Concise Mahavamsa Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E., Sinhalanet.com 1

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Concise Mahavamsa Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E., Sinhalanet.com 128 Back to Mahavamsa: ~KING SEETHAWAKA RAJASIHA~ (1554 AD – 1593 AD) After killing Mayadunne, his son Rajasiha came to power. He won battles here and there. One day he asked a Mahathera how he could undo the crime of killing his own father. Mahathera answered that it is not possible to undo parricide. King then asked Siva followers whether he could undo patricide. They told him that it is possible. King Rajasiha had ash smeared on his body and became a follower of Siva. Then he started to kill bhikkus. He burnt many books and destroyed many Viharas. (Author’s Note: Mahavamsa account of Rajasiha killing his father is considered to be a fabrication by Mahavamsa authors). Samanthakuta was Given to Siva Religion: King chased away the bhikkus who were protecting Samanthakuta (Sree Padha Mountain) and gave it to the religion of Siva. This way, foolish King acquired many sins. Many bhikkus left Buddhism to save their lives. Death of King Rajasiha: After committing many crimes, King bowed to Mara. (Prince of death). Portuguese Sources on Seethawaka Rajasiha: (Author’s Note: Mahavamsa has nothing else to say of this criminal King who completely destroyed the Mahasangha. Yet, his time period was full of mighty events. I have compiled the following, using Rajavaliya, Queyroz and Jao Rebeiro. Geiger says the following on Mahavamsa authors of this era – “We never find any information which is more accurate or more detailed than what we learn from Portuguese or Dutch records. We only see with a mixture of amazement and compassion how Sinhalese eyes looked at those events which initiated the break down of their old and glorious kingdom” Wilhelm Geiger, “The Trustworthiness of Mahavamsa”, The Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol VI, No. 2, 1930.06. King Rajasiha ruled from Seethawaka (present Avissawella). Some scholars have doubted the Mahavamsa accusation of parricide by King Rajasiha, including Geiger and Codrington. Battle at Mulleriyawa: (Rajavaliya Account) (1561 AD):
Concise Mahavamsa Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E., Sinhalanet.com 129 Kotte and Colombo was ruled by Portuguese with the puppet King Don Juan Dharmapala on the throne. Kandy and Jaffna had their own Kingdoms. (Don Juan Dharmapala was never mentioned in Mahavamsa). Hearing the death of King Mayadunne, Portuguese made the decision to attack Seethawaka. Seethawaka Rajasinha sent one of his battle tested generals, Wikramasinghe Mudali to the front. Wikramasinghe Mudali’s army met the Portuguese at Mulleriyawa. Portuguese opened fire with their muskets and killed many men belonging to Wikramasinghe Mudali. While Portuguese celebrated the victory at Mulleriyawa, Sinhala army having been completely routed retreated to Denipitiya. Hearing the defeat at Mulleriyawa, King Rajasinha came out to Denipitiya and met Wikramasinghe Mudali. There he planned the next attack on Portuguese. Rajavaliya account on the Mulleriyawa battle is given below: (Ref: Translation by B. Gunasekara) “Rajasinha had elephants to fight on left and right wings. Summoning to him Arachchis of Aturigiri Korale, Hewagam Korale and Koratota Korale and bringing up the Hokandara fighting men and adding 1,000 shield bearers trained in fencing school, he sent them to charge and cut down the enemy in the rear. Rajasinha himself went to make a frontal attack on the Portuguese army drawn up in the open field of Mulleriyawa. The force sent to charge the rear joined the fight. King Rajasinha mounted on a horse, kept his main force from yielding ground, leading it into the thick of the Portuguese. Shield bearers, elephants and horses mingled together prevented the Portuguese from re-loading their muskets. (guns). King Rajasinha mounted on his horse, galloped throughout the host and urged on the fight. The battle was like a show of fireworks and the smoke from the discharges resembled the mist in early Durutha (month). Blood flowed like water on the field of Mulleriyawa. (Sinahelese Phrase: Mulleriya Wele Wathura Leyata Harawuna). The Portuguese were attacked in such wise that no chance was left them of retiring one foot. There fell of the Portuguese army, 1,600 besides several of the Kotte men and officers”. (Author’s Note: Here the strategy had been to wait till Portuguese fire their guns and then attack before they could re-load). After the loss at Mulleriyawa, Portuguese knew Rajasinha’s next target would be Kotte. They fortified Kotte for the next major battle. As expected, Rajasiha attacked Kotte and overran the Kotte garrison. Rajasiha’s Siege on Kotte (1563) Suppressing all Portuguese resistance Rajasiha reached Kotte. Portuguese were confined to the Kotte fort. Rajasiha put a siege on the Kotte fort. He ordered neither men nor beasts would come out or go into the fort. Which was a strict order and any violators were met with automatic death.
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