214

thereof at one and the same moment (by taking away the plugs in the holes that were pierced along the bamboo).

Thereafter the general Mahinda went forth with a great army, and took the fortress in the village Lahulla after he had destroyed the 215 enemy. Then Lankádhinátha, having heard thereof, made great haste and took the fortress Hattanna after he had put the garrison 216 thereof to death. And the general Máyágéha, having heard thereof. 217 hastened with a great host and reached Khandigáma, so that Gaja Báhu's army, consisting of elephants, cars, horsemen, and footmen, 218 was shut in on three sides in the pass at Khandigáma. Thereupon the son of Lankádhinátha, Lankápura by name, a man of great might, 219 came up to the gorge at Khandigáma and joined together all the forces that had come from the three sides, and drove the enemy before him 220 as a lion drives a herd of elephants. Then the other chiefs, with 221 Lankádhinátha at their head, routed and slaughtered Gaja Báhu's

army, and pursued it unto the place called Kondangulika Kédára: and Gaja Báhu's broken forces then entered the city of Pulatthi. 222 And when king Gaja Báhu saw the great host enter the city he was greatly roused with pride, and thought thus haughtily within himself: 223" When the king my father departed to heaven to join himself to the 224 gods, and when I was scarce established in my father's kingdom, then came Kittisirimégha and Sirivallabha, from both sides of the land, to 225 fight against me; but they were not able to stand against my flag of

victory, and fled; and from thenceforth did they abandon all thought 226 of war until their life's end. And now am I well established in the

king's country; and my army, consisting of elephants and chariots 227 and horsemen and footmen, is perfect. If, therefore, I should arm these hosts and lead them (myself) to battle, what king is there who is able to hear the sound of my drum in the field of battle?" And 228 king Gaja Báhu, being thus puffed up with pride, commanded the 229 ministers of the interior to set the whole army in readiness. Thereupon

the ministers made ready elephants and horses that were well harnessed, and also great bodies of very mighty men skilled in war and clad 230 in ten kinds of armour, and soldiers also from the Kérala, Kannáța, Damila, and other races. And when they had arrayed these forces the ministers informed the king thereof.

231

Then Gaja Báhu set out from the noble city of Pulatthi at the head of a great army, and came to a place called Síkaviyala. And the 232 commanders of Parakkama's armies, under their leader Rakkha 233 Lankádhinátha, made war with the king Gaja Báhu; and these mighty men broke through his host of elephants and horses, and slew their riders, and put the king to flight.

234

And the king made haste and entered his own city, and caused the gates thereof to be shut, and hid himself in Anurá ;1 and the mighty

1 This is probably the name of a secret place of concealment, or of a tower, a palace, or a grove.

men also, who pursued after the king, came up and surrounded the 235 city of Pulatthi on all sides. Then they began to attack its walls, 236 battlements, and towers; and the spies whom they had before left in the city (treacherously) opened the gate thereof. Whereupon the 237 besiegers entered the city with great ease, and took Gaja Báhu captive, and shut him in the palace. The princes Cólaganga and Vikkama Báhu 238 also they took captive, and bound them and cast them into prison.

Then the chief captains of the army sent tidings unto the king of 239 these things. And the king, who by his wisdom was able to judge wisely of the matter, when he heard thereof thought within himself, saying, "It is meet that he should live at ease, without any cause for 240 fear from us, until that we could see each other at a lucky hour." So 241 he sent forthwith to Gaja Báhu gifts of great value: garments, perfumes, and jewels, that he had set apart for his own use.

Thereupon the chiefs of the provinces and of the districts took counsel 242 together, and sent a letter unto the king written in this wise: "While 243 the king (Gaja Báhu) liveth a great part of the inhabitants of the country will not submit unto thee: therefore ought this man to be put to death." And when the king heard the message his heart was 244 moved with compassion, and thinking to himself, "That king, surely, 245 must not be killed," he straightway commanded the noble-minded general Déva Sénápati, who was at Sénágáma, to come before him, and spake these words unto him: "If these chiefs of the provinces 246 and the districts, who are puffed up with victory, should seize the king and kill him, it would not be well; neither would it be well if 247 they should plunder the city and oppress the people and conduct themselves riotously. For, is not the kingdom to be established with 248 the intent that the religion should be promoted and the welfare of the state? Surely it is not only for the purpose of putting the king to death! Go you, therefore, and put down all those that are riotous 249 and disobedient; preserve the king's life, and establish order and authority in the city." And when the king had spoken these words, 250 it is said that he hastened away the chief captain, who departed with his army, and went to the city of Pulatthi. But before he came 251 thither the soldiers, by reason of their perversity and wickedness, had set at nought the king's command. They brake open the doors of the 252 houses in the city of Pulatthi, plundered the wealth thereof, and robbed the people of their raiment and jewels. And the noble city 253 of Pulatthi, oppressed thus by the violence of the soldiers, was then thrown into great confusion, like unto the ocean that is disturbed by the tempest at the end of the world. And they that dwelt in the city, 254 and the ministers and their followers, and the country folk and the armed men were disgusted with these deeds of violence; and all of 255 them went up with the one accord to Mánábharaṇa,1 and told him of these things, and spake to him, saying, "We beseech you come with 256

