Southern history re-examined - part 4

Why was Kavantissa's role underplayed?

by Rajitha Weerakoon

Sri Lanka's warrior-king - Dutugamunu, who captured the imagination of a people and enriched ancient literature, folklore and legend secured 11 chapters of Mahavamsa out of its 37.

But, was it only his heroics that led to the capture of Rajarata as the Mahavamsa author had overlooked the roles played by Dutugaumnu's forefathers without whose contribution Dutugamunu may not have accomplished his mission and ended up a legend?

Mahavamsa was compiled around the 6th century AD, about 700 years after the Dutugamunu-Elara war. Therefore, the author got his facts from the texts that were available at the time in Anuradhapura. Deepavamsa and Thupavamsa comparatively had brief accounts of the war. Mahavamsa therefore, had mainly drawn inspiration from the abundance of folklore and legends woven around the war-hero.

Where the South was concerned, Mahavamsa author, both an outsider and latecomer to its events, may not have had access to records of the extensive contributions made by Dutugamunu's forefathers that paved the way for Dutugamunu's conquest. A man of vision

Mahavamsa author wrote as a result, based on the assumption that Magama had always been the most powerful kingdom in the South. Whereas, a new picture is emerging with ancient texts written on the Ruhuna and rock inscriptions found in the South revealing the political and diplomatic strategies Dutugamunu's forefathers employed to build a minor principality that had sprung up around a port city into a mighty kingdom. And lay the foundation to make the South politically a haven for fleeing leaders of Rajarata throughout history.

We have already presented in our previous articles as to how Dutugamunu's forefathers employed statecraft, political marriages, bloodshed and manouvering to bring together the scattered principalities to build the powerful Magama kingdom.

And as to how Kavantissa, instead of using military power, proved himself a man of vision, a tactician par excellence and long term strategist in winning over the principalities that existed south of Mahaweli.

However, although we gathered that Magama rulers overpowered all southern principalities, both Deepavamsa and Mahavamsa when relating the Dutugamunu-Elara war say that while Dutugamunu was on his war march, he killed 32 minor rulers who challenged him on the way. Why were these ancient texts up to then, quiet about the existence of such rulers?

Mahavamsa which has given a detailed account of the Dutugamunu-Elara war had stated that Elara had set up 32 fortresses along the right bank of the Mahaweli which was the border of the Rajarata. We find by the names given in the Mahavamsa that these were placed under both Tamil and Sinhalese Generals.Prince Dheegabhaya, Kavantissa's eldest son by Queen Abhi Shavera, who was sent to guard the Ruhunu border but had defected to Elara's camp, had been one of them.

Psychological warfare

Some of these Generals had been relatives of Elara and had exercised wide powers. Therefore, could it be that the mention of the 32 overpowered, were recorded as minor rulers? Kavantissa and his father Gotabhaya had, between them, annexed practically all the principalities to Magama kingdom.

Even Dutugamunu's army had been built by Kavantissa long before Dutugamunu set out on his war march creating Sri Lanka's first professional army.

Kavantissa taught his sons the martial arts and trained the elephants and horses in military warfare. Being a man of vision, he, in order to keep the two brothers united when fighting Elara, got the two sons sworn that they would not fight each other - an oath they did not keep.

The Generals however, stuck to their pledge that they will not support any brother in the event that there was a fight between the two, a situation Kavantissa envisaged.

And sending his son Dheegabhaya by an earlier marriage to defend a vital strategic point on the left bank of the Mahaweli shows the attention Kavantissa paid towards defences of his borders.

With the arrangement to make the Bhikkus play an intermediary role between the king and the people and instilling in the army that the invasion was to save Rajarata and the religion from a foreign invader we find that it was Kavantissa who initiated the psychological warfare which was later taken up as a war slogan by Dutugamunu.

Kavantissa was fully aware of the importance of such a war-slogan as he knew that Elara would not have been able to reign for 44 years if he had not received the support of the people.

Although the detailed account of the Dutugamunu-Elara war given in the Mahavamsa was meant to glorify Dutugamunu, it in fact gives a detailed account of the long-drawn military preparations patiently made by Kavantissa for over 20-30 years.

Advantage

Gamunu was sent as a youth to Girinuwara by Kavantissa to his brother-in-law - Abhaya's kingdom - a strategy Kavantissa employed to win over the support of the uncle during a future military operation and to establish that Girinuwara was part of Magama kingdom.

The return of Gamunu to Magama without accomplishing the mission forced Kavantissa to reactivate the diplomatic machinery later and look for reasons to befriend them in order to win their allegiance.

Mahavamsa author had endorsed Dutugamunu's action of sending his father women's clothes and had taken advantage of the incident to evoke humour. But while this displayed the young prince's immaturity and impatience, Kavantissa it is apparent, had not wanted to strike prematurely and destroy the long-term military preparations he had made over the years.

Through the very effective charapurusha sevaya Kavantissa monitored, he was well aware of the strength of Elara, his fortifications of his defence lines and of his righteous reign. Therefore, he knew of the need to be fully prepared before he struck. Kavantissa's presumption proved right for Dutugamunu took 3 years to win the war.

Kavantissa attended to all aspects of the war.

He sent his son Tissa to Dhigawewa to cultivate the land as the Army could not fight on an empty stomach. To this date, vast expanses of the east is under paddy-cultivation.

He besides set up metal workshops everywhere to supply arms to each soldier and got young Gamunu to oversee the military training. Kavantissa saved Dutugamunu's time and energy of overpowering the minor kingdoms, uniting the South and preparing the groundwork for the battle ahead which enabled Dutugamunu to pool all resources towards the one single principal battle.

Obviously, Mahavamsa author was far removed from events of the South that he failed in his mission to recognise the vital roles played by Kavantissa and his father Gotabhaya in the conquest of Rajarata.

Next- Southern history re-examined - Part 5

Elara's military efforts concealed in history