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King Silakala
Kingdom of Anuradhapura
522 AC - 535 AC
522 AC - 535 AC
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543 BC-505 BC
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246 AC-247 AC
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266 AC-276 AC
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276 AC-303 AC
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340 AC-368 AC
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368 AC-410 AC
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456 AC-456 AC
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459 AC-477 AC
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477 AC-495 AC
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495 AC-512 AC
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512 AC-520 AC
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520 AC-521 AC
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521 AC-521 AC
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521 AC-522 AC
King Silakala
522 AC-535 AC
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535 AC-535 AC
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535 AC-555 AC
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555 AC-573 AC
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608 AC-618 AC
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618 AC-618 AC
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733 AC-772 AC
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777 AC-797 AC
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797 AC-801 AC
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801 AC-804 AC
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831 AC-833 AC
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833 AC-853 AC
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898 AC-914 AC
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914 AC-923 AC
King Dappula III
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1044 AC-1054 AC
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1052 AC-1064 AC
Virarajendra Chola
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Athirajendra Chola
1070 AC-1070 AC
King Wickramabahu I
1029 AC-1040 AC
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1040 AC-1040 AC
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1040 AC-1042 AC
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1042 AC-1043 AC
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1055 AC-1110 AC
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1111 AC-1132 AC
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1032 AC-1053 AC
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1053 AC-1086 AC
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1186 AC-1187 AC
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1187 AC-1187 AC
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1196 AC-1196 AC
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1196 AC-1197 AC
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1197 AC-1200 AC
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1200 AC-1202 AC
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1208 AC-1209 AC
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1209 AC-1209 AC
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1215 AC-1255 AC
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1236 AC-1272 AC
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1272 AC-1274 AC
King Buvanekabahu I
1274 AC-1286 AC
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1287 AC-1293 AC
King Buvanekabahu II
1293 AC-1302 AC
King Parakramabahu IV
1302 AC-1326 AC
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King Buvanekabahu III (Vanni B
1326 AC-1335 AC
King Vijayabahu V
1335 AC-1341 AC
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1341 AC-1359 AC
King Parakramabahu V
1344 AC-1359 AC
King Wickramabahu IV
1359 AC-1371 AC
King Buvanekabahu V
1371 AC-1407 AC
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King Kumara Alakeshwara (Alake
1391 AC-1391 AC
King Weera Alakesvara
1397 AC-1411 AC
King Weerabahu II
1391 AC-1397 AC
King Parakramabahu Epa
1410 AC-1415 AC
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1415 AC-1467 AC
King Jayabahu II
1468 AC-1470 AC
King Buvanekabahu VI
1470 AC-1478 AC
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1478 AC-1484 AC
King Weera Parakramabahu VIII
1484 AC-1508 AC
King Darma Parakramabahu IX
1508 AC-1513 AC
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1513 AC-1521 AC
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1521 AC-1551 AC
King Don Juwan Dharmapala
1551 AC-1597 AC
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1551 AC-1581 AC
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1581 AC-1593 AC
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1593 AC-1593 AC
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1593 AC-1593 AC
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1591 AC-1604 AC
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1604 AC-1635 AC
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1635 AC-1687 AC
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1687 AC-1707 AC
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1707 AC-1739 AC
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1739 AC-1747 AC
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1747 AC-1782 AC
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1782 AC-1798 AC
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1798 AC-1815 AC
Pedro Lopes de Sousa
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Joao da Silveira
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1551 AC-1552 AC
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1552 AC-1552 AC
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1552 AC-1553 AC
Fernao Carvalho
1553 AC-1555 AC
Willem Jacobszoon Coster
1640 AC-1640 AC
Jan Thyszoon Payart
1640 AC-1646 AC
It appears that the obstacles faced by Prince Silakala were removed following the deaths of King Upatissa and Prince Kashyapa, who took his own life on the battlefield. After gaining control of the city and consolidating his victory, Prince Silakala became the sovereign. He did not use his original name, Silakala or Ambaheraṇa, but instead adopted the name Salamevan (Silameghavarna), which seems to have been his coronation name.
Professor Senarat Paranavitana notes: “To distinguish him from Prince Girikassapa, he is mentioned in the Chulavamsa as Jettakassapa (some sources from the second part of the Mahavamsa refer to him by this name). Therefore, his personal name must have been Kassapa.” As evidence, he cites a Chinese record. During the period when envoys were sent from Lanka to China, the king of this time is recorded in the Chinese annals as “Kya-we-kya-lo-ha-li-ya,” which can be rendered in Sinhala as Kassapa Kālasa. Paranavitana suggests that Kālasa refers to the name Silakala. Accordingly, he concludes that Silakala may have had the name Kassapa.
