King
Sena V
By Halaliye Karunathilake Edited and
translated by Kamala Silva Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila
1. Queen Keerti got three beautiful
ponds built. They were in the vicinity of 'Sivuru-Saya'.
Her son built a dispensary. The rule of King Mihindu
1V, lasted for 16 years. Vessagiri Pillar Inscription
describes how the fields were irrigated by the waters
of the tank. This inscription was found in a rocky area,
at a distance of about half a mile, to the North East
of the Maha Bodhi, bordering the Kurunegala Road.
2. This inscription also describes
how Sak-Senevi fought in South India. This inscription
is of much historical importance. It proves the truth
of the facts mentioned in the Mahavamsa and Pujavaliya.
Another inscription has been unearthed at a place, to
the south east of Anuradhapura. It is about 21 miles
away from the city.
3. This inscription carries a lot of information about
the judicial system of the day. The punishments meted
out for certain crimes are detailed here. King Mihindu
1V was succeeded by Prince Sena, in 972 AD. His mother
was a Kalinga queen. The prince was only 12 years old,
when he became king. His brother, Prince Udaya became
the 'Yuvaraja.'
4. The Commander-in-Chief who served
under his father, continued his services. His name was
also Sena. When there was a rebellion in a frontier
village, the commander-in-chief had to go there, to
suppress it. In the meantime, King Sena, got his younger
brother who was living with his mother, killed. He selected
a person, who would listen to his orders and made the
minister Mahamalla Udaya, his Commander-in-Chief. When
Sena, who was serving as the Commander-in-Chief, heard
this, he got angry.
5. He collected the army and came to
fight the king. The king too, took the royal army and
his loyal minister, who was made the commander, and
went to battle. In the battle, the king lost. Then the
king, accompanied by his loyal minister, fled to the
South. But the king's mother did not leave the capital.
She continued to stay in Anuradhapura, along with the
Yuvaraja and the Yuvarajini. Subsequently, she got the
Commander Sena, who was in the battle, to come to the
royal palace.
6. She ruled the country, with the help of this Commander-in-Chief.
Meanwhile, this Commander allocated an area to the Tamils
and he chose Polonnaruwa to live in. Then King Sena,
who was in the South, sent his armies to fight. But
the Chief Minister Sena, was able to defeat them. In
the meantime, the Tamils who had occupied that area,
began plundering and oppressing the Sinhala people who
were living there.
7. These people, who underwent suffering under the
Tamils, went to the South and informed the king, about
their grievance. The king felt sad to hear that the
people were suffering at the hands of the Tamils. He
held discussions with his ministers. He stated that
as their due king, he was duty-bound to safeguard the
country and the Sasana, at whatever cost. The ministers
then came to a decision, to make friends with the Commander
Sena. A peace envoy was needed to negotiate. A Commander
named Udaya, was selected for this task and he was sent
to Polonnaruwa. He met the commander there and had a
friendly discussion.
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8 This resulted in King Sena, coming
back to Anuradhapura. Furthermore, Commander Sena's
daughter became the Chief Queen of King Sena V. They
lived a contented and happy life. They were gifted with
a son, who was named Kashyapa. In later years, this
King Sena, got addicted to alcohol and went on drinking
from morning till night. Very often, he was not in his
proper senses. As a result of this addiction, King Sena
V, became very sick.
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