1 Sirivallabha's son, and cousin of both Parakkama and Gaja Báhu.

T

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us: we will conquer the kingdom for you, and it will be for you only to support our cause.”

257 And Gókanna, the chief, who as left at Kálavápi, also sent a messen258 ger to him asking him to come up quickly. And the weak-minded prince Mánábharana, having heard all this, and having taken counsel 259 with his foolish ministers, determined that he would go thither,

pretending to deliver the captive king, and then destroy the enemy 260 and take possession of the whole of the king's country. So he made haste and gathered together an army from among the inhabitants of 261 both countries, and having joined them with the forces of the officers

of the king's country went up to the city and fought a fierce battle there, in which he utterly defeated Parakkama's army, albeit that it 262 was so great. And king Mánábharana went up to the palace and

saw king Gaja Báhu after he had made the customary obeisance to 263 him. And so that he might calm the fears of that king's people, he 264 delayed a few days, and then put to death all the commanders of the king Gaja Báhu, and seized the king himself and cast him in prison. 265 All the elephants also, and horses, and such moneys as were in the treasury, he seized and took to himself; and, thinking that he had 266 now gotten himself the kingdom, he commanded the tooth-relic and

the alms-bowl relic and his mother and all the women of his household 267 to be brought thither from the Róhana. And after that the king (Máṇábharana), who had neither compassion nor wisdom, secretly took counsel with his mother and his chiefs in this manner, saying: 268"While the king (Gaja Báhu) liveth the forces of the king's country

will be true followers of him only: he should therefore be put to death. 269 But should we put him to death publicly, then would there be a strong uproar among the people: it is meet, therefore, that the king should 270 be put to death secretly." So he made the king to endure great

hardship by depriving him of food and rest, and also devised means 271 to kill him by giving him poison. Now king Gaja Báhu could not 272 endure the tyranny of the king Máṇábharana; so he sent secret messen

gers to Parakkama Báhu, saying "I have no other refuge but in thee. 273 I pray thee, therefore, pour upon me the water of thy mercy, and quench the flame of sorrow with which I am eternally scorched and 274 tormented." And the king (Parakkama), being full of mercy, gave good ear to all the words that the king (Gaja Báhu) had sent by the mouth of his messenger, and was moved with exceeding pity, and 275 thought in his heart, saying "Verily hath he suffered all this grievous pain because of me! It is therefore my bounden duty to deliver him 276 from that pain." So, although he had lost his army and his materiel

of war (at the city of Pulatthi), yet, being endued with great heroism, 277 he slackened not his energy, but chose the more valiant men from

among those who had been brought up with him, and gave them 278 offices and great wealth and honour. He gave the office of Adhikári1

1 Chief Executive Officer: the " Adigar" of later times.

to the general Máyágéha, and likewise the office of Lankádhikári1 to the chief Kittisankha. And of the two generals who were brethren 279 the king gave to the elder the rank of Késadhátunáyaka2 and to the 280 younger the office of Nagaragalla. And the wise and prudent ruler won their hearts by giving to both of them great wealth and honour and many soldiers.

Thus did this wise king furnish great and powerful armies with all 281 speed, and sent them in divers directions.

He sent the chief captain Rakkha Késadhátunáyaka with an army 282 to the village Vacáváṭaka in the Mérukandara country. In like 283 manner also he sent Rakkha Lankádhinátha to the village Mangalaba and Kitti Lankádhikári to the place Kyánagáma. The two generals, 284 who were brethren, did the king send with a great host to Makkalagáma.