However, when comparing the application of the name in the Mahavamsa stanzas with the first and last stanzas, the name Jettakassapa refers not to Prince Silakala but to Prince Kashyapa, the son of King Upatissa. This is because the text mentions that the prince who went to battle is called Jetta Kassapa. In the royal chronicles, he is also referred to as Lamani Agbo. His descendants are described in the initial chapters.
King Silakala is shown to have been a devout and righteous ruler, as evidenced by the religious activities during his reign. He gave special attention to the Keshadhatuwa relic he brought, which was revered by Mahayana Buddhists. In the twelfth year of his reign, a merchant named Purnananda brought a religious text called Dharmadhatuwa to Lanka. The king held grand celebrations and honored it. The Mahavihara monks were disturbed by this, and the Mahavamsa states: “Believing that this king was adept in the teachings of the Dharma, they treated the relic as a sacred offering.”
The Nikayasangraha, which describes this event in greater detail, says: “The king (of Ambaheraṇasalamevan) received a book written by Purnananda from Kashi, considered a true Dharma text, and honored it. Though earlier kings failed to understand it, the Abhayagiri monks and advisors organized proper ceremonies and respected the text. From the southern hill monasteries, the monks who had previously opposed the Vaitulyavada texts were reconciled and attended the ceremonies.”
While the Nikayasangraha presents a more detailed account, the Rajaratnakara provides a slightly different version: it says that the king punished those who opposed the texts, destroying their manuscripts. There may be a minor error in the Rajaratnakara, but the Nikayasangraha explanation appears more reliable. It seems the Dharmadhatuwa brought from Kashi was a Mahayana Buddhist text describing the “Three Bodies” of the Buddha: the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya. This shows that Mahayana teachings and beliefs, spreading rapidly in India, were transmitted to Lanka during this period. This era can therefore be regarded as one in which Mahayana thought began spreading on the island.
The Mahavamsa states that King Silakala ruled the island with careful governance. Animal conservation and enforcement of humane laws were conducted, and he also took measures for the health and well-being of his people, as evidenced by the development of medical resources in hospitals.
During this period, there was an important administrative change. King Silakala had three sons. The eldest, Prince Moggalana, was given control of the eastern region of the kingdom (Purathimadeśa). The second son, Prince Dathapabhuti, was assigned the southern region and the protection of the southern coast. Later, the youngest, Prince Otunna, took responsibility for parts of the southern region. The fact that the eastern region was entrusted to him indicates it was his jurisdiction. Notably, Dathapabhuti is recorded as having the title Malaya Rajapadavi, and the young Prince Upatissa was under his supervision.
When Prince Silakala ascended the throne, the political situation in Rohana changed. There was a tendency toward autonomy there. Although Silakala was a member of the Lambakarna lineage, it is not clear that he had any hereditary claim to the kingdom. The support he received—through his marriage to King Mugalan’s sister, by taking Upatissa’s daughter as a consort, and by revering the Keshadhatuwa relic—was sufficient for legitimacy. Some competent members of the royal family, even if they were not descendants of King Kirtisena, were present in various parts of the country, though they may not have accepted Silakala’s reign. This likely explains the emergence of a new line of rulers in Rohana. The only political event in Silakala’s reign connected with this is noted.
Elsewhere in the Mahavamsa, it is mentioned that famine occurred during Silakala’s reign. Although some of this may have resulted from earlier battles or disruptions in governance, it appears that natural causes, such as insufficient rainfall, were primarily responsible.
King Silakala maintained relations with the Chinese empire. During the first year of Emperor Ta-Tsung, a letter was sent to the Chinese court from the Lanka king recorded as “Kya-we-kya-lo-ha-li-ya,” which could refer either to Prince Kashyapa, son of King Upatissa, or to King Silakala himself. Scholars such as Sylvan Levi, H.D. Codrington, and Wilhelm Geiger suggest it likely refers to the first Kashyapa king. Since the Chinese transliteration can be rendered as Kassapa Kālasa, and Kālasa is interpreted as Silakala, some conclude that this refers to King Silakala.
King Silakala’s reign lasted thirteen years.