Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
111
King Mahinda III
Kingdom of Anuradhapura
801 AC - 804 AC

After King Udaya I, the throne was succeeded by his son, Prince Mahinda. He was the third king bearing that name. His consecration name was Shīlamegha. Because he was a very righteous ruler, he became well known as Dhārmika Shīlamegha (“the Righteous Shīlamegha”). The Mahavamsa mentions King Mahinda only very briefly, stating simply that “he performed all meritorious deeds.” Apart from this, it records only the act of offering an irrigation canal.

The chronicles contain only scant details about the deeds of these kings. Information concerning economic development and similar affairs has not been recorded. However, this does not mean such activities did not take place. It is likely that the earlier records which described them had been lost by the time this portion of the Mahavamsa was written. The note stating that “he did all the good deeds done by former kings” seems to be an empty record, indicating that the chronicler had no specific knowledge about the actual deeds of these kings.

In the Pujavaliya and Rajavaliya, King Mahinda is associated with a peculiar name — he is referred to as Hæligæravil Iskæso Mahinda. The meaning of this name is unclear. The Rajarathnakaraya and Nikaya Sangrahaya simply call him So Mahinda.

An inscription belonging to the period of King Mahinda III has been found. It was erected to settle a dispute concerning water rights. This inscription, which was located in the present Mullaitivu District at a place called Kurundankulam, has now been destroyed. It states that the king, along with the queen and their daughter, came there to settle a dispute regarding the water of the tank. The Kurungama mentioned in the inscription is clearly the modern Kurundankulam area. The present Thanni Murippu tank must be the same reservoir referred to in the inscription as Mahindaväva (“Mahinda’s Tank”). King Mahinda reigned for four years.

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