Funday Times

This article is part of a continuing series on the Mahavamsa, the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history
King Vanka-Nasika Tissa
Vanka-Nasika Tissa succeeded King Vasabha. King Subha’s only daughter was his chief queen. This marriage took place with the approval of King Vasabha. As King Subha was living in fear of Vasabha, he thought Vasabha may, one day harm his only daughter, whom he loved as much as he loved his life.

This little princess had to be brought up in hiding. King Subha had a friend in a man whose job was making tiles. He brought him to the palace one day and gave his daughter over to him, asking him to look after the princess with care, without disclosing her identity. If the need arose to reveal who she is, the king gave some royal items to proved her identity. The tile-maker was given a lot of wealth. He took the princess home and looked after her as his own daughter.

With the passage of time, Vasabha killed Subha and ascended the throne. The tile-maker was scared. But he brought up the princess as his own child and the princess too thought he was her father. When the princess grew up, it was she who carried the lunch to her father, at his workplace. On the way to the work site, there was a small hermitage and there lived a monk who was meditating. The princess had to go past this hermitage everyday.

At first, she did not even turn to look at the hermitage. On the seventh day she stopped at the hermitage, and seeing a monk meditating there, she offered the meal that she was taking for her father.

The priest partook of the food. The princess went back home, prepared lunch again and brought it for the father. By then it was quite late and her father asked her what the delay was. She told him what happened.

The man was happy to hear this. He instructed her to bring enough food hereafter so that lunch could be offered to the priest daily. She was delighted with her father’s attitude. Thereafter, as a habit, she offered the mid-day meal to the priest who lived there. As time went by, she grew up to be a pretty damsel. She had a real elegant appearance and was looking quite different from the other village women.

King Vasbha’s son, Vanka-Nasika Tissa was also a youth by then. He really was Tissa by name. The term Vanka-Nasika was added on to his name as his nose was crooked. His father, King Vasabha was taking a lot of trouble to look for a partner for his son. When he could not get a proper princess, he sent his men all over, to look for a princess for Tissa.

The tile-maker’s daughter was still engaged in the task of taking lunch, both for the priest and her father. One day, after partaking of the meal, the priest addressed her thus. “You are a powerful lady, you are to get a lot of riches. In fact, you can rise to the highest position, that a lady could aspire to. When that happens, do not forget this place. Build a temple here”. The princess agreed to do so, worshipped the priest and went home.

This monk died that very day and the princess was very sad. By this time, the king’s men who saw her had gone to the king with news about her. King Vasabha got her to the palace. When the tile-maker was questioned by the king as to who she was, he had to admit that she was the daughter of King Subha.

The king refused to believe it. Then the man produced what King Subha had given as royal items. The king then accepted her and made her queen to his son, Vanka-Nasika Tissa. The tile-maker was given a lot of wealth.

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

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