This article is part of a continuing series on the 'Mahavamsa,' the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history

Commander Mahalana Keerti

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

1. It was the commander Keerti, who at least succeeded to a certain extent to fill the vacuum created by the death of the prince. It is because he was the Chief Minister. He was a sincere person and was good to everybody, but the sad part is, that he was not a clever ruler. The people too did not like him. He could rule only for eight days. Another commander named Mahalana Keerti came to fight him. He was a warrior. In this fight, Commander Keerti died in 1040 AD.

2. Mahalana Keerti was very brave and did not bother about others' opinion. He was straight in his actions. He followed the system of administration adopted by Prince Kashyapa. He was more firm in executing the law. He tried to develop agriculture. He enlarged his army. All this was seen as a threat by the Cholas of Polonnaruwa. So they sent a huge army to the South.

3. These Chola soldiers ruined the entire Southern Province. This angered Mahalana Keerti and he, with his army, came to fight the Cholas. Both armies met and a fierce battle followed. Many lives were lost. The Cholas were more powerful but the Sinhala soldiers did not want to give up. They continued fighting.

4. Before long, there appeared signs of the Sinhala army losing. Yet, they did not retreat, deciding to fight to the last man. Before long, there were only four to five Sinhala soldiers left on the battle-field and one of them was Commander Mahalana Keerti. They did not stop the fight. So the few who were left that day were treated as national heroes. They continued to fight even in the face of imminent death.

5. They thought it better to die rather than flee in fear. Though they tried to display their skill in fighting, it was not successful. They fell dead one after another. Finally, the only one left was Commander Mahalana Keerti. About seven or eight Chola soldiers were around him. He fought with every one of them. He knew to artfully dodge every blow dealt by the enemy.

6. He began to think in this manner. "I cannot win this battle single-handed. At the same time, it is a disgrace to my generation to see me being killed by the enemy." When the Chola soldiers slacked for a moment, the brave Sinhala leader pulled his sword out and killed himself. The Cholas were surprised. Their calls of victory echoed and re-echoed. They then began to steal. They stole even the crown and royal jewellery that was made for Prince Kashyapa. They went back to Polonnaruwa. This happened in 1042 AD.

7. Polonnaruwa was once again without a proper king. There was a leader but he was not a proper ruler. The subjects were just dazed. The Cholas made use of this state of affairs to come to the south on and off and tax the people unnecessarily. They ruined the granaries and killed even the animals. The people of Ruhuna were oppressed.

8. At this time, there was a Sinhala prince living in the island of Dalu. He had a formidable army. He was named Vokum Pandu and had a right to the throne too. He was concerned about what was going on in Sri Lanka. 'Rajavaliya' refers to this prince as a son of Commander Mahalana Keerti. Whatever that may be, it is important to note that this prince was able to find out about the political unrest in the country, through his spy service.