After the unfortunate death of the fifth Sena Raja, the throne was ascended by a prince named Mahinda. He is the fifth king who appeared under that name. As the Mahavamsa indicates, King Mahinda was the brother of King Sena. King Sena was the son of the Kalinga princess whom the fourth Mahinda Raja had married. The Vamsakatha clearly states that this princess had two sons named Sena and Udaya, and a daughter. Since some translations mention that King Sena killed his younger brother, it follows that there could not have been another prince eligible to ascend the throne.

The translation of verses 59 and 60 in Chapter 52 of the Mahavamsa appears to be inaccurate. In the translation by Hikkaduwa Sumangala Nahimi and Batuwantudaawa Pandituma, it reads: “At that reign, Senaviya forcibly took the offerings to the monastery. The thirty-year-old Mahamalla killed the mother and appointed someone named Udaya as commander.”

Since Mahamalla did not need to kill his infant brother to give the post of Senavirath to Udaya, this translation is confusing. The matter becomes clear if interpreted as follows: “During that reign, Senaviya forcibly took the offerings to the monastery. Mahamalla, the young brother of Senaviya who maintained relations with the mother, was killed, and Udaya, the one called Amathiya, was appointed Senavirath.” This is the accurate translation.

The prince Udaya, who held the position of crown prince under the fifth Sena Raja, did not ascend the throne because he had to perish before the death of King Mihindu. Since there is no evidence of another son for the fifth Mihindu Raja, it is important to inquire who the fifth Mihindu Raja actually was.

An Etam inscription in Polonnaruwa has been definitively identified as belonging to the era of the fifth Mahinda Raja. The inscription states that it was established during the reign of the Sri Sanghabho Mahinda, born to the Kalinga lineage, due to the kingship of the Mihindu Maharajas. The first king mentioned here was not anyone else but the fourth Mahinda Raja. Sangha Rajini Kusapawath Mahinda Raja is the fifth Mahinda Raja. That is his coronation name.

However, a problem arises here. The issue is that the chronicles do not mention that the fourth Mihindu Raja had a princess named Sangha. We have seen in the early chapters that the fourth Mihindu Raja, though having Sinhalese wives, also took a Kalinga princess. The name of the Sangha princess is not mentioned in the Vamsakatha. According to Professor Senarath Paranavitana, this may have been the name of the Kalinga princess. The problem then is that there is no mention of her having a son named Mahinda. Here, it seems appropriate to understand that the fourth Mihindu Raja had another princess named Sangha, and her son was the fifth Mahinda Raja. From inscriptions, we know that there were often princesses not mentioned in the chronicles. Even though the royal inheritance legally belonged to the son born of the coronation princess, there were numerous instances where this was not followed.

There is no mention of a crown prince for the fifth Mahinda Raja. It appears that during this period, the administration was embroiled in considerable conflict. The commander brought from India to fight against the fifth Sena Raja likely did not survive, so the mercenary army he had brought could not have been fully controlled. According to the Mahavamsa, these mercenaries belonged to different regions. The chronicle shows that this king lived in Anuradhapura in misery, which had been torn apart in various ways.

Soon after, the administrative system of the country collapsed. Since there was no commander, the foreign soldiers acted autonomously. During the time the Sena commander was present, it appears that those who had been independent acted without restraint, conducting looting and other activities. The king, being inexperienced and weak, allowed local leaders to exploit the country at will. Because the king was unjust and governance had collapsed, the populace refused to pay taxes. Consequently, the king had no revenue. He was powerless to pay the mercenary army. Meanwhile, the Kerala troops even blocked the supply of food to the royal palace. Their intent was to demonstrate that the king was weak and to seize power.

Understanding the situation, the king fled the city through a secret passage. The Rohana region, which had previously aided helpless kings in Anuradhapura, provided refuge. This occurred in the tenth year of his reign. The king established a fort at a place called Sidupabbatha, which has not been definitively identified. The ruler of Rohana remained under him. He likely did not have a princess with him; otherwise, she would have died by this time. He took charge of the princess of his brother, the fifth Sena Raja.

The fifth Sena Raja died at the age of twenty-two. His princess was about nine years old. Therefore, the fifth Mahinda Raja appointed her to the position of princess. This procedure was similar to that followed by Walagamba Raja. However, the princess had recently died. The king took refuge with his brother’s daughter. If she had been the princess whom Mihindu Raja had passed on to his brother, then the fifth Mahinda Raja also appointed her daughter to the princess post. Walagamba Raja did not take such action. It also appears that Ballatanaga Raja had no daughter. The second princess passed on by Mihindu Raja bore a son named Kashyapa.

Some time passed. It can be assumed that the security at Sidupabbatha was inadequate, and therefore the fort was changed. He built a city in the village of Kappagalla in Rohana and resided there. Kappagalla in Sinhala may be referred to as Kapugala. Its precise location in Rohana is still unknown. Some chronicles mention a village called Kappasagama. A palace in Kappagama was incorporated into the activities of King Manavamma. The famous princess of the fourth Mihindu Raja made a pond in Kappasagama.

