Sovereigns of Sri Lanka: King Moggallana III [618-623 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
King Sanghatissa II [618 CE] -House of Moriya-	King Moggallana III [618-623 CE] -House of Moriya-	King Silameghavanna [623-632 CE] -House of Lambakanna-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

King Moggallana III, known as Lemini Bona in the Pujavaliya and Medi Bo Mugalan in the Rajavaliya, ascended to the throne in 618 CE after defeating King Sanghatissa II in battle. His reign lasted six years before he was ultimately beheaded by Silameghavanna—the son of the very commander who had betrayed King Sanghatissa II.

The Battle with Sanghatissa II

At the time of Sanghatissa II’s accession, Moggallana—who had served as the senapati (commander of the army) of King Aggabodhi II’s army—was residing in Rohana. Upon learning of Sanghatissa’s coronation, he raised an army and marched toward Anuradhapura to claim the throne.

Sanghatissa’s own senapati (commander of the army) betrayed him by pretending to be ill and sending his son to lead the army in his place. During the battle, this same senapati launched a surprise attack from the rear, turning on Sanghatissa. Surrounded on both sides, the king’s position collapsed. Sanghatissa, along with his son and a loyal minister, fled into the jungle.

Victorious, Moggallana entered Anuradhapura with the traitorous senapati and declared himself king. In a brutal effort to eliminate all possible threats, he ordered the execution of Sanghatissa’s remaining family. One of Sanghatissa’s sons who had remained in the city was mutilated—his hands and feet cut off. Sanghatissa and another son were later captured in Minneriya and executed in Sigiriya. However, a third son, Jettatissa, managed to escape to Malayarata (central hills).

The Appointment and Betrayal of Malayaraja

Moggallana rewarded the traitorous senapati by appointing him Malayaraja (regional king of the Mountain Region) and made his son the royal sword-bearer. However, mistrusting the loyalty of a man who had already betrayed one king, Moggallana had the Malayaraja arrested over a minor offense and ordered his hands and feet to be severed.

When the Malayaraja’s son heard of his father’s fate, he fled to Rohana with his own son. There, he rose to prominence and allied with Jettatissa, the fugitive son of Sanghatissa. Together, they seized control of the Janapada district and established a stronghold at Dohalapabbata to challenge Moggallana.

The Fall of Moggallana III

At this time, Moggallana’s forces were severely weakened by disease. Seizing the opportunity, the Malayaraja’s son launched an attack, defeated Moggallana’s forces, and killed him at Sigiriya.

With Moggallana dead, he invited Jettatissa to return and claim the throne—though secretly intending to eliminate him as well. Sensing the deception, Jettatissa fled back to Malayarata.

The son of the former senapati then marched into Anuradhapura and declared himself king under the name Silameghavanna.

Works of King Moggallana III

Built Moggallana Viharaya in in Karapitthi
Built Pitthigama Viharaya
Built Vatagama Viharaya
Built a chetiya temple in Rakkha Viharaya

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. (1900). The Rajavaliya or 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.

