Chora Naga, also known as Coranaga or Mahanaga, 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 1st century BC, who ruled from 62 BC to 50 BC. He succeeded his cousin
Mahakuli Mahatissa as
King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by
Kuda Tissa. King Chora Naga was not a follower of the
Mahavihara sect. He had even demolished 18 temples that belong to Mahavira. As a result, the author of the
Mahāvaṃsa
The ''Mahāvaṃsa'' (, Sinhala: මහාවංශය, Pali: ''මහාවංස (Mahāvaṃsa)'' – written in the 5th century CE) is the meticulously kept historical chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the style of an epic poem written in t ...
referred to him as a thief.
Death
The ''Mahavamsa'' states that King Chora Naga was poisoned and killed by Anula, his queen consort, who fell in love with a
royal guard
A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...
in the palace called
Siva and let him become the ruler of the country. However, there is also a possibility that the people of Anuradhapura, who were frustrated at Chora Naga's mischief, assassinated him.
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 ...
*
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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