Battle of Vijithapura
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Vijithapura was a decisive and major battle in the campaign carried out by Sri Lankan king Dutthagamani
against the invading South Indian king Elara. The battle is documented in detail in the ancient chronicles of the country. However, they only provide the viewpoint of Dutthagamani and his army, and details are scarce on Elara's side.
After launching a campaign to regain the country from Elara, Dutthagamani captured a number of his strongholds before coming to the fortified city of Vijithapura
. A four month long siege ensued, followed by a large assault where Dutthagamani's champions and royal elephant played a major part. The chronicles focus a lot on these ten champions, and vividly describe some unusual "tests" that Dutthagamani carried out to find out their skills.
The battle ended in victory for Dutthagamani's forces and considerably weakened Elara's army, ultimately leading to his defeat and death. The exact location of Vijithapura is unknown, though historians have made some speculations on this. The battle is still regarded by Sri Lankans as a legendary event in the country's history, and has even been compared with victories of the Sri Lanka Army during the country's civil war
.
; Mahavamsa
, Dipavamsa
, Rajavaliya and Thupavamsa. All of them describe the battle in detail, and apply a high importance to it. Dutthagamani is a hero in these chronicles, and his campaign is depicted as a "holy war" aimed at restoring Buddhism in the country. Therefore these accounts are favourably biased to him, and the description of the Battle of Vijithapura, along with the rest of the campaign, is a mix of fact and legend. However, historians agree that the basic facts from these chronicles are accurate. The one sided accounts given in the chronicles mean that there is very little information to be obtained on Elara and his armies. According to Orientalist Wilhelm Geiger
, who translated the Mahavamsa, the problem is "not what is said but what is left unsaid".
. He was a Chola
prince from South India
, who had defeated the Sinhalese ruler Asela
in an invasion. Although an invader, Elara is described as a just ruler who had even patronized Buddhism
. Most of the country came under this Tamil
king's rule, while his rival Kavan Tissa
, a Sinhala king from Ruhunu
in the south of the country, organized a resistance against him. Kavan Tissa's son, Dutthagamani, ascended to the throne after the death of his father.
Soon after he became the king in Ruhuna, Dutthagamani launched a campaign against Elara with the intention of "restoring and glorifying Buddhism" in the country. After setting out from Magama and crossing the Mahaweli river, Dutthagamani captured a number of forts and cities that were under Elara, and killed several of his generals. The ancient chronicles refer to all of the chieftains or generals defeated by Dutthagamani as Demalas (Tamils). However, it is unlikely that all of them were indeed Tamils, and it is possible that one of them—whose name is given as Dighabaya—may even have been a stepbrother of Dutthagamani himself who had later joined Elara.
". Dutthagamani followed a road between Sigiriya
and Minneriya
to take his army there; a road that had been used by Pandukabhaya, a previous ruler, in his military campaigns as well.
The city of Vijithapura, which the Mahavamsa refers to as Vijitha Nagara, had been founded nearly three hundred years ago by the brother in law of king Panduvasudeva
. By the time of the battle, it had become a well fortified stronghold of Elara. It is said to have been surrounded by three moats and a wall with a height of 18 cubits. The wall had four wrought iron gates on the north, south, east and west. The Rajavaliya describes Vijithapura as a fortress second only to Anuradhapura
.
The control of Vijithapura was essential to both sides. The loss of the stronghold would be a largely demoralizing factor for Elara's forces and would significantly reduce their capability to resist Duthhagamani's advance. For Dutthagamani's forces, the capture of the city would mean that they could easily move on to Anuradhapura.
", who were to play a significant part in the battle to come.
, intending to test their strength. When all others refused, Suranimala
stepped forward and drank the entire cauldron without any effort. The second test was to test Nandimithra, the commander of the army. Dutthagamani had his royal elephant, Kandula
, infuriated and set on Nandimithra. However, the warrior stood his ground and taking the elephant by its tusks, pushed it to the ground. Thus clearing all doubts as to the abilities and skill of his warriors, Dutthagamani sounded the war drums and raising his flags, started the assault to take Vijithapura.
