Mittasena (or Mitta Sena or Karalsora)
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 5th century, whose reign lasted from 435 to 436. He succeeded
Chattagahaka Jantu 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 ...
. During his reign, the kingdom was invaded by
Pandu
In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities ...
of
The Six Dravidians
The Six Dravidians were six Tamil rulers apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 436 to 452 CE. They are said to be Buddhist, taking Buddhist epithets such as the 'servant of Buddha' and are known to ha ...
. He was the last king of the Lambakanna dynasty.
Mittasena had a reputation as a plunderer of crops from farmers. King
Chattagahaka Jantu's Chief Minister orchestrated Mittasena's accession. The Chief Minister wanted to ascend the throne himself, but enthroned Mittasena as his puppet ruler. Mittasena was kept out of the sight of the public even though it was the custom of kings to participate in festive events. The Chief Minister kept the administration of the country in his hands.
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King Mittasena was said to be devoted to acts of piety. People initially tolerated the unusual absence of their king from public events. Then the people decided that they wanted to see if the king actually existed. So they besieged the palace and demanded to see their king. The Chief Minister had to allow Mittasena to appear in public on the State elephant.
After only one year from his accession, six Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
chiefs invaded Sri Lanka with an army. The invading forces were headed by Pandu, a Pandyan from southern India. King Mittasena was defeated and slain on the battlefield. He was succeeded by King Pandu
In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities ...
of The Six Dravidians
The Six Dravidians were six Tamil rulers apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 436 to 452 CE. They are said to be Buddhist, taking Buddhist epithets such as the 'servant of Buddha' and are known to ha ...
.
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 ...
References
External links
Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka
Codrington's Short History of Ceylon
Monarchs of Anuradhapura
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