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Gajabahu
Gajabahu I (lit. 'Elephant-Arm'), also known as Gajabahuka Gamani (c. 113 – 135 CE), was a Sinhalese people, Sinhalese king of Rajarata in Sri Lanka. He is renowned for his military prowess, religious benefactions, extensive involvement in South Indian politics, and for possibly introducing the cult of the goddess Pattini to Sri Lanka. The primary source for his reign is the Mahavamsa, though he is also the only early Sri Lankan king (along with Ellalan (monarch), Elara) to be extensively mentioned in the Chera dynasty, Chera Cilappatikaram (also spelled Silapathikaram). Life and Religion Next to nothing is known about Gajabahu's youth, except that he was the son of Vankanasika Tissa (reigned 110–113 CE), king of Rajarata from Anuradhapura, and his consort Mahamatta. As such he might have witnessed the most dramatic event of Tissa's reign, the invasion of Rajarata by the Chola king Karikalan. The Mahavamsa mentions Gajabahu's accession and reign of twenty-two years and ment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gajabahu Synchronism
Gajabahu synchronism is the chronological device used by historians to help date early Tamil history. The synchronism, first propounded by V. Kanakasabhai Pillai in 1904 in his ''The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years ago'', was adopted by some scholars of the time to date Tamil literature. Kamil Zvelebil, even while acknowledging the fragility of the synchronism, called it the "sheet anchor" of the dating of Tamil literature. The synchronism however, involves numerous conjectures and has been dismissed by Gananath Obeyesekere in his '' The Cult of the Goddess Pattini'' (1984) as ahistorical and invalid. The 'synchronism' From a mention in the ''Silappatikaram'', the Sinhalese king of Lanka, Gajabahu is taken to be a contemporary of the Chera king Senguttuvan. The genuineness of Gajabahu synchronism as an instrument to date early Tamil literature is accepted by most scholars today. Dating of Senguttuvan In the ''Silappatikaram'', there is reference to a certain ''Kayavaku'', t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |