They inspired, guided, fought and governed

From the beginning of recorded history in Sri Lanka, historians and ancient chroniclers have given pride of place to the feats of our mighty warrior kings who once ruled this land.

But what of the women who inspired, guided and even fought alongside their royal husbands, often proving they were better in the art of governance when elected to reign in the absence of a male successor?

Sadly, the remarkable achievements of these unique women have only received scant attention in the two most important historical records of the period, the Mahawamsa and Chulawamsa. This omission though hardly surprising in a society that was essentially patriarchal and male dominated, nevertheless leaves a huge void in our historical records.

Now, twenty centuries later, Maureen Seneviratne, a well-known author among other things, has tried to fill this glaring gap in our historical records. Delving into the ancient chronicles and using only the brief sketches of these royal women found in the two chronicles as her starting point, she has produced a series of fascinating stories of the lives, loves and daring escapades and deeds of these women who helped change the course of our history.

The result of that labour of love is her recently published `Some Women of the Mahawamsa and Chulawamsa ’- a series of portraits that blend legend with fact. As she says in her introduction, “History reveals the high position some of these women, chiefly of the royal bloodline, held in political and social affairs, the power and influence they wielded and how often they acted as wise counsellors to their royal husbands and sons and how a few of them were even accepted as heirs to the sovereign of the land. Homage and honour were paid to them by courtiers and common people and it is to their credit that most of them were models of dignity, charm, beauty and wit.”

What the author tries to do in her short biographies of these women is, to “draw them in close-up as it were to bring them to life.” Indeed she does more than just breathe life into the twelve intriguing remarkable women she has chosen to portray. She makes our ancient history come alive. Using her journalistic talents to blend historical facts with her own vivid imagination and yet retain a sense of credibility as she re-enacts events of the past, she takes the reader on a memorable journey into the distant past. The reader shares the author’s excitement and suspense as she describes the daring exploits, the tragedies, and the intrigues of her heroines , which even today, have the ability to shock, repel and fascinate.

Beginning with Lanka’s first woman of royal blood, Kuveni , a princess of the Yakka clan, Seneviratne’s portraits include a total of twelve women of royal blood. Among them are; princess Sanghamitta, Ummadacitta, Ratnavali, Lilavati, Sugala, Kalyanavati and Pottha. Along with her description of their idiosyncracies, their exploits and achievements, the author gives the reader a detailed description of events that were taking place at that particular time, thus giving the reader an insight into various historical events that he had probably forgotten or not known.

It is obvious that a great deal of painstaking research had to be done before Seneviratne brought out this second edition to a book that she says had been printed several years ago. Yet as the author confesses, it is a labour of love which she thoroughly enjoyed. “ I spent enjoyable, enriching hours breathing life into the intriguing and delightful women, and in the process discovered anew for myself the perennial fascination of those ancient texts which vividly and irresistibly bring back times past into our present,” she says in her introduction.

The secret of her ability to create a full blooded character from a pen sketch is by the author’s own admission, her ability to use the , `glass of imagination’. As she says, “ Most of the Mahawamsa portraits of women are drawn in miniature , but it is remarkable what a striking picture is conveyed in every instance. All we have to do to make these characters come alive for us, is to use what has been described as the glass of our imagination. By our own knowledge and understanding of our fellow creatures, we are able to breathe life into these characters who lived and loved and hated, knew joy and adversity, disaster and triumph so many centuries ago”.

It is this gift that she uses for example, to create the portrait of Pottha, who although dismissed in only a few short sentences by the Mahawamsa, nonetheless changed the course of Sri Lanka’s history by , “ simply and undramatically doing what seemed to her necessary at a particular time” and together with her husband king Vasaba created a new dynasty, the Lambakkana dynasty which ruled Lanka for over 350 years..

The author’s descriptive narrative gives us a rare glimpse into the past besides providing interesting information on an era which has been forgotten in the mists of time. By giving flesh to the heroines of this past era, she also reiterates the significant role played by women of Lanka in society, from time immemorial. Replete with gems of information, I found reading through its pages to be a truly memorable experience.