Predecessor		Successor
King Sanghatissa II [618 CE] -House of Moriya-	King Moggallana III [618-623 CE] -House of Moriya-	King Silameghavanna [623-632 CE] -House of Lambakanna-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran (මණ්ඩූර් පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Mandur Archaeological Site in Kiran sits within marshy terrain near a tributary of Maduru Oya. It features two ruined building complexes with scattered stone pillars up to 5 meters long, heavily damaged by human activity yet preserving distinct ancient tool marks. […]
Kallichchai Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කල්ලිච්චෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Kallichchai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a forest stupa breached by treasure hunters, exposing its inner chamber. Nearby artifacts include scattered stone pillars, a fragmented octagonal Yūpa Stambhaya (central pillar), and a circular Chatra Gala (umbrella stone). […]
Harakagala Buddhist Monastic Ruins (හරකාගල බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Harakagala Monastic Ruins in Kiran date to the Early Anurādhapura period. Situated on a rocky outcrop near a reservoir, the complex features a brick stupa foundation, a cave with a Brāhmī inscription, a massive multi-story pillared building, and a stone chatragala (umbrella). […]
Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir (වඩමුනෛ වැව)
The Vadamunai Dastota Wewa Reservoir in Kiran is a large 650-acre irrigation system with a 920-meter embankment dating to the 2nd century CE. Identified as Vadamanaka in a Nelugala rock inscription, it sustained a prosperous Anurādhapura-period agricultural economy and a dense network of surrounding Buddhist monastic communities. […]
Karakpattiyadi Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (කරක්පට්ටියඩි කැලයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Karakpaṭṭiyadi monastic ruins in Vakarai feature a heavily pillaged stupa with a 3-meter-deep pit and a 4-meter stone pillar. The jungle site includes a northern brick structure, a circular southern foundation, a Siri Pathula stone, and subterranean walls. […]
Omadiyamadu Archaeological Site (ඕමඩියාමඩු පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period Ōmaḍiyāmadu Archaeological Site in Vakarai sits on a rocky terrace. Heavily destroyed during local village resettlement activities, its original structures are unidentifiable, leaving only scattered stone pillars, brick fragments, and rubble collapsed down the rock slope. […]
Palm Leaf Fan Carved Rock in Vakare (වාකරේ වටාපත් කැටයම් සහිත පර්වතය)
Located in Vakarai, this late Anurādhapura-period site features a unique carving of a traditional palm leaf fan (Vāṭapatha) on a rocky outcrop's northeast side. No other clear structures exist, though various loose stones lie at the rock's base. […]
Drip Ledged Cave near Omadiyamadu Reservoir (ඕමඩියාමඩු වැව අසළ කටාරම් සහිත ලෙන)
The Rock Cave near the Ōmaḍiyāmadu Reservoir is an Early Anurādhapura-period monastic site. Facing north on a rocky outcrop, the cave features a continuously carved drip-ledge around its entrance designed to deflect rainwater from the interior living space. […]
Sitamalai Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins (සීතාමලායි පර්වත බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Sītāmalai Monastic Ruins in Vakarai are centered on a 90×90-meter rocky outcrop. The site features a damaged brick-and-rubble stupa visible up to its first basal ring, a brick foundation eastward, and two building sites at its southern foot. […]
Omadiyamadu Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (ඕමඩියාමඩු වනයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period stupa ruins in the Ōmeḍiyāmadu Forest, Vakarai, sit atop a rock formation. Treasure hunters have damaged the small, dilapidated stupa by digging a 2.5-meter-deep pit into its dome. Excavated bricks and stone debris lie scattered nearby. […]
Padigala (Padiettanamalei) Buddhist Monastic Ruins (පඩිගල පඩිඑත්තනමලෙයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Paḍigala Monastic Ruins in Vakarai feature a ruined brick stupa atop a rock plateau, reached by an ornamental 69-step stone staircase. The complex includes large building foundations, primitive moonstones, and pottery, though treasure hunter activity has severely damaged the site. […]
Archaeological Site near Kayankerni School (කායංකේණි පාසල අසල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period archaeological site near Kayaṅkerni School in Vakarai features five short stone pillars from a three-row structure. Characterized by distinct chisel marks, the palm-covered site also contains scattered broken pillars, ancient roof tiles, and stone slabs. […]
Vannathimadu Ancient Pond in Pullavi Jungle (පුල්ලාවි වනයේ වණ්ණාතිමඩු පැරණි පොකුණ)
The Vannāthimadu Ancient Pond (Vannathimadu Kulam) in Vakarai is a 2.42-hectare, oval-shaped reservoir dating to the Early Anurādhapura period. Enclosed by an earthen embankment, it still holds water and served as the primary water source for three nearby forest monasteries. […]
Pullavi Jungle Buddhist Monastic Ruins (3) in Kayankerni (කායංකේණි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් – 3)
The Pullavi Jungle Ruins (3) in Kayankerni are an early Anuradhapura-period Buddhist monastery complex. Despite treasure-hunting damage, the forested site preserves carved foundation stones, stone pillars, a mortised doorway slab, and balustrade fragments. It represents one of three interconnected yet distinct monastic centers in the area. […]
Ambewela New Zealand Farm (අඹේවෙල නවසීලන්ත සත්ව ගොවිපල)
Ambewela is a small town in Nuwara Eliya district popularly known for its 2 dairy farms called “Ambewela Farm” and “New Zealand Farm”. The wide grasslands Ambewela lies 6,064 ft (1,848 m) above sea level. The maximum temperature of this area is about 23° C and the lowest goes down to about 9° C. […]
Mahaweli Flood Plains National Park (මහවැලි ජලගැලුම් නිම්න ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)
Established in 1984 under the Mahaweli Project, Flood Plains National Park in Polonnaruwa features vital villu wetlands. It serves as a crucial elephant migration corridor between Wasgamuwa and Somāwathiya parks while hosting an ancient cave monastery dating back to the 2nd century BCE. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]