Funday Times

This article is part of a continuing series on the 'Mahavamsa', the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history

King Mugalan
1. The turn the elephant took, aroused the curiosity of the king's soldiers. They thought the king was retreating. So they turned back and fled. Muglan'a army began to cheer. Kashyapa was shocked to see his army fleeing. He knew he was abandoned in the battlefield and that his end was near.

2. Prince Mugalan was overjoyed. King Kashyapa thought that he could not afford to die in the hands of the enemy. So he took his own sword and cut off his head. Thus ended an 18 year rule of King Kashyapa, the king who had an eye for aesthetic beauty. His creation, Sigiriya, remains a wonder, even today. The kings of the east, during that period, had wished to build palaces on top of rocks and live like God Kuvera. They thought it made them divine.

3. King Kashyapa was given a royal cremation. The monks of the Maha-Vihara who had severed connections with the previous king, supported Mugalan. They made arrangements to welcome Mugalan. The Vihara premises were cleared. Prince Mugalan stopped his army near the wall, approached the monks and worshipped them. He offered the 'Sesath' that he had with him.

4. These 'Sesath' were returned to the prince by the monks. Mugalan went to Jetavana temple and the Abhayagiri too. He was engaged in pleasant conversation with the monks. In 491 A.D., this prince was crowned as Mugalan 1. He punished well over a thousand ministers, who went against his father and took Kashayapa's side. Death was the punishment meted out to most of them.

5. So many others had to forego their limbs, while yet others were banished. He was a cruel man in meting our punishment, and was even nick-named a 'rakshasha' (devil). But after listening to the advice of the monks, King Mugalan changed his ways. He offered alms to the monks and did a lot of meritorious deeds. He disliked Sigiriya so much that he never wanted to visit it.

6. The two temples, Dalha and Dathakondanna which belonged to Sigiriya were offered to the monks of the 'Dhammaruchika' sect of the Abayagiri Vihara and the 'Sagalika' sect of the Jetavana Vihara. He also built a temple and offered it to Rev. Mahanama who lived in the temple 'Diksanda'. He built another temple named Rajina and offered it to the monks of Jetavana Vihara.

7. During the time of King Kashyapa there lived a Lambakarna prince named Dathapabhuti, who was closely connected to the royal family. Being angry with King Kashyapa, he also left Anuradhapura and went to live in a remote village. He had a son named Silakala. This prince also went to India and got himself ordained.

8. One day, this novice monk offered some mangoes that he received to the monks. Because of this, he was nick-named, 'Amba-Herana'. According to the 'Kesha-dhatu Vamsa', Amba-Herana - Silakala had come to Sri Lanka with the hair and relics of the Buddha, during the time of King Mugalan. He had de-robed himself , by this time. ‘Kesha-dhatu Vamsa’ is a chronicle which describes the history of the hair-relics of the Buddha and it relates how they were brought here.

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