King Aggabodhi VI - House of Lambakarna II | Anuradhapura - (733 - 772) - Sri Lankan History - Kings - Governors - Prisidents

King Aggabodhi VI

House of Lambakarna II | Anuradhapura - (733 - 772)

After the first King Mahinda, the throne was succeeded by Prince Aggrabodhi, who was the son of King Kashyapa III. He was the sixth king to bear this name. Here, the Mahāvaṃsa records an important matter regarding the royal title. When King Mahinda passed away, the prince who had come to the capital and was governing the southern region was Prince Aggrabodhi, son of King Mahinda Adhipāda. However, according to the established succession order (previous tradition), the next heir to the throne should have been Prince Aggrabodhi, son of King Kashyapa III, who was governing the eastern region. If justice in inheritance had been strictly followed, the son of King Mahinda Adhipāda, Prince Aggrabodhi, would have ascended the throne. However, he did not; instead, the elder Prince Aggrabodhi handed over the kingdom to him. As mentioned above, he ruled under the name Aggrabodhi. His coronation name was Silāmegha. The Prince Aggrabodhi, who conferred the kingship upon him, worked with strong brotherly cooperation to jointly govern the country. His commander-in-chief was Adhipāda Dappula, his cousin. Such cooperation might not have been expected by some, as there were likely corrupt officials in the royal council. Their crimes could have obstructed the intervention of the sub-king. They mocked the king, causing him distress. Learning of this, the sub-king left the city, organized an army, and returned to fight alongside the king. A battle occurred at a place called Kadaliniwata, and the fleeing sub-king took control of the country. Both parties should have contemplated the conflict that arose unnecessarily. The king was wary about whether the throne had been given to him by his brother. This made the sub-king take a gentle stance. The fleeing king, who had taken control of the country, was persuaded by Prince Aggrabodhi to return to the city. He married his daughter, Princess Sanghā, to him. The Mahāvaṃsa continues this story as a sort of romantic tale. Princess Sanghā was given to him by her young father. These matters did not create a major conflict in the royal chronicle, though a dispute did arise. A situation occurred among the Amba noblemen, which the king learned of: her husband struck her, and the princess reported it to her father, the king. The king, acknowledging the wrongdoing, summoned his daughter and arranged for her purification at a bath ceremony. Another prince named Agbo, who was a son of her maternal uncle, became involved with Princess Sanghā, abducting her and fleeing to Rohana. Upon learning this, the king and sub-king together went with an army to Rohana, captured the region, and rescued Princess Sanghā. An important point is that King Aggrabodhi gave his daughter in marriage to the son of his father’s brother, meaning this was a marriage between a young father (bāppā) and daughter. The king undertook this irregular marriage to gain the trust of his brother, and the relationship with Princess Sanghā was consensual with her maternal uncle’s son, Prince Agbo, who abducted her. He must have been a relative necessary for maintaining ties with the royal family, otherwise the king would not have intervened to recover her. As I infer, he was appointed ruler of Rohana during this period. That Agbo prince, who opposed him, ultimately brought all of Rohana under control, confirming this. Eventually, the marriage between father and daughter reached a harmonious state. After resolving the above disputes, King Aggrabodhi engaged in meritorious deeds. He built several viharas. Although his reign was long, the Mahāvaṃsa records only brief details of his actions, as they were not considered notable works. His contributions to economic development are not mentioned. It is surprising that, despite his long reign, the chronicle does not provide detailed information on his activities, nor can inscriptions fill these gaps. Except for the initial disputes, no other crisis occurred during his reign. One inscription from the eastern province, Tiriyāya, belongs to the period of King Aggrabodhi VI. Tiriyāya is a Buddhist sacred site built on a scenic rocky ridge. It is accessible by three difficult routes: from the Pankulam junction on the Horowpatan route via Gomarangadawa; via Trincomalee on the Neelaveli road through Kucchaweli; or directly along the main road from Kalapuwa. The site features a spectacular circular terrace with numerous stone structures, and a stairway carved into the mountainside leads to the terrace. A short Sanskrit inscription at Tiriyāya states that in the 33rd year of King Silāmegha’s reign, a certain document was written. This reveals the coronation name of King Aggrabodhi. It may also refer to a larger Sanskrit inscription on a stone slab, describing veneration of Mahāyāna Bodhisattvas, including Avalokiteśvara, residing in a chaitya called Girikhandi. The stupa was built by merchants of the Trapuṣya and Vallika (Tapassu-Bhalluka) classes. Some chronicles note that these merchants, Tapassu and Bhalluka, brought relics of the Buddha’s hair to Sri Lanka. This practice dates back to the eighth century. The inscription shows that the influence of Mahāyāna Buddhism had developed to a significant degree during this period. King Aggrabodhi’s reign lasted approximately forty years.