Siri Sangha Bodhi I, also known as Siri Sanghabodhi, was a monarch 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 3rd century, whose reign lasted from 252 to 254. He succeeded
Sangha Tissa I 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 ...
and was succeeded by
Gothabhaya.
Siri Sanghabodhi's story of devotion to Buddhism is told in the
Mahāvaṃsa. The king was said to have been so committed to the Buddha's teachings that he refused to execute criminals. When his prime minister led a rebellion against him, he could not bear the thought of the bloodshed that would result from putting down the rebellion, so he voluntarily abdicated and retired to the forest to live as an ascetic. The prime minister, now King Gathabhaya, fearing the return of the rightful king, offered a reward to anyone who would bring him the head of Siri Sanghabodh. One day, a poor peasant shared his meal with Siri Sanghabodh who, having nothing to give him in return, informed the man of his identity and offered him his head, decapitating himself.
Siri Sanghabodh is regarded as a great Buddhist saint in Sri Lanka.
See also
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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 ...
*
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 ...
References
External links
Kings & Rulers of Sri LankaCodrington's Short History of Ceylon
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