At that time the king sent messengers secretly to the chief captain 285 Déva Sénápati, who was shut up in the city of Pulatthi, and brought 286 hither and gave him the command of a great army like that of the gods. And the king, who was skilled in the manner of commanding his forces and disposing them, sent him to Gangátaṭaka.3

And all the chief captains went with their armies and took each the 287 post that was his, and plundered divers places on the way to the city, and cut off the heads of their enemies, striking them with terror, and 288 stopping the supplies of corn. In this manner did they sorely oppress the people that dwelt in the city; and the strong men of war who were 289 set to guard different places killed and plundered the people, so that 290 they ventured not to come outside the city even to seek wood or leaves, because they feared that they would be robbed of all their possessions. In many places they stopped up the highway from the Róhana to the 291 city, and hindered the dwellers of that country from going to and fro from it. Then did the men of Máṇábharaṇa, who were shut up in the 292 city, feel as if they were birds penned in a cage. Thereafter the two 293 generals who were brethren fought a battle, and took Konta Disánáyaka (Máṇábharana's general) prisoner. They also fought with the 294 hosts that were led by Bódhi Lankádhinátha (also a general of Mánábharana), and pursued after him unto the city of Pulatthi.

The general (Rakkha) Késadhátu, who held the village Vacáváṭaka, 295 fought with the chief captain of Máṇábharana, called Uttama, and gained a victory, and went up to the village Nála, and fought a battle 296 there with Buddhanayaka and gained the victory. Afterwards the 297 general Rakkha Adhikári (Rakkha Lankádhikári), who was left at the village Mangalaba, fought with the enemy and took the village Hattanna; 298 and this famous man followed up his victory with all speed, and fought Náthádhikári and drove him back with his army. And when the king 299 Máṇábhúsana (Máṇábharana) heard thereof, he went with his mighty

1 Executive Officer of the Island.

a Warden of the hair-relic; but see note infra.

3 Gantalawa or Kandalai.

300 men of war to Másíviyalasa to fight against him. Thereupon Kitti Adhikari, who was then at Kyánagáma, and Déva Sénápati, who was 301 at Gangátaṭaka, and the two brethren, the generals, who were at Makka302 lagáma-even all these, with their great hosts, made haste and went up in battle array each from his place (against the city), and slaughtered and put the enemy to flight wherever they chanced to meet them, and then went up with all speed from divers points to the city of Pulatthi, 303 where they scattered the strong men who were set as guards all round 304 the city (and entered it) and set the king Gaja Báhu at liberty. And they seized the women of the household of king Máṇábharaṇa, and 305 his sons, and his mother, and all his treasure. But as soon as king Gaja Báhu was set at liberty by them he made all haste and fled straightway, and took refuge in the country abounding with stores of grain.

306 And king Máṇábharana, who then fought against Rakkha Lanká307 dhikári, having heard of these things, was filled with grief for the loss of those he loved, as if he had been pierced by an arrow; and he put 308 on his armour and his weapons, and regardless even of his life he

returned to the city at night with his great army, and fought a fierce 309 battle, resolved to destroy the enemy. But when his general Bódhi Lankádhinátha fell in the field of battle, he could not maintain his 310 ground in the city of Pulatthi, and therefore he took with him the sacred tooth-relic and the alms-bowl relic, and his mother and the women of the palace, and departed for the Róhana at night.

311 Now at that time Parakkama Báhu had left Buddhagáma and, 312 having repaired to the neighbourhood of the city with the intent to set the king Gaja Báhu at liberty, had built himself a beautiful palace of two stories, and lived in the village Giritaṭaka with his army and all his retinue. And it chanced that certain of the king's men of valour 313 had gone to the village Tannaru that they might amuse themselves 314 there after the toils of the war; and certain of the generals of king Gaja Báhu kept the king behind and treacherously attacked them 315 with violence. And when the king Parakkama Báhu heard this he

was greatly incensed, and commanded his own chief officers to seize 316 Gaja Báhu. Thereupon Kitti Lankádhikári and Déva Sénápati, with 317 a great host, proceeded to the village Tannaru, and fought three great

battles there with the chief officers of the king Gaja Báhu, and slaughtered 318 many of the enemy. And Nátha Nagaragiri and Mandijívita Putthaki 319 scattered the hosts of the enemy at the village Válukápatta. So

also at the village Tannaru, they who commanded the great hosts 320 destroyed the forces of the enemy that they met, and proceeding to the village Kohomba they carried on the war, and slaughtered many of the enemy that were there, and broke down the walls of the fortress, 321 and seized it. They scattered also many of the enemy that were

armed at the village Ambagama, and took possession of the fortress. 322 And from thence they marched to Tannitittha, and, succeeding there, they went further, and put the enemy to flight at Antaraviṭṭhi. 323 Now at that time certain of Parakkama Báhu's commanders, at