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article is part of a continuing series on the ‘Mahavamsa’,
the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history
King Gajaba
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King Vanka-Nasika Tissa was a pious king. He led a religious life.
It is he who built the Mahamanagala Vihara, on the bank of the
Gona river. His reign was a short one. It lasted only for three
years. He was succeeded by his son Gajaba in 114 AD. By the time
of his accession, the queen mother was busy constructing the temple
that the monk had requested her to build. She spent a lot of money
on this construction.
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King Gajaba too helped his mother in this project. She built a
dagaba there and named it ‘Rahamatu’. The four ‘Thoranas’
at the entrances to Abayagiri were built by her. She helped in
the reconstruction work of many buildings. King Gajaba built the
Tisa-Wewa and the income received was offered to the Abayagiri
temple.
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King Gajaba invaded the Chola country. The ‘Rajavaliya’
mentions the fact that he brought twelve thousand prisoners from
the land of the Cholas. According to tradition, this is how the
story goes. One night when the king toured the city in disguise,
as was his custom, he heard a woman weeping. The king stopped
there, went close to the door to listen to what was happening.
It was the lament of a mother who had lost her sons.
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The king stayed on for a while. Then he made a mark on the door
of the house and went back. On his return journey, he was thinking,
what wrong would have happened and how he was ignorant of it.
As the following day dawned, the king convened a meeting of the
ministers. He asked them whether something unlawful has happened
in the city. The ministers said “No”. They added that
there was enough food for the people and so they were living happy
and contented lives.
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The king got very angry. He got up from the throne, stamped his
feet and scolded the ministers for lying to him. Then he ordered
his men to go to the house he had marked the previous night and
bring that woman to the palace. When she was produced before the
king, the king asked her why she was weeping the previous night.
“O’ King, during the reign of your father, a Chola
army invaded our country. They took twelve thousand of our men,
as prisoners”.
- “Two
of my sons were also among those prisoners. I am rendered helpless.
Since the day they were taken away, I have been weeping”.
When the king heard this tale of woe, he became furious. He said
he would go to the land of the Cholas very soon. He gathered his
army next. He had a very powerful warrior Neela. He had the strength
of ten elephants. King Gajaba took him along with him.
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The king and his army marched to the North. The army set camp
in the Jaffna peninsula. The king went ahead with the warrior
Neela. The king carried and iron pole, which an ordinary man couldn’t
even lift. The only two people capable of handling it were the
king and his warrior Neela. This shows that King Gajaba too was
a very strong person. The Cholas were frightened on seeing the
king and his warriors.
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King Gajaba went direct to the palace of the Chola king, carrying
the iron pole in his hand. The warrior Neela caught the elephants
there and pushed one against the other. Two elephants died in
one shot. The citizens, including the ministers were terrified.
They went to meet the king. By that time, King Gajaba was also
in the palace. The ministers told the king, “They will ruin
our country. Do what you can, without any delay and stop this
ruin”. The king himself got scared. He came to King Gajaba
and asked him, “Did you come here to ruin our country?”
King Gajaba could only smile in return.
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