804 AC - 815 AC

After King Mahinda III, the throne was succeeded by Prince Aggabodhi. He was the eighth to bear that name. In Sinhala texts, he is referred to as Mädi Agbo. The Mahavamsa does not specify the exact relationship between this king and his predecessor. However, since it is mentioned that he built a monastery named Udayaggabodhi Pirivena, combining his own name and that of his father, it is evident that his father’s name was Udaya. Accordingly, the first King Udaya is meant here, and it becomes clear that the eighth King Aggabodhi was a brother of King Mahinda III.
The reign of this king was mostly spent in performing pious and religious acts. He made offerings in praise of the qualities of the Buddha. On full-moon (Poya) days, he prohibited the bringing of meat, liquor, and similar items into the city. So scrupulous was he that, when leaving a monastery, he would carefully wipe his feet, mindful not to take even a grain of sand from the temple grounds.
One act of King Aggabodhi especially won the hearts of the people — the remarkable ritual service he performed for his mother. According to the Mahavamsa, this act was truly extraordinary. The king bathed and purified his mother, dressed her in new garments, and, wringing the water from her garments, washed his crown with that water. Then, adorning her with flowers, he circumambulated her and paid homage. The lengthy account of this ritual serves as a noble example of filial devotion.
Furthermore, the king was so humble that he refrained even from calling a servant a “slave.” One day, he happened to address a servant by that term. Feeling remorse for doing so, he turned to the man and made him call the king himself “slave,” asking forgiveness from him. Later, through his mother, he dedicated himself as a slave to the Maha Sangha (the Buddhist clergy), offered wealth as ransom for his release, and thus redeemed himself.
However, during his reign of eleven years, no other notable events are recorded.