Did the Sinhala race originate with Pandukabhaya ?

Semage explained that the painting depicted King Panduwasdeva's daughter, Chitra or Ummada Chitra as she is remembered for her beauty, together with her lover. It was this clandestine union that was said to have given Lanka King Pandukabhaya, who is believed to have introduced the concept of local government here. 

On many occasions I have passed the ruins of King Panduwasdeva's palace, including the Ek tam ge, where Ummada Chitra was imprisoned to prevent her bearing a son. Astrologers had predicted that the son would kill her seven brothers and capture the throne of Lanka. 

The love story of Chitra surpassed that of Romeo and Juliet more so as it did not begin and end in one generation.

But many are the tales woven around her that it would be interesting to delve into history and find out who was Pandukabhaya's father. 

The first issue which has to be dealt with is whether the widely held belief that a union between Ummada Chitra and Diga Gamini (Gamini from Diga gama or village) resulted in the birth of Pandukabhaya is true. 

Historian, Prof. Mendis Rohanadeera thinks not. According to him that is the story given in the Mahawansa but there is another version. 

The queen of Panduwasdeva and mother of Chitra, Badrachchana was the grand-daughter of Amithodana Sakya, who was the brother of King Suddodana, the King of Kapilawasthupura and a descendant of King Jayasena. At this stage it is relevant to look into the family tree of the Sakya clan. 

Queen Badrachchana and her brothers had arrived in Sri Lanka and built their own settlements - Vijitha built Vijithagrama, Anuradha Anuradhagrama, Diga Digagrama and Rohana Rohanagrama.

Later, Gamini, Diga's son, was sent to King Panduwasadeva and Queen Badrachchana (whose nephew he was) to perform royal service.

A union is said to have taken place between Diga Gamini and his cousin Chitra who was imprisoned in a one-bedroomed chamber with the entrance from the King's bedroom. Princess Chitra and her retinue were confined to prevent any liaison which would result in the birth of a son. Anyone visiting Pandugasnuwara even today can see the partly restored palace and Chitra's chamber which was known as the Ek tam ge. 

The imprisonment of Chitra followed a prediction at her birth that the Princess would bear a child who would kill his seven uncles and become the King of Lanka. 

When Chitra's brothers came to know of the prediction they wanted their sister done away with. However kind-hearted King Panduwasdeva disagreed and planned the one bedroomed chamber after Princess Chitra came of age. However, destiny had other plans. 

According to Prof. Rohanadeera ancient chronicles state that the entrance from the King's bedchamber to the Ek tam ge was guarded by a close associate of the King - Chitre and his friend Kalavela, who were of the Gothric clan. They were part of the original settlers-or Kuveni's descendants or aborigines- who had been conquered by Vijaya. 

When the aborigines were defeated by Vijaya and his troops 70 years earlier they had fled to the hills awaiting a chance for revenge. 

After the conquest of the locals, Vijaya built his settlements, and Badrachchana's brothers their own, in different areas. Constant quarrels between the two forces were the norm. The locals or Yakkas were caught in between and lived in hiding in Dimbulagala and Ritigala. 

In the second generation, Princess Chitra's personal servant, Chethiya, was also of the fierce Yaksha clan. 

Since their defeat at the hands of Vijaya, the Yakkas had been searching for ways to become rulers once again. When they heard of the prediction made by the royal astrologers, they set about making plans that Chitra's son should have Gothric paternity. Kalawela and Chitre, entered into palace service at about the time Diga's son Gamini did. 

The story goes that Diga Gamini may have gained access to Chitra's chamber by ordering Chitre or Kalawela to let him pass. Meanwhile, Munidasa Cumaratunge's theory was that Gothric leader Chitre may have had a relationship with the Princess who then begot a son belonging both to the Gothric clan as well as to royalty. 

According to Prof. Rohanadeera this has to be looked at in the light of the aborigines being the people who smuggled out the boy Prince and smuggled in a baby girl born to the Yakkas, thus ensuring that both babies were saved. Thereafter, it was the aborigines who brought up Prince Pandukabhaya. 

Cumaratunge also expounds the theory that the Princess got the name Chitra because she was Chitre's consort. 

Cumaratunge's theory cannot be cast aside, as it has credence.

To cover up the relationship between the Princess and a Yakka, a story about a liaison with cousin Diga Gamini was spun. Other stories are that the King's sons on hearing that Chitra had conceived, ordered that Chitre and Kalawela be put to death for not having carried out their duties of guarding the Princess. It could also mean that Chitre was put to death because of his connection with Chitra. But the truth lies buried in the dim mists of time. 

The story continues that Chitre and Kalawela were reborn as Yakkas, who protected the young Prince. 

