VIJAYA-KUWENI LOVE IN SRILANKA ANCIENT HISTORY

VIJAYA-KUWENI LOVE 

IN SRILANKA ANCIENT HISTORY

VIJAYA: THE FIRST KING OF SRI LANKA

Around 2500 years ago, the land of Lala in North India was ruled by a king named Sinhabahu and his wife, Sinhavalli. They had many children, the eldest of whom was named Vijaya. 

Vijaya was an extremely mischievous and wilful young man. His father pardoned him many times for his unlawful acts, but finally the King got tired of his behaviour and put him on a boat with 700 of his companions and sent the boat adrift on the ocean. 

For many days the boat sailed, before finally reaching Sri Lanka. 

Even before Vijaya landed in Lanka, the island was inhabited by tribes called the Yakkas and Nagas. Kuveni was a Yakka queen who initially tried to kill Vijaya and his followers. Failing to do so, she convinced him into accepting her as his queen. 

Kuveni helped Vijaya defeat the Yakkas and become ruler of the entire island. Vijaya, however, was not happy with Kuveni and abandoned her and their two children. He then married a beautiful princess from Madura (India), who had arrived on the island by ship. 

Kuveni was killed by the Yakkas for her betrayal, and her two children escaped into the forest. 

Vijaya and his new queen reigned over Sri Lanka for 38 years, and brought the country to a state of prosperity. 

We all know how the exiled Indian princeling Vijaya landed in Sri Lanka and stumbled upon Kuveni, a Yaksha tribal woman, spinning thread. According to stories, Kuveni managed to imprison Vijaya’s men one by one, and when Vijaya found out what happened, he threatened to kill her and demanded their release. Conceding to his demands, she released the men and also helped Vijaya overthrow the leading Yakka tribe and become king. She served as his queen consort and bore him two children—but only until he married an Indian of the high Kshatriya caste to legitimise his rule.

Vijaya then instructed her to leave the children with him, and demanded her to leave. She eventually did, but took the children along with her. Telling them to stay hidden in the forest, she made her way back to her people—who killed her for betraying them to Vijaya in the first place.