Sinhala power spread in madhura

By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Niluka De Silva
Illustrated by Saman Kalubowila

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

1. Commander Lankapura commenced fighting again. This time the fighting took place in a place 10 miles away from Netturu. It was at a place called Maana Madhurai. It was a decisive battle. The Sinhala soldiers who fought valiantly managed to gain a good victory here. This helped to clear the road to Madhura. In this battle, Prince Veera Pandya (Veerapandu) too helped the Sinhala camp. The enemy was made to retreat.

2. By this time, the prince too had a lot of men around him. A few supporters of Kulasekera too had joined Veera Pandya. They were very powerful. Hence it was a simple victory for Commander Lankapura at Madhura. Netturu was made a fortress. Walls were built to fortify the place. This was the third fortress Sinhala forces built in South India.

3. Kulasekera then fled to the west and stopped at Aruppu-Kottai. He began to operate from here. He recruited men to the army. This was a place, roughly about three miles from Netturu. As a result everything that was happening here was known by Commander Lankapura. Before Kulasekera could attack, Lankapura decided to act. He went in search of Kulaskera, attacked his headquarters and chased his army away. He marched forward his soldiers and gained a number of victories.

4. In the eastern coast of Ramnad, the Sinhalese conquered places like Thondi and Paashi. They spread their supremacy in a number of other villages. By this time, Commander Lankapura had established friendly relations with a number of Tamil leaders, through diplomacy. His next ambition was to attack the fortress where, supporters of Kulasekera were staying. That was a place where Cholas too had suffered defeat earlier and so it was a significant spot where the enemy had been crushed.

5. This stronghold was situated about 55 miles away from Madhura, with the boundary at Pudukotte. This place was named Shemponamari. Commander Lankapura took his troops and marched there. He fought bravely and captured the fortress. In this fierce battle, the commanders who led the troops were Commander Lankapuradeva and Lankagirisora.

6. As there were a number of skilled soldiers, it was difficult to attack the southern gate. The commanders who succeeded in defeating the foe were Gokanna and Lokayana.
Meanwhile, Commander Jagath-Vijaya and the Commander-in-Chief Kitthi, attacked the northern gate. They won in the battle. As they were successful here, the Sinhala army was able to obtain a lot of arms, armaments and goods. This proved to be a very bad defeat for Kulasekera.

7. The entire province of Shemponamari was conquered by the Sinhala troops. They spread their supremacy here. Commander Lankapura became the chief of this area. Then it became easy for the Sinhalese to win over the adjoining provinces too. The rulers of these provinces came to meet Commander Lankapura. They accepted submission and promised to pay tribute. The river Vellaru was the boundary of the Pandya territory. Beyond that was the Chola country.

8. The conquest of this fortress brought Sinhala supremacy as far as the Chola country. In some of the places conquered by the Sinhala army, there lived people belonging to Arab, Vessa and Yavana tribes. They liked Commander Lankapura and so they showered him with gifts.
Meanwhile, the Sinhala troops attacked another fortress. This was a stronghold of a powerful Tamil chief named Punkondanagal.