An inscription found in the area called Detagamuwa, about two kilometers from Kataragama, mentions a place named Kapugam Pirivena. All these names likely refer to the same location near Kataragama. The security for the fifth Mihindu Raja was probably provided by the surrounding forested hilly region. However, there is a more secure area called Kapugala near Mahawalathanna Sanuwa. Ancient settlements can still be seen nearby. Some believe King Mihindu Raja resided here. The Mahavamsa states that the authority of Rohana was exercised from Kappagalla.

The kingdom, without a strong ruler, fell into a state of chaos. Kerala, Karnataka, and mercenary soldiers oppressed the Sinhalese. These were various groups brought from South India, as well as the thousand-strong army brought by Sena Senaviya to protect the Sinhalese rulers. They plundered the city and oppressed the populace. There was no governance. They exercised authority wherever they pleased, and the powerful Sinhalese complied. At this time, a merchant named Asun informed King Soli about the situation in Lanka. The Chola king, who was in the process of building an empire, immediately sent an army to subjugate this land. Starting from the coastal regions, this army plundered the country and struck at Rohana. The Cholas seized the crown, jewels, royal regalia, and precious gifts from the king, which had been given by deities. The king hid alone in a fortress. Under the pretext of an agreement, the king was captured by the Chola army and sent, along with everything, to the Chola king.

The Cholas plundered all three Nikayas in Lanka, breaking the relic chambers of temples and taking all valuables like Ojawa, Urana, and Yakun. They moved from Polonnaruwa to Rakkapasaana Kanthaka.

The above describes the account in the Mahavamsa regarding the subjugation of the country to the Cholas. Due to this invasion, the kings were taken captive, and the glory of the Sinhalese kingdom, which had been the center of Sinhala culture and Buddhism for 1,600 years, was destroyed. Only a portion of the Rohana region remained under Sinhalese control, allowing them to maintain some independence.

The Chola kingdom, which had become independent from Rashtrakuta rule, had become a large empire under the first Rajaraja Raja. According to Neelakantha Shastri, it was a state well-organized with administration and wealth, with a large army trained to face fierce battles. Rajaraja Raja attacked the alliance formed by the Pandya, Kerala, and Sinhala kings. In the two battles fought, he conquered Pandya. Next, he invaded Lanka and extended up to the Rohana region, as seen above.

As a farsighted warrior king, Rajaraja Raja is recognized by historians. It can be considered that the expansion of the Chola empire began during his reign. In his last years, he subjugated the Maldives. He aimed to develop trade and maintain Bengal Boka as a Chola port. There were clear reasons for this. The Chola ruler understood that controlling international trade between Bengal Boka, Malaysia, and China was possible only if he gained control of these regions. Therefore, subjugating part of Lanka was sufficient, but he realized that to dominate the entire island, full authority was necessary.

From this perspective, although the chronicles describe it as a Chola invasion, the reason the fifth Mahinda Raja fled to Rohana was due to the first invasion, which caused the collapse of Sinhalese rule in Rajarata. This occurred during the reign of the first Rajaraja. Later, after ascending the throne, the conquest of Lanka by the Cholas was largely completed during the reign of the first Rajendra Raja. The two invasions mentioned above are recorded in the Chola inscriptions. During Rajaraja’s reign, the northern part of the island was captured and called Mummadi Chola Mandalam as a Chola province. Unlike the earlier Dravidian invaders, the Cholas intended to subjugate the entire island, not just Rajarata.

Rohana, the farthest region from Anuradhapura, could not be controlled. The Cholas understood that Rohana could rise for its independence. Therefore, the central Polonnaruwa, which had functioned as a fortified city, was captured and named Jananatha Mangalam in defiance of the first Rajaraja Raja. After this, the first Rajendra Raja proceeded to complete the Chola conquest. His army, as seen above, took the king, royal family, and all treasures to the Chola emperor. The autonomy of the proud Sinhalese, which had been maintained for 1,600 years, ended temporarily when the fifth Mahinda Raja was captured by the Cholas in 1017. This occurred in the thirty-sixth year of the fifth Mahinda Raja’s reign. Previously, the crown of the Pandya king, which had caused several disputes, was also taken at this time. The Tanjore copper plates record the subjugation of the Sinhalese king as follows: “The Sinhalese king, exhausted from battle, having lost his princess, son, and all treasures, fled in fear and fell at the feet of Rajendra Raja, seeking refuge.”

There is no dispute that the king was captured. Falling at the feet and seeking refuge is poetic expression. According to the Mahavamsa, after his capture, the Cholas held almost the entire island except a small portion of Rohana. The remaining area was the region bounded by Monaragala and Hambantota rivers and was the homeland of the Sinhalese. Chola authority extended to Rakkapasaana Kanthaya, meaning the present-day Rakwana hills beyond the Kalu Ganga in Rohana.

During King Mihindu Raja’s time, there were no significant achievements. Governance collapsed, economic development stagnated, and the country fell into great confusion. Consequently, he was unable to implement any positive initiatives. During his residence in Anuradhapura, he intervened in the crises of various communities. While in Rohana, the Cholas kept him under fear. He was taken as a prisoner to a foreign dominion, making him the first Sinhalese king to be held in captivity abroad. Thereafter, the next king we find in history, considered the last Sinhalese king, is Sri Vikrama Rajasingha. King Mihindu Raja spent ten years in Anuradhapura, sixteen years in Sidupabbatha and Kappagalla, and twelve years in Chola territory as a captive.