Elara's archers, shooting from the walls, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, while soldiers on top of the walls prevented any attempt to breach the wall by puring down molten metal on them. The elephant Kandula, attempting to break the southern gate, was injured in such an attack. After tending to his injuries and protecting him using thick animal hides, Dutthagamani encouraged Kandula and drove him against the wall. The wall was breached and Dutthagamani's army entered the city. The ten champions, unwilling to enter through an opening made by another, destroyed the wall themselves in different places and broke in to the city. Led by them, Dutthagamani's army destroyed the defenders and took control of the fortress city of Vijithapura. The survivors retreated to Anuradhapura.
in 2009, General Sarath Fonseka
, the then commander
of the Sri Lanka Army, compared several battles they fought to that of Vijithapura.
The exact location of the Vijithapura fortress is uncertain. A village with the same name near the ancient Kalawewa reservoir may have been the place where the battle took place. There is an ancient temple here as well as a granite stone that locals believe to have been used by Dutthagamani's soldiers to sharpen their swords.
However, other historians and archaeologists believe that the location is close to Kaduruwela near Polonnaruwa
, where the ruins of an ancient fortress have been found.
Dutthagamani
Dutugamunu , also known as Dutthagamani duṭṭhagāmaṇī) and Gamani Abhaya ගාමිණී අභය gāmaṇī abhaya, "fearless Gamini" was a Sinhalese King of Sri Lanka who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC...
against the invading South Indian king Elara. The battle is documented in detail in the ancient chronicles of the country. However, they only provide the viewpoint of Dutthagamani and his army, and details are scarce on Elara's side.
After launching a campaign to regain the country from Elara, Dutthagamani captured a number of his strongholds before coming to the fortified city of Vijithapura
Vijithapura
Vijithapura , also known as Vijitha Nagara or Vijithagama, was a fortress–city in ancient Sri Lanka. When Vijaya, the first recorded ruler of the country arrived from India, he brought a large retinue of his followers with him. These followers spread throughout the country, and established...
. A four month long siege ensued, followed by a large assault where Dutthagamani's champions and royal elephant played a major part. The chronicles focus a lot on these ten champions, and vividly describe some unusual "tests" that Dutthagamani carried out to find out their skills.
The battle ended in victory for Dutthagamani's forces and considerably weakened Elara's army, ultimately leading to his defeat and death. The exact location of Vijithapura is unknown, though historians have made some speculations on this. The battle is still regarded by Sri Lankans as a legendary event in the country's history, and has even been compared with victories of the Sri Lanka Army during the country's civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
.
Records
Dutthagamani's campaign against Elara is given in detail in the ancient chronicles of Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
; Mahavamsa
Mahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
, Dipavamsa
Dipavamsa
The Dipavamsa, or "Deepavamsa", is the oldest historical record of Sri Lanka.It means Chronicle of the Island. The chronicle is believe to be compiled from Atthakatha and other sources around the 3-4th century. Together with Mahavamsa, it is the source of many accounts of ancient history of Sri...
, Rajavaliya and Thupavamsa. All of them describe the battle in detail, and apply a high importance to it. Dutthagamani is a hero in these chronicles, and his campaign is depicted as a "holy war" aimed at restoring Buddhism in the country. Therefore these accounts are favourably biased to him, and the description of the Battle of Vijithapura, along with the rest of the campaign, is a mix of fact and legend. However, historians agree that the basic facts from these chronicles are accurate. The one sided accounts given in the chronicles mean that there is very little information to be obtained on Elara and his armies. According to Orientalist Wilhelm Geiger
Wilhelm Geiger
Wilhelm Ludwig Geiger was a German Orientalist, in the fields of Indian and Iranian languages. He was known as a specialist in Pali, Sinhala language and the Dhivehi language of the Maldives.-Life:...
, who translated the Mahavamsa, the problem is "not what is said but what is left unsaid".
Background
At the time of the battle, Elara was the king of AnuradhapuraAnuradhapura Kingdom
The Anuradhapura Kingdom , named for its capital city, was the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka. Founded by King Pandukabhaya in 377 BC, the kingdom's authority extended throughout the country, although several independent areas emerged from time to time, which grew more numerous...
