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| Wednesday, 7 January 2004 |
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Does Kuveni's curse still linger? A curse is a curse, a consignment of a person to damnable destruction which is dreaded by everyone. The gravity of the curse depends on the state of the mind of the person who utters the curse. The curse of Kuveni on Vijaya and his clan, the Sinhalese is history and legend where so many things are shadowed in mystery. If we consider the many calamities and unfortunate disasters that have taken place in this island since then it will entail many volumes of written lore. We believe that it was Kuveni who first uttered a curse on Vijaya and his clan, the first invaders of this resplendent island, which was called Lanka by its original inhabitants the Yakkas and Nagas. Since Sinhabahu the father of Vijaya killed his father the Lion (Sinha) his descendants are called Sihala. Thus Vijaya became a Sinhalese. In the Great Chronicle, the Mahawansaya, which records our written history it described how the monarchy that followed Vijaya ended with much tragedy as it began. Shortly after Vijaya and his men landed in Lanka they were met by Kuveni, the Yakka Princess who most lavishly entertained them and in the end became the spouse of Vijaya. The Yakka rulers the uncles of Kuveni resented her marriage to a foreigner and Kuveni desirous of overpowering her ruling uncles planned to defeat them and obtain power for herself and Vijaya. There happened to be a great marriage festival among the Yakka royalty where all the royal clan assembled. Kuveni took this opportunity to goad Vijaya and his followers to storm this assembly and slay all the Yakkas. Vijaya who was desirous of obtaining power in a strange country was successful in his attempt to massacre all the Yakkas and become King of Lanka with Kuveni as his queen. They lived happily until a son and a daughter were born to them. She never dreamt of the pitfalls in conjugal infidelity. Her life had been little islands of peace but soon to be destroyed. After some time it became necessary to consecrate Vijaya's kingship according to the custom of his land but Kuveni being a Yakka Princess it was necessary to bring a Pandyan Princess from Vijaya's country to be his Queen Consort. Thereby the shadow of an impending unhappiness overshadowed Kuveni's life. The fact became loud and clear when the awkward action was taken by Vijaya. Vijaya soon forgot all what Kuveni had done for him forsaking her own people. Vijaya drove away Kuveni along with her two children. Besides a Princess for Vijaya he got down another 700 maidens as spouses for his followers. They were all happy to own wives from their own country who enjoyed similar customs and habits as Vijaya and his men. Kuveni left the palace weeping and lamenting casting a hateful curse on Vijaya. She proceeded to Kurunegala, to a rock overlooking the lake and in desperation and heart broken jumped headlong down from the rock which is up to date called Yakdessagala (Yaka-des, Negu, gala). Think of the adage-weep and you weep alone laugh and the world laughs with you. The origin of Yakdessagala refers to the legend that of Vijaya's cast away queen Kuveni, who is represented in a rock as a woman with her head turned back before she finally threw herself down the precipitous rock with curses on Vijaya and his clan. Kuveni helped Vijaya to route the Yakkas, the original inhabitants of this island but even after she bore him two children Vijaya betrayed Kuveni by giving her up and taking a Princess from his own country as his queen. Kuveni scorned Vijaya and his people the Sihalas with words of wrath and curses. The effect of her curse resulted on Vijaya's successor King Panduwasdeva suffering from a severe skin disease. Vijaya too had no children by his second marriage. Therefore the King's life and the lives of Helas or Sinhalese in general came to be interwoven in tragic and turbulent happenings. In later times Kurunegala too was entwined in tragic history of more than one curse cast on the people of Lanka by a queen and a king who lost their kingdom. King Buwanekabahu II married a Muslim damsel and a son called Wathhimi was born to them. After Wathhimi ascended the throne there was dissatisfaction among the people for he was unjust in his ruling. The ministers plotting against him contrived to kill him by surreptitiously pushing him to his death down the lofty Etha Gala in Kurunegala. Even after the tranquil period since the introduction of Buddhism into the island there were dark periods when conflicts arose among the aspirants to the Sinhalese throne. The death of King Datusena at the hands of his son Kasyapa and the suicide of Kasyapa in the battle against his brother Moggallana are recorded as unfortunate happenings. The death of King Mayadunne of Seethawaka and the fatal accident which caused the death of King Rajasinghe I are two different calamities. The invasion of the country by the Cholians and the devastation of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa kingdoms are memories to be condoned. The advent of the Western conquerors at the beginning of the 16th century can be termed as dark periods in the history of the country. Foremost in recorded history is the betrayal of the Kandyans by the British in 1815. The most unfortunate occurrence is the division of the Sinhalese into contentious groups since the attainment of Independence in 1948, thereby weakening the formidable unity that existed among the indigenous population. The present feud between the Executive and the Legislative sections of the Government has enabled the prowling alien onlookers to infiltrate the smooth functioning of Government. It envisages that none can escape the overpowering spell of the past that broods over the scene. - Godwin Witane |
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