Southern history re-examined - Part 5:

Elara's military efforts concealed in history

RAJITHA Weerakoon

HISTORY: No chronicle has directly recorded the military flair of Elara (205-161BC). It is through the extensive war reporting of Dutugamunu in the principal chronicles that we learn of Elara's crafty strategies, tactical manoeuvres and conspiracies that impacted on the southern politics.

However, these same chronicles have waxed eloquent of Elara's virtues as a righteous king with exaggerated episodes.

Deepavamsa had gone to the extent of saying that in all 3 seasons throughout his rule, it did not rain during daytime because an unexpected shower ruined the boiled paddy put out to dry in the sun by an old woman.

Elara had installed a bell at his palace as a means of access to him in case of any injustice perpetrated on his subjects.

She rang this bell and related her tale of woe. The King responded by following religious observations. He pleaded to the 4 Gods and received the services of God Sakra who ordered the Rain Clouds to confine showers to the night.

Mahavamsa too had not attempted to hide Elara's righteous rule. It had related Elara's order to run over his son by the same carriage he drove on a complaint made by a cow.

The grieved cow rang the bell to say that Elara's son, while he was racing to Tissa Tank to bathe, ran over her calf. If this incident was true, it may have been widely spoken of at the time. Then why didn't Deepavamsa, which was written before Mahavamsa, record it?

Mahavamsa also relates as to how a bird rang the palace bell when a serpent devoured her chicks. The king on hearing the complaint got down the serpent, opened its belly, took the birds out, tied the serpent to a palmyrah tree and nailed it.

A story similar to that of Deepavamsa is related says Professor Paranavitana in the Dravida Sangam literature in Periyapurana and Manimebulai literary works of the efforts of a Chola king by the name of Manuchola who confined rains to the nights.

And according to Geiger, an ancient Chinese king had fixed a Bell of Justice at his palace. Historians propose that Elara was a Jain - a religion which followed extreme humanitarianism and therefore, stories may have been exaggeratedly woven around him to illustrate his virtues.

Mahavamsa also mentions that Elara gave alms to Buddhist monks at his palace and relates an incident where the wheel of his chariot rolled off the vehicle and hit a Buddhist Dagoba damaging it slightly.

When the King was informed of this by his ministers, he was disturbed to such an extent that he had asked them to sever his head. When the ministers declared that repairing would suffice, he had spent 15 lakhs of "kahavanu" to do the job.

However, as some of his Ministers and the majority race were Buddhists, he may not have wanted to displease them.

Although these episodes related in the early chronicles were excessively exaggerated, if Elara was not righteous, fair and just, he may not have been able to reign in a foreign country for 44 years.

We find that he, being an Indian, had not attempted to set up an Indian State here nor is there evidence of any Hindu or Jain monument as built by him. Therefore, we find that he had respected the wishes of his subjects and the religion of the majority.

Elara's military actions in the chronicles however, had not been dealt as favourably as it had been focused with the singular motive of making Dutugamunu a hero.

Yet, this had indirectly given access to the exposure of Elara's military might. Names of Elara's Generals given in the Mahavamsa such as Dheegabhaya, Miththa, Gamini, Channa, Nanditha, Baahu and Nalitha show that he had appointed Sinhalese Generals to his Army despite the fact that the enemy was Sinhalese.

He may have done this to win the confidence of the army. Thupavamsa says that the soldiers during Elara-Dutugamunu war could not be identified as to which side they belonged. Most of them being Sinhalese had spoken in Sinhala.

Paranavitana describing Elara's astuteness says that he was crafty enough to realize the disappointment of Dheegabhaya - the eldest son of Kavantissa by Queen Shavera who was given to defend one of the most vulnerable points on the left bank of Mahaweli.

He, who was identified as Pracheena king in cave inscriptions and had an army of 30,000 strongmen may have expected to succeed Kavantissa. Therefore, he was obviously not happy to make way for his half brother, younger to him.

Elara capitalizing on the situation, won him over and appointed him as a General. Elara also may have been well aware of the impact such an appointment would have on the Southern kingdom.

Elara's relations with Dheegabhaya would have been so strong that when Dutugamunu launched the battle, Dheegagamini had even attempted to win over certain rulers Kavantissa had already brought under his control.

Paranavitana attributes the war between the two brothers - Gamini and Tissa too to a conspiracy of Elara. It is stated that the Mahaweli river served as the border that demarcated Rajarata from the South.

But Dutugamunu was reported to have first conquered Elara's fortress at Mahiyangane and as Mahiyangane was located south of the Mahaweli, we find that Elara's territory had extended beyond Mahaweli.

Expansion of his boundaries, building and maintaining 32 fortresses at strategic points under powerful Generals, forming an army led by 20 strongmen of which the strength is exaggeratedly given in Rajavaliya as 80 lakhs and 80 thousand did psychologically drive fear into Kavantissa and prevented him from striking.

Elara's military acumen comes to light with the detailed account of the war given to elaborate the greatness of Dutugamunu's conquests. Mahavamsa says Vijithapura was fortified with 3 fortresses, moats and an iron door.

Dutugamunu took 4 months to conquer Mahela and another 4 months to take over Vijithapura. Dutugamunu even had used non-military tactics when his army could not conquer certain fortresses. Once it was incessant noise to make it unbearable for the enemy. Or, the uttering of manthrams against the enemy.

Dutugamunu's army was stuck at Ambatota fort for 4 months being unable to penetrate when, according to Mahavamsa, Dutugamunu had used his mother to distract the General to conquer the fort.

The serious challenges Elara had posed forced Dutugamunu to give a reason to the Rajarata-people for waging war against Elara and he even had to announce a war slogan that his exercise was not for personal glory but for the purpose of fostering Buddhism.

To prove this, he took along 500 Bhikkus along with the Army as well as his legendary mother, who herself had a claim to the Rajarata throne.

The result of the final duel between the young, sturdy Gamunu and the elderly Elara was no surprise.

What was of vital significance however was Dutugamunu's instruction that only he should fight Elara and the respect Dutugamunu showed to the enemy king during the war and after his fall irrespective of his race.

Denis Clarke who was in Sri Lanka to study the "Thupavamsa" was overwhelmed by Dutugamunu's decree to honour Elara's tomb by all those who passed it. He declared that Dutugamunu certainly was not a racist.

Next: Southern history re-examined - part 6

Cultural Developments in the South