Sovereigns of Sri Lanka: King Mahanama [410-432 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
King Upatissa I [368-410 CE] -House of Lambakanna I-	King Mahanama [410-432 CE] -House of Lambakanna I-	King Sotthisena [432-432 CE] -House of Lambakanna I-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

About King Mahanama

After King Upatissa I‘s reign (368–410 CE) ended with his murder by his queen, his younger brother, Mahanama, ascended the throne. This tragic series of events unfolded as the queen engaged in an illicit relationship with Prince Mahanama, who was a monk at the time.

Following King Upatissa’s death, Mahanama abandoned his monastic vows, returned to lay life, and assumed the kingship as the next ruler of Anuradhapura. He took his brothers queen as his consort. He too followed the footsteps of his elder brother, and continued the welfare services started by their father. He constructed several new viharas and renovated those that were in ruins.

Fa-Hien visits the Island of Sri Lanka

Around the years 412 or 413 CE, during the reign of King Mahanama, the renowned Chinese traveler Fa-Hien visited Ceylon after exploring the major cities of India in search of Buddhist texts. His writings provide ample evidence of the grandeur that Anuradhapura had attained by this time. He describes the city’s temples, monasteries, statues, the Bo-tree, and the recently arrived Tooth Relic from India. Every year, in the middle of the third month, a grand procession is held for the Tooth Relic, which is then taken to Abhayagiri Viharaya for a 90-day worship period.

Fa-Hien observed the scale of monastic life, reporting approximately 5,000 monks in the Abhayagiri Monastery, 3,000 in the Maha Vihara Monastery, 2,000 at Mihintale, and around 60,000 monks across the island. He describes the capital as having many Vaisya elders and wealthy merchants, with stately and beautiful houses. The lanes and passages are well-maintained. At the ends of the four main streets, there are preaching halls where, on the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of the month, carpets are spread, and a pulpit is set up. Monks and people from all over gather there to hear the teachings.

Fa-Hien lived for two years at Anuradhapura, where he spent his time making copies of the sacred books of Buddhism.

Translation of Buddhist Commentaries to Pali

The most significant historical event during King Mahanama‘s reign was the translation of commentaries (Atthakatha) from Sinhalese into Pali by Buddhaghosa Thero, who came from India.

Buddhaghosa, an exceptionally intelligent Brahmana from Budh Gaya, converted to Buddhism and became a Bhikkhu. He was specifically sent to Sri Lanka to translate the extensive body of Buddhist literature not yet available in Pali.

Upon his arrival, he had to demonstrate his scholarship and capability to undertake this monumental task before the work was entrusted to him. Buddhaghosa wrote several commentaries, contributing to more than half of the existing works in this category.

Works of King Mahanama

Enlarged the Maha Pali alms hall
Lohadvara Viharaya : presented to the Bhikkhus of Abhayagiri Viharaya
Ralaggama Viharaya : presented to the Bhikkhus of Abhayagiri Viharaya
Kotipassavana Viharaya : presented to the Bhikkhus of Abhayagiri Viharaya
A viharaya on the Dhumarakkha Mountain : presented to the Bhikkhus of Maha Viharaya on the request of the queen

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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