King Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura

King Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura King Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura King Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura

The citadel of Sigiriya is, possibly, the most famous historical icon of Sri Lanka. Created on an almost sheer rock rising from the plains of Anuradhapura; the citadel is a marvel of ancient architecture. But the most important and mysterious aspect of Sigiriya are its unfading rock frescoes. These beautiful paintings have not lost their color in over a thousand years and have been the marvel of archaeologists and researchers from around the world. Despite this, the story of the king who created and ruled this citadel is not very well known.

The beginnings of King Kashyapa

Kashyapa I, or Kassapa I as he is also known, was born as the eldest son of King Dhatusena in the middle of the 5th century AD. He was talented in politics, war strategies and the arts as a prince ought to be; but luck was not on his side. Despite being born the eldest he was the son from one of the king’s concubines; and his younger stepbrother who was the son of the royal consort was declared the rightful heir. Kashyapa felt that the crown prince Mogallana was a coward and not fit for the throne. He resented the fact that he had been ignored.

A plan is hatched

Meanwhile, Kashyapa’s father – king Dhatusena had an army commander, whose name was Migara. This commander had a disagreement with the king and sought to have vengeance for it. Migara was cunning, and knew Prince Kashyapa’s feelings on not being nominated the heir. He incited the prince to rebel against his father.

Assisted and encouraged by Migara, Kashyapa staged a palace coup. He overthrew King Dhatusena and usurped the throne 473 AD. The former king was imprisoned, while Kashyapa I became the second king of the Mouriyan Dynasty of Sri Lanka. The crown prince Mogallana appeared to prove Kashyapa’s judgement of being a coward true, as he fled to India to save his own life. Kashyapa’s rule may have proved comparatively normal; if not for the deceitful Migara. The commander was not satisfied with the king being simply overthrown; he wanted him dead.

A loss of temper and the results of bad decisions

Migara made Kashyapa to believe that the former king Dhatusena had hid an enormous amount of wealth and the misled prince demanded that the imprisoned king reveal all his treasures. The king looked at him sadly and then led him to Kalawewa, an irrigation tank that he had constructed. ‘This is the only treasure I have’ he said to his captors. Kashyapa, blinded by his greed and pride, became incensed by this response and ordered him entombed alive within the wall of the irrigation tank – or so the story goes. Another version of the tale states that Kashyapa had Dhatusena killed and walled up the body within a ra

À propos du district d'Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura fait partie de la province du Centre-Nord du Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura est l'une des anciennes capitales du pays, célèbre pour ses ruines bien préservées de l'ancienne civilisation sri-lankaise. Classée au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO, la ville se situe à 205 km au nord de l'actuelle capitale Colombo. La ville sacrée d'Anuradhapura et ses environs abritent de nombreuses ruines. Elles se composent de trois types de bâtiments : des dagobas, des bâtiments monastiques et des pokuna (étangs). Située dans la zone aride du pays, la ville possédait l'un des systèmes d'irrigation les plus complexes de l'Antiquité. L'administration a construit de nombreux réservoirs pour irriguer les terres. La plupart des habitants sont cinghalais, tandis que le district est habité par des Tamouls et des Maures sri-lankais.

À propos de la province du Centre-Nord

La province du Centre-Nord, qui est la plus grande province du pays, couvre 16 % de la superficie totale du pays. La province du Centre-Nord se compose de deux districts appelés Polonnaruwa et Anuradhapure. Anuradhapura est le plus grand district du Sri Lanka. Sa superficie est de 7 128 km². La province du Centre-Nord offre de nombreux potentiels aux investisseurs pour démarrer leurs entreprises, en particulier dans les secteurs de l'agriculture, des industries agroalimentaires et de l'élevage. Plus de 65 % de la population de la province du Centre-Nord dépend de l'agriculture de base et des industries agroalimentaires. NCP est également appelé « Wew Bendi Rajje » car il y a plus de 3 000 réservoirs de moyenne et grande taille situés dans la province. Sri Maha Bodiya, Ruwanweli Seya, Thuparama Dageba, Abayagiri Monastry, Polonnaruwa Rankot Wehera, Lankathilake sont effrayants.

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