The South Indian Wife of The First King of Lanka

Vijaya – The First King of the Sinhalese
Written on June 12, 2013
By Jay Hettiarachchy

The Origins of the Sinhalese People -- Story of the consecration of the first Sinhalese king, Vijaya as narrated by the chronicler of Mahavamsa (the great genealogy)   

After Viyaya’s followers settled in the northern area of Lanka they wanted Vijaya to be consecrated as their king. But Vijaya did not wish to be consecrated “unless a maiden of a noble house was consecrated as his queen.” Then Vijaya’s ministers went back to southern India and brought the daughter of the Pandu king of Madhura (Chennai, or Madras) and 100 other maidens as wives for Vijay’s ministers. 

But Vijaya had one little problem according to the chronicler. He had a son and a daughter from the yakkhini (the woman devil Kuvanna). According to the good chronicle, Vijaya told the yakkhini to leave behind the children and go back to her folks (the devils) since he had to wed the princess and get himself ready for the consecration.   But the yakkhini feared that her folks would kill her if she went to them. Finally when Viyaya forced her to leave, she took the children with her and went to the forest where the devils suspected her to be a spy. One ferocious devil killed her with one blow with his fist. Kuveni’s brother having learnt that her sister was killed informed the children about it and warned them to run away to the Sumana kuta (Adams peak) mountain where they lived together and had children together. They were the originators of the Pulinda tribe or the Veddha’s  (the barbarous people) of Lanka who later inhabited Sabaragamuwa district according to tradition.

Analysis:

What a story!

If this story was believable, it talks about the very first king to be consecrated in Lanka married a Pandyan queen from Chennai/Madras. This myth woven during the time when Mahavamsa was written by this Buddhist monk may have reflected the practice of some Sinhala kings having had matrimonial relations with the royal family of the contemporary neighboring south Indian Tamil kingdom.

There are too many brothers and sisters having had incestual relationships bearing twins in these myths. There is apparently no reliable history of the origin of the aboriginal people known as Veddhas of Sri Lanka. However, anybody could have come up with any story at a time when a willing audience was ready to believe whatever was told to them.

It is a shame that some people of the present day too fall a prey to such myths that have been fabricated by some people having had ulterior motives for creating them.