka, they paid a visit to King Panduvasdeva and then settled in different regions across the country.

Rama established his settlement in a place that became known as Ramagona, while Uruvela and Anuradha’s settlements were named after them. Similarly, Vijita, Dighayu, and Rohana founded settlements named Vijitagama, Dighayu, and Rohana, respectively. Anuradha constructed a tank and, after building a palace to its south, made that area his home.

Prince Dighagamini, the son of Dighayu (one of Baddhakachchana’s brothers), heard of the famed beauty of Unmadacitta. He sought her out, and when Unmadacitta saw him, she lowered a rope from her window, allowing him to reach her. Their union resulted in Unmadacitta becoming pregnant. She was then married to Dighagamini, but it was decided that if she gave birth to a son, he would be killed due to the prophecy.

When Unmadacitta gave birth to a son, she cleverly switched the newborn with a girl who had been born to another woman. Her uncles were satisfied to see that she had delivered a baby girl. The son was named Pandukabhaya, combining the names of his grandfather and eldest uncle. Pandukabhaya was secretly raised by a couple in a remote village, alongside another boy born on the same day.

The Dipavamsa, which predates the Mahavamsa, does not mention the prophecy concerning Citta or her subsequent confinement. This omission suggests that details about Citta’s imprisonment and the prophecy surrounding her son might have been later additions to the historical narrative, introduced in the Mahavamsa or other subsequent chronicles. The Dipavamsa, as one of the earliest sources, provides a simpler account, focused mainly on lineage and succession rather than intricate narratives involving prophecies and specific character details.

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

Blazé, L. E. (1900). A History of Ceylon: For Schools. The Christian Literature Society.
Oldenberg, H. (2001). The Dipavamsa : An Ancient Buddhist Historical Record. Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1879)
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.
Perera, H. R. (2008). Buddhism in Sri Lanka: A Short History (BPS Online Edition). Buddhist Publication Society – Kandy. (Original work published 1966)

Predecessor		Successor
Regent Upatissa [505-504 BCE] -House of Vijaya-	King Panduvasdeva [504-474 BCE] -House of Vijaya-	King Abhaya [504-474 BCE] -House of Vijaya-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA