King Vasabha [65-109 CE] | AmazingLanka.com

Predecessor		Successor
King Suba [59-65 CE]	King Vasabha [65-109 CE] -Lambbakanna Dynasty-	King Vankanasika Tissa [109-112 CE] -Lambbakanna Dynasty-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

About King Vasabha

The consecration of King Vasabha marked the beginning of the Lambakanna Dynasty, which succeeded the long-established Vijaya Dynasty. The Vijaya Dynasty had ruled Sri Lanka from 543 BCE, starting with King Vijaya, and ending in 59 CE with the reign of King Yasalalaka Tissa.

The Lambakanna Clan

The Lambakanna clan is thought to descend from the princes who accompanied Theri Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, bringing with them the sacred sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi in 306 BCE. The Mahavamsa first references this powerful clan during King Ilanga’s era. By then, the Lambakannas had likely developed into a formidable political and administrative entity, significantly influencing the kingdom’s governance.

King Vasabha’s Rise to Power

The predecessor to Vashabha was King Suba who was a doorkeeper of the place and had no right of bloodline to the throne. However, he managed to cling to power for six years. During his reign, he learned of a widespread prophecy that “a person named Vasabha would be the king,” and he became increasingly paranoid. In an attempt to thwart this prediction, he commanded that all individuals named Vasabha throughout the country be executed.

A commander serving under Suba in Anuradhapura had a nephew named Vasabha from the Lambakanna Clan residing with him at the time. When Suba’s proclamation was made, the commander felt obligated to present Vasabha to the king. On the night before he planned to escort Vasabha to the palace, his wife, Potta, attempted to alert Vasabha about the imminent danger but was unable to find an opportunity to do so.

The following morning, the commander took Vasabha to the palace. Potta, who had been unable to give Vasabha a direct warning, prepared her husband’s betel bag without adding chunnam (lime), an essential ingredient for betel chewing. As anticipated, the commander realized the chunnam was missing at the palace gate and sent Vasabha back home to retrieve it.

Potta‘s plan succeeded, and Vasabha returned home to fetch the chunnam. She quickly informed him of the impending danger at the palace, provided him with a purse containing a thousand pieces of money, and urged him to escape.

According to the Mahavamsa, Vasabha went directly to the Maha Viharaya Monastery, where he had influential allies among the priests, suggesting that his family already held significant power within the religious community. The priests supplied him with food, clothing, and strategic advice. As he left, a leper prophesied that Vasabha would one day become king.

Vasabha then moved to Rohana, where he gained the trust of the locals and amassed an army. Inspired by the approach of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya Empire, Vasabha employed a strategy of attacking peripheral regions before confronting the central power. He secured control over Rohana and the Maya Rata, whose leaders pledged loyalty and provided additional troops.

In his final campaign, Vasabha advanced on the Anuradhapura Kingdom, where he defeated and killed Suba and his uncle, the commander in Suba’s army, to claim the throne.

Mahamatta : the Daughter of King Suba

As Vasabha‘s forces approached the capital, Suba recognized that defeat was imminent and took steps to ensure the safety of his infant daughter, Mahamatta. He entrusted her to a brickmaker he had known since his early days as a castle doorkeeper. The brickmaker raised Mahamatta as if she were his own child. Over time, Mahamatta grew into a strikingly beautiful woman. Her fate intertwined with the royal lineage when she later married Prince Vankanasika Tissa, the son of King Vasabha.

Rule of King Vasabha

Upon ascending to the throne, one of Vasabha‘s initial acts was to elevate Potta, his uncle’s widow and the woman who had safeguarded his life from certain death to the position of queen.

King Vasabha was known for his belief in superstitions and placed great trust in astrological predictions. When an astrologer foretold that his life would last only 12 more years, Vasabha paid 1,000 pieces of money to ensure this prediction remained confidential. Overwhelmed with anxiety over his fate, Vasabha approached the monks, seeking guidance by asking, “Is there a way, venerable sirs, to extend one’s life?”

The monks advised him on ways to dispel obstacles to longevity, suggesting acts of merit that included making offerings for the construction of shrines, providing housing and support for the sick, and restoring dilapidated structures. They also emphasized the importance of adhering to the five precepts (pansil) and observing the uposatha day fast with diligence as measures to potentially prolong life and ensure spiritual well-being.

Following the advice of the monks, Vasabha ruled for 44 years and his son, Vankanasika Tissa came to power on his demise.

Children of King Vasabha

According to ancient chronicles, King Vasabha is noted to have had only one recorded son. However, archaeological findings provide more context to his lineage. At Tammannava in the Kurunegala District, a second-century rock inscription in Brahmi script refers to a ruler named Dutaga-Maharaja, who is identified as a son of the “great King Vahaba” (Vasabha). Another inscription at Habessa in Buttala, Monaragala District, mentions an Upa-Raja named Naga, identified as Vasabha‘s grandson and the son of King Uttara.

These inscriptions led historian Paranavitana (1969) to propose that Vasabha had three sons: Tissa (also known as Vankanasika Tissa), Dutuga, and Uttara. Following Vasabha’s death, it appears that the kingdom was divided among these three, with Tissa ruling from the capital, Anuradhapura; Dutuga governing the Kurunegala region; and Uttara ruling Ruhuna.

Works of King Vasabha

Religious

Anurarama Viharaya: near Mahagama. After building this Viharaya the King bestowed on it 1000 karisas of land of the village Heligama
Buddha statues at Sri Maha Bodhi: In the courtyard of Sri Maha Bodhi, Vasabha made four beautiful images of the Buddha, and later a temple to house the images. On a side of this, Queen Potta built a splendid stupa and a beautiful temple for the stupa.
Catussala: This hall, a quadrangular building at Anuradhapura, had served for many years as a refectory for the monks, but had recently fallen into disrepair. Vasabha restored the building and otherwise improved it.
Ten Stupas at Sithulpawwa: Vasabha built ten beautiful stupas at Cittalakuta Viharaya built by King Kavan Tissa. This viharaya is identified as Situlpawwa Viharaya inside Yala National Park.
Uposathaghara and a reservoir at Galambatittha Viharaya: The king reinforced the stupa by adding a brick mantle and constructed an Uposathaghara (chapter house) along with a reservoir, both of which he donated to the temple.
Uposathaghara at Issarasamanaka Viharaya: Issarasamanaka (Isurumuniya) is today called Vessagiriya due to an early mistake. Here the King built an Uposathaghara
Uposathaghara at Kumbigallaka Viharaya:
Mahavalligotta Viharaya
A row of cells in Maha Viharaya: The first refuge of fleeing Vasabha was Maha Viharaya.
Mucela Viharaya: After building this Viharaya in Tissavaddhamanaka, in the eastern quarter, he allotted to it a share in the water of the Alisara Canal.
Circular Relic House at Thuparama: Here the King built a Circular Relic House and commanded lavish alms-giving at the festival of its completion

Irrigation Reservoirs

Cayanti-vapi Reservoir
Rajuppala-vapi Reservoir
Vaha-vapi Reservoir
Kolambagamaka-vapi Reservoir
Mahanikkhavatti-vapi Reservoir
Maharametti-vapi Reservoir
Kohala-vapi Reservoir
Kali-vapi Reservoir
Cambuti-vapi Reservoir
Cathamangana-vapi Reservoir
Agivaddhamanaka-vapi Reservoir
Kelikolom 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

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.
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.
Senaveratne, J. M. (1930). The Story of the Sinhalese : From the Most Ancient Times Up to the End of “The Mahavansa” or Great Dynasty. W. M. A. Wahid & Brothers.