Mahanaga was an early monarch of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
of the
Kingdom of Ruhuna in the southern region of the island. He is the founder of the Ruhuna. The Kingdom of Ruhuna was in some periods a client state loyal to the
King of Anuradhapura and in some periods a country independent of it.
Background
The king
Mutasiva had nine sons, including
Devanampiya Tissa,
Uttiya,
Mahasiva, Mahanaga and
Asela. After the death of Mutasiva, the eldest son Devanampiya Tissa became the king. According to the customs of Anuradhapura kings, Uttiya, Mahasiva and Mahanaga should have come to the throne next. Devanampiya Tissa's son's turn was next. Devanampiya Tissa's consort Ramadatta didn't like that. She planned to bring her son to the throne sooner, by murdering Mahanaga.
One day when Mahanaga was working with his men in a field, the queen sent them a basket of poisoned mangoes. Unfortunately Devanampiya Tissa's son ate the fruit and died. Prince Mahanaga thought, it's not good to be in the city, and left Anuradhapura with his family and men and migrated to
Ruhuna
The Principality of Ruhuna ( Sinhala: , ), also referred to as the Kingdom of Ruhuna, is a region of present-day Southern and Eastern Sri Lanka. It was the center of a flourishing civilisation and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri L ...
.
See also
*
List of monarchs of Sri Lanka
*
List of Ruhuna monarchs
External links
Kings & Rulers of Sri LankaCodrington's Short History of Ceylon
Anuradhapura period
Monarchs of Ruhuna
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