. He was a Chola
Chola Dynasty
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, of Maurya Empire; the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until...
prince from South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, who had defeated the Sinhalese ruler Asela
Asela of Sri Lanka
Asela was an early monarch of Sri Lanka of the kingdom of Anuradhapura, based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura from 215 BC to 205 BC. Asela was the youngest of the many sons of Mutasiva and brother of previous monarchs Devanampiya Tissa, Uttiya and Mahasiva...
in an invasion. Although an invader, Elara is described as a just ruler who had even patronized Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. Most of the country came under this Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
king's rule, while his rival Kavan Tissa
Kavan Tissa of Ruhuna
Kavan Tissa, also known as Kavantissa, Kaka Wanna Thissa, was the king of the Kingdom of Ruhuna in the southern part of Sri Lanka. He ruled Ruhuna, in the same time as Keleni Tissa of Maya Rata and the usurping Tamil king of Anuradhapura, Elara of South India, expanding and beautifying the city,...
, a Sinhala king from Ruhunu
Kingdom of Ruhuna
The Kingdom of Ruhuna was a medieval era Sinhala kingdom located in the south of Sri Lanka. The capital was known as Magama, near between modern Ambalantota and Tissamaharama in the Southern Province...
in the south of the country, organized a resistance against him. Kavan Tissa's son, Dutthagamani, ascended to the throne after the death of his father.
Soon after he became the king in Ruhuna, Dutthagamani launched a campaign against Elara with the intention of "restoring and glorifying Buddhism" in the country. After setting out from Magama and crossing the Mahaweli river, Dutthagamani captured a number of forts and cities that were under Elara, and killed several of his generals. The ancient chronicles refer to all of the chieftains or generals defeated by Dutthagamani as Demalas (Tamils). However, it is unlikely that all of them were indeed Tamils, and it is possible that one of them—whose name is given as Dighabaya—may even have been a stepbrother of Dutthagamani himself who had later joined Elara.
Vijithapura
After these victories, Dutthagamani's army marched on to the "great fortress of VijithapuraVijithapura
Vijithapura , also known as Vijitha Nagara or Vijithagama, was a fortress–city in ancient Sri Lanka. When Vijaya, the first recorded ruler of the country arrived from India, he brought a large retinue of his followers with him. These followers spread throughout the country, and established...
". Dutthagamani followed a road between Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures...
and Minneriya
Minneriya
Minneriya is a small town in Sri Lanka, and is famous for two things , for the great Minneriya lake build by King Mahasen and for the Minneriya National Park which is a hot spot for safari lovers because of the abandons of Elephants...
to take his army there; a road that had been used by Pandukabhaya, a previous ruler, in his military campaigns as well.
The city of Vijithapura, which the Mahavamsa refers to as Vijitha Nagara, had been founded nearly three hundred years ago by the brother in law of king Panduvasudeva
Panduvasdeva of Sri Lanka
Prince Panduvasudeva, was King of Upathissa Nuwara from 504 BC to 474 BC.-Ancestors:-See also:* List of monarchs of Sri Lanka* Mahavamsa* History of Sri Lanka* Place names in Sri Lanka-External links:* *...
. By the time of the battle, it had become a well fortified stronghold of Elara. It is said to have been surrounded by three moats and a wall with a height of 18 cubits. The wall had four wrought iron gates on the north, south, east and west. The Rajavaliya describes Vijithapura as a fortress second only to Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
.
The control of Vijithapura was essential to both sides. The loss of the stronghold would be a largely demoralizing factor for Elara's forces and would significantly reduce their capability to resist Duthhagamani's advance. For Dutthagamani's forces, the capture of the city would mean that they could easily move on to Anuradhapura.
Siege
Surviving troops of Elara's forces from previous battles retreated to Vijithapura, further strengthening its defenses. Dutthagamani's army also arrived and pitched camp close to the fortress. The open stretch of land where they camped later came to be known as Khandavara Pitthi or Kandavurupitiya. They carried out regular assaults against the fortress while the defenders also made occasional sorties, but none of them were able to sway the battle in favour of either side. After laying siege on the city for four months, plans were laid to launch an assault using the entire army. Dutthagamani's army was led by his ten champions or generals, known as the "Ten Giant WarriorsTen Giant Warriors
Much is written of the great war between Sinhala King Dutugemunu and a South Indian Invader, Tamil King Elara for the City of Anuradhapura, and the central role played by Dutugemunu’s Ten Giant Warriors or the great warriors – the dasa maha yodha...
