623 AC - 632 AC

After the death of King Moggallana, as we saw in the previous section, the son of King Malla, Prince Assiggāhaka, killed King Moggallana at Sigiriya. Afterward, he came to Anuradhapura and ascended the throne. At his consecration, he received the name Shīlāmeghavarṇa (Salamevan). From this point onward, it appears that the succeeding kings alternated between the names Salamevan and Sirisangabo.
His reign, too, was not a peaceful one. Like his predecessors, this king also engaged in religious activities. He provided support for young monks. It seems that, due to the political disturbances and turmoil that continued during this time, there had been a decline within the monastic order as well. The main reason for this appears to have been the corrupt conduct that had become widespread among certain monks living in the urban monasteries.
According to the Mahavamsa, there was a monk named Bhodi Thera, who, though young, advised the king on matters related to reforming the religion. The king intervened accordingly. However, those unworthy individuals within the Sangha who opposed the discipline of the Order conspired against Bhodi Thera and killed him.
When the king heard of this, he captured the wrongdoers, punished them severely, and banished one hundred individuals from the country. This conflict seems to have occurred particularly between the Abhayagiri and Jetavana monastic sects. Considering the advice of Bhodi Thera, King Sanghatissa (Shīlāmeghavarṇa) attempted a reformation of the Sangha and requested the monks of the Theravada sect to observe the full-moon day (Poya) together with the others. However, the Theravada monks refused. The chronicle says that the king became angry and humiliated the monks.
During the reign of King Shīlāmeghavarṇa, there was also a political uprising. A man named Sirinaga, a relative of Prince Dēṭutissa who had fled to the Malla country, went to India, brought a large Tamil army, and created a rebellion in the northern region with the intention of seizing the throne.
At that time, in South India, the Pallava power was rising, laying the foundation for wars among three southern kingdoms. The Dravidian states had grown weak and were declining. There is no evidence that Sirinaga received any assistance from a South Indian ruler. According to the Mahavamsa, Sirinaga landed with his army in the north. He captured several regions there and was advancing further south.
King Salamevan quickly mobilized his army and set up camp at a village called Rajamitta. In the ensuing battle, Sirinaga was killed. A large number of the Tamil soldiers who came with him were also slain, and the few survivors were employed as servants in monasteries.
The chronicle further states that the king later went to the southern part of the island for some purpose and died there. Before his death, he had reconciled the monastic order (Sangha). His reign lasted nine years.
It appears that the period of King Salamevan also passed without any notable works of development or progress in the country. Although he managed to re-establish authority in the northern region that Sirinaga had disturbed, the condition of Rohana (southern Sri Lanka) during his time remains unclear.