Mahinda I, known colloquially as Midel, was King of
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central ...
in the 8th century, whose reign lasted from 738 to 741. He succeeded his brother
Kassapa III as
King of Anuradhapura
The Anuradhapura Kingdom ( Sinhala: , translit: Anurādhapura Rājadhāniya, Tamil: ), named for its capital city, was the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka related to the Sinhalese people. Founded by King Pandukabhaya in 437 B ...
and was succeeded by his nephew
Aggabodhi VI.
Royal sources describe him as a humble and sentimental person who refused to wear the crown due to his grief on the death of his friend and possible lover, Nīla, with whom he had a very
intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or ...
. Subsequently after his death, the king duly discharged his kingly duties but gave up pleasures of the kingly office.
He governed the country under the title of Adipada (Governor). He raised prince Aggabodhi (the son of his brother
Kassapa III) to the office of Yuva Raja (Sub-King) . The Yuva Raja was entrusted with the administration of the eastern part of the country. His own son was entrusted with the administration of Ruhuna (Rohana District).
He caused to give 10 cartloads of alms at Mahapali Dana Sala (Alms Hall). He built a
vihara (temple) and a Meheni Aramaya (Convent for Bhikkunis) and endowed it with the income of two villages.
He died in the third year of his reign. His nephew, Yuva Raja prince Aggabodhi, was in the capital at the time of his death and succeeded Mahinda as King
Aggabodhi VI.
See also
*
List of Sri Lankan monarchs
The Sinhalese monarch -- anachronistically referred to as the Kings of Sri Lanka—featured the heads of state of the Sinhala Kingdoms, in what is today Sri Lanka.
The Sinhalese monarchy originates in the settlement of North Indian Indo-Ary ...
*
History of Sri Lanka
The history of Sri Lanka is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean.
The early human remains found on the island of Sri La ...
*
Kassapa III
*
Hephaestion
Hephaestion ( grc, Ἡφαιστίων ''Hephaistíon''; c. 356 BC – October 324 BC), son of Amyntor, was an ancient Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was "by far the dearest of all the ...
(a boyhood friend of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
who had a similar intimate relationship with him like Nila)
References
External links
Kings & Rulers of Sri LankaCodrington's Short History of Ceylon
Monarchs of Anuradhapura
Sinhalese kings
House of Lambakanna II
8th-century Sinhalese monarchs
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