", who were to play a significant part in the battle to come.
Testing the warriors
The ancient chronicles mention two tests that Dutthagamani planned to find out these warriors' skill before the battle. For the first test, Dutthagamani asked the warriors to drink a large cauldron of toddyPalm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
, intending to test their strength. When all others refused, Suranimala
Suranimala
Suranimala was a Sinhalese soldier in the 2nd century BCE. He was the second in command of King Dutugemunu’s army, and among ten of his best warriors known as ten giant warriors. He made an immense contribution to King Dutugemunu's victory over King Elara...
stepped forward and drank the entire cauldron without any effort. The second test was to test Nandimithra, the commander of the army. Dutthagamani had his royal elephant, Kandula
Kandula
thumb|right|270px|Kandula playing at the National Zoo, Washington D.C. Kandula is a famous war elephant mentioned in the Sinhala chronicle Mahavamsa....
, infuriated and set on Nandimithra. However, the warrior stood his ground and taking the elephant by its tusks, pushed it to the ground. Thus clearing all doubts as to the abilities and skill of his warriors, Dutthagamani sounded the war drums and raising his flags, started the assault to take Vijithapura.
Final assault
Dutthagamani's army attacked all four gates of the city simultaneously. He led the main assault on the southern gate with Nandimithra, Suranimala and the elephant Kandula, while the attacks on the northern and western gates were led by Bharana, Khanjadeva, Phussadeva and Labhiyavasabha. The eastern gate was attacked by Mahasona, Gothaimbara, Theraputthabhaya and Velusumana. The defenders of the eastern gates were routed by Velusumana after a cavalry attack, and Elara's forces withdrew into the city.Elara's archers, shooting from the walls, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, while soldiers on top of the walls prevented any attempt to breach the wall by puring down molten metal on them. The elephant Kandula, attempting to break the southern gate, was injured in such an attack. After tending to his injuries and protecting him using thick animal hides, Dutthagamani encouraged Kandula and drove him against the wall. The wall was breached and Dutthagamani's army entered the city. The ten champions, unwilling to enter through an opening made by another, destroyed the wall themselves in different places and broke in to the city. Led by them, Dutthagamani's army destroyed the defenders and took control of the fortress city of Vijithapura. The survivors retreated to Anuradhapura.
Aftermath
The capture of Vijithapura paved the way for Dutthagamani's army to advance on to Anuradhapura, and they proceeded immediately afterwards, capturing two more of Elara's strongholds on the way. In the battle for Anuradhapura, Dutthagamani killed Elara in single combat and became the king of Anuradhapura, bringing the entire country under his rule.Modern culture and studies
The battle of Vijithapura is regarded as a legendary battle in Sri Lankan history and a significant milestone in Dutthagamani's campaign to restore Buddhism in the country. It is often referred to as Vijithapura maha satana (the great battle of Vijithapura). After the ending of the Sri Lankan Civil WarSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
in 2009, General Sarath Fonseka
Sarath Fonseka
Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, known as Sarath Fonseka is a former commander and General of the Sri Lanka Army and a former candidate for President of Sri Lanka. As Commander of the Army, he played an instrumental role in ending the 26 year Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, defeating the...
, the then commander
Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)
Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya...
of the Sri Lanka Army, compared several battles they fought to that of Vijithapura.
The exact location of the Vijithapura fortress is uncertain. A village with the same name near the ancient Kalawewa reservoir may have been the place where the battle took place. There is an ancient temple here as well as a granite stone that locals believe to have been used by Dutthagamani's soldiers to sharpen their swords.
However, other historians and archaeologists believe that the location is close to Kaduruwela near Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 AD to reunite the country once more under a local leader.-History:While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa...
, where the ruins of an ancient fortress have been found.