What was Buvanekabahu’s role in Lankan history?
Buvanekabahu 11, is a Lankan king, hardly known till he suddenly made headlines for the wrong reasons. Today, tears are shed, vigorous debates conducted and a ringing call for justice made against those who levelled his “Royal Magul Maduwa” in Kurunegala to the ground.
The demolition of any archaeological remain is an offence under the Antiquities Ordinance. However, rather than focusing on an Audience Hall, parts of which if those still remain are probably lying beneath the noisy streets of Kurunegala, we dug into history which indicates that Buvanekebahu 11 who reigned in the 13th century, was a king of greater dimensions – a war hero and in fact was the architect of the Royal Capital of Kurunegala.
Renowned historian K.M. de Silva in “A History of Sri Lanka” wrote “..… so was Kurunegala, another site of royal power in this quest for safety.” Buvanekabahu 11 (12871302CE) founded Kurunegala kingdom for being naturally safe and ideally located against foreign invasions. The kingdom – a rock fortress which was known as “Hasthishaila Pura,” nestled in the shadow of the largest rock outcrop in Sri Lanka. Named also as “Ethugala” and “Ethugal Pura” due to its main rock resembling a mighty tusker, four kings after the founder, continued to reign in Kurunegala during a 50-year invasion-free period.
To go to the roots of the story, this was a period of history marked with constant threats of invasions from South India and the Northern Sri Lanka causing a complete disarray of the political landscape. Capitals kept moving with rulers setting up rock fortresses as their Capitals. K.M. de Silva described this period as “the fragmentation of Sri Lankan polity.”
Buvanekabahu 11, it is documented, had marched to Polonnaruwa and defeated Parakramabahu 111 (1287-1293CE) the last Sinhala king who ruled in Polonnaruwa. Parakaramabahu 111 was a close relative of Buvanekabahu 11 who was able to establish a Sinhala kingdom in Polonnaruwa in the post Magha era due to his subservience to the Pandyans. Pandyans, having conquered Polonnaruwa in 1284CE allowed Parakramabahu 111 to rule on conditions laid down by them. Therefore, ending the 5-year rule of Parakramabahu 111 by Buvanekabahu 11, was effectively a defeat of the Pandyans.
The drift however, commenced of Sinhala kingdoms to the Southwest of Sri Lanka, before the defeat of Parakramabahu 111. What caused it?
The end of the reign of Parakramabahu 1 in 1186CE was marked with power struggles in Polonnaruwa which resulted in anarchy and a breakdown of the irrigation system – the backbone of the economy.
This and the inability of the people to sustain resistance once Rajarata succumbed, led to a greater vulnerability for attacks. The Northern Province, less firmly controlled, was found to have become the refuge of certain claimants to the Sri Lankan throne while Vanni chieftains had emerged as a buffer between the north and the Sinhala state.
It was against such a background that Vijayabahu 111, the first ruler to make the trek southwards of the Ancient Capital Polonnaruwa, established the first rock fortress with Dambadeniya as the Royal Capital. His son, Parakramabahu 11 who succeeded him in 1236CE, subjugated the petty rulers and held his coronation at Polonnaruwa. He attempted to restore the city to its former status as the centre of Sinhala power. Instead, he returned to Dambadeniya which remained his Capital due to the persistent danger of Pandyan invasions. (K.M. de Silva).
Parakramabahu 11 however, defeated the attack of Candrabhanu – an invader from Malay peninsula.in 1255CE, assisted by the Pandyans, he attacked Magha in Polonnaruwa. Magha and Candrabhanu after being defeated, were the first to seek refuge in the North when they set up a separate state in the Jaffna peninsula.
Therefore, with Sinhala kingdoms displaying a vulnerability to attacks, Buvanekabahu 1 finding Dambadeniya insecure, built his Royal Residence in Yapahuwa – the second rock fortress. Built on a high rock boulder it was meant to be a military stronghold against invaders. Yet, Yapahuwa was attacked and the Tooth Relic was captured and given to the Pandyan Monarch in Madhurai, South India. Parakramabahu 111 however, during his brief reign in Polonnaruwa, travelled to Madhura and got the Relic back with the intervention of the Pandyans who sustained him.
Buvanekabahu 11, when he defeated Parakramabahu 111, left Polonnaruwa with the Buddha’s Tooth Relic which he brought to Kurunegala, his Capital. According to Lorna Dewaraja who has traced the history of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic in “The Kandy Esala Maha Perahera” wrote that Buvanekabahu 11 built a Palace where he installed the Tooth Relic, the remains of which is worth exploring more than his Assembly Hall. His successors took the Relic in procession round the Capital city exhibiting it to the public which basically resembles the present day Perahera.
The end of the reign of Parakramabahu 1 in 1186CE was marked with power struggles in Polonnaruwa which resulted in anarchy and a breakdown of the irrigation system