At the time the infant Prince was being smuggled out and a Yakka girl smuggled in, the King's sons had wanted to examine the parcel being taken out of the palace. To protect the baby Prince, Chitre and Kalawela, using their inherited magical powers, had turned themselves into pigs and crossed the path of the Princes. They had then given chase to the pigs, while baby Pandukabhaya disappeared among the ordinary people. 

Thus was born a Prince claiming bloodlines to the Vijaya dynasty, Gothric heritage and the Sakyan dynasty of India, ideally suited to be the king of Sri Lanka. 

The Sakya connection given in the Mahawansa was forgotten for 1500 years, until the10th century. Various inscriptions were discovered in Ruhuna, Ratagamuwa and Pissomulle near Kirinda. The writings of Mihindu Epa, son of Kassapa the 5th state, "I am of Sinhala origin descended from Pandu Aba who comes from the great Suddodana's purest clan. These inscriptions indicate that the Sinhala people originated from Pandukabhaya. 

Pandukabhaya took water from the Abhaya wewa which he constructed and consecrated himself. He planned the city of Anuradhapura. He also introduced the local government system to Sri Lanka and ordered different areas to barter trade with each other. 

During his time there were the Jains, the Veddhas with their own King and the Kumbandans. He gave them a place to live and carry out their customs. 

When he came of age and planned to attack his uncles, the eldest of them sent him a message not to wage war but to rule the area from Dimbulagala to the deep south of Ruhuna. After Panduwasdeva's death, the eldest uncle was ruling the country from Upatissagama, a little north of Anuradhapura, which was a grama planned by Anuradha, a Vijaya Chieftain. Anuradhapura was later developed as a city by Pandukabhaya. 

Pandukabhaya was succeeded by his son Mutasiva and he by his son King Devanampiyatissa. King Devanampiyatissa's grand son was King Dutugemunu. 

Weaving the various strands together will it be incorrect to conclude that the Sinhala race began with Pandukabhaya?

More hope for 'Castle' babes

By Laila Nasry

"It's a girl," Dr. Nilmini Liyanage tells me. "We had to take her out at seven and a half months because her mother had high blood pressure." From the baby's delicate clenched fingers run tubes and wires connected to the machines for her organs that are unable to function on their own. Her chest heaves to the rhythmic beat of the respirator as she silently fights for her life. 

We are at the Neonatal Unit of the Castle Street Maternity Hospital, formerly known as the Premature Baby Unit. The unit, which had been in operation for the past 40 years, has now been modernized and equipped to cater to the emergencies which occur at birth. 

Dealing daily with one twentieth of the country's deliveries of which 15-20 per cent are C-sections, the Castle Street Hospital is the country's premier maternity hospital. "We handle a number of complicated pregnancies," says Hospital Director Dr. K.K.W. Karangoda. These include patients with diabetes, rubella, hypertension, malnutrition etc. "Though we know some babies have little chance of surviving, we still can't throw them to the wind," he adds. 

According to Dr. Karangoda the period between 28 weeks and 40 weeks of the pregnancy is the most crucial when it comes to emergency delivery. On such an occasion along with the gynaecologist, a medical officer is on hand to help with the emergency, which is generally the result of congenital abnormalities, heart problems in the baby, chord around the neck, maternal infections etc. Once the baby is delivered, it is rushed to the neonatal unit which takes over.

The new neonatal unit consists of four sections; the observation unit, special care baby unit, intensive care unit and the isolation unit. At the observation unit the babies are under the watchful eyes of the nurses. "Generally premature babies, those born to diabetic mothers come to us," says a nurse on duty. But not all those at the observation unit are premature. "Even full-term babies who've undergone birth trauma and those born with congenital abnormalities, are monitored here." 

Most of the equipment for the new unit has been provided either by the Health Ministry or private organisations like the Japanese Voluntary Organisation. Hygiene is top priority at the unit and a rather unique system of waste disposal is in operation. "There's a colour-coded system for control of waste disposal," Dr. Karandagoda says. The coloured bins are evident in the hallway and in the rooms. "The blue one has soiled linen, the brown has glass items, the orange has disposable gloves etc." However, despite the progress, the unit has a long way to go, says Dr. Karandagoda pointing out the rusty iron cots and trolleys.

"We need to stainless steel ones for safety and to avoid infection." The hospital is also looking at gaining more funds and equipment to upgrade the facilities offered to the mothers and babies at the unit.

The Kiwanis Club having set up a neonatal unit at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital decided to take on the challenge of aiding the Castle Street Maternity Hospital to upgrade their unit. 

In 1999 recognising the need for better hygiene at the hospital, the Kiwanis Club embarked on an estimated Rs. eight lakh project which included the renovation of the structure, electrical installation and tiling of the entire floor area of the unit.

Currently plans are underway for tiling the walls and providing medical equipment like ventilators and gas monitoring machines.

At the Lady Ridgeway, The Kiwanis raised more than Rs. 3 million thanks to generous donations from Mrs. Clarence Amerasinghe and the Australian and British High Commission 

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