The History Records

the Tsunamis in Sri Lanka

2000 years ago…

By Sirisaman Wijetunge

Former Media Consultant, Central Cultural Fund,

and Asst. Director in the Dept. of Archeology.

The first flooding of the sea in Sri Lanka is recorded in chapter 22 of ‘Mahavamsa’ written in the 5^th century A.D. However most of us dismissed this piece of history as just folklore, refusing to believe our much loved sea would ever bring upon us much sorrow and destruction. The Tsunamis which crashed on our shores that fateful day, the 26^th of December 2004, 5 years ago proved us wrong.

The incident as recorded in the ‘Mahavamsa’ the ancient chronicle of the Sinhalese is fascinating. In the 2^nd B.C during the reign of king Uttiya, his son Kelanitissa ruled in Kelaniya. King Kelanitissa had a brother also called Uttiya who was having a romantic liaison with the Queen. When Uttiya learnt that the King was aware of this affaire with the Queen, fearing his brother’s wrath fled the area.

King Kelanitissa had a habit of offering arms everyday to an Arhant Thero. Uttiya who knew about this made a plan to convey the feelings he was still harboring in his heart, to the Queen. He sent a person dressed in monk’s robes to accompany the Arhant Tero to the palace, who carried his letter to be delivered to Queen. After partaking of the meal when they were about to leave, the rogue monk dropped the letter near the Queen.

This action did not go unnoticed by the King, He was furious. He ordered both, the Arahat Tero and the rogue monk to be killed and thrown into the sea. The Gods were angered by this heinous deed and made the ocean flow into the land. The King who was shocked and overwhelmed with remorse consulted his ministers and decided to sacrifice his beautiful daughter to the sea to appease the Gods. She was set afloat in a gilded canoe and the sea subsided.

The boat rifted to the south of Sri Lanka and the princess came ashore at Lanka Vihare. Since she disembarked near the Vihara (shrine), she was called Vihara Devi or Viharamaha Devi. The King of ‘Ruhunu Rata’ the kingdom in the south who came to greet her made her his consort. She was the mother of one of Sri Lanka’s greatest kings King Dutugamunu who united Sri Lanka in the 2^nd c B.C. the flooding of the sea in mentioned also in ancient literature written after ‘Mahavamsa’ namely, Thupavansaya, Rasavahiniya, Sadharmalankaraya, and Rajavaliya.

In Rajavaliya it is mentioned that King Kelanitissa who went inspecting the damage caused by the flood was swept into the sea as retribution for the crime of killing an Arahat.

In the ‘Mahavansa’ it is sated that the Arahat was killed by immersing him in a cauldron of hot oil. However this is not mentioned in the Rajavaliya. It also recorded that there was mass devastation and nearly a lakh of villages perished. According to ‘Rajavaliya’ only Mannar was not damaged. Incidentally 2000 years ago Kelaniya was 28 miles away from the sea.

Two thousand years later history repeated itself bringing alive the chapter 22 of the ‘Mahavamsa’ with chilling clarity.