Funday Times - Mahavamsa

By Halaliye Karunathilake Edited and translated by Kamala Silva Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila

King Udaya 1V had to act soon. He summoned his Commander-in-Chief immediately. "You can suppress that revolt later. We are in greater danger here. The Chola armies have arrived already. They have to be chased out. It's better for you to go immediately,” said the king. The Commander then gathered the army and marched to fight the Cholas. He could not fight for long. He fell dead on the battle field. This resulted in the army retreating.

When King Udya 1V heard this, he became afraid. He collected all the valuables that were there in the palace, and fled to the South. The Cholas besieged the city. By this time, the entire city was deserted. So, without any opposition, the Chola armies entered the palace. They found the royal treasury empty. What they expected was not found here. Losing all hopes, they went back to their country.

Meanwhile, King Udaya, who was hiding in Ruhuna, was considering the pros and cons of all that happened. He came to the conclusion that all the trouble was due to his bad behaviour. He felt ashamed of himself. He then appointed the Chief Viduranga as the Commander and came back to the capital city. He was contemplating on taking revenge from the Cholas. He sent a huge army under the leadership of Commander Viduranga to the Chola country. From the moment they stepped on the Chola territory, they behaved violently, burning villages.

Then the Chola army came to fight them. The Sinhala soldiers were able to defeat them. They wanted to take whatever the Cholas had taken from our country. They plundered their wealth too and came back. By this time, a few trade centres had sprung up in the country. Agriculture and business were thriving. There was one trade centre close to Sorabora, which was named the City of Hopitiygamu.

In the second year after his coronation, King Udaya went on a pilgrimage to Mahiyangana. Then the traders of that city and the villagers came to see the king. They presented a petition to the king. It was a complaint against the officers of the Commander-in-Charge of that city. According to the petition, these officers were imposing unfair taxes on the people. They further complained that those officers were ignoring the rules and regulations laid down by King Kashyapa 1V.

King Udaya probed into the matter. He recommended a change in the system of administration followed in that city. A new system was introduced and it was incorporated into the constitution. He erected a stone pillar laying down their rights. This is the pillar that became famous as the 'Badulu-Pillar - inscription.’ It was discovered in a place to the North-East of Mahiyangana, close to 'Sorabora-Weva.’

In the latter part of his life, King Udaya 1V, too became a religious ruler. He repaired the Buddha statue at Mahavihara. One of his queens, named Vidura, offered a gem-studded curtain to that statue. The king had to spend a lot of money and time, to repair the temples ruined by the Cholas. His period of rule lasted for about eight years and he passed away in 954 AD.

He was succeeded by the Yuvaraja Sena, who was crowned as Sena 1V. An Adipada - named Mahinda was appointed as the Yuvaraja. King Sena 1V was a scholar and a poet too. He followed a friendly policy towards friends and foes alike.