A MAHAVAMSA STORY

Yakkhini Kuvanna submits to Prince Vijaya

By Elmo Leonard

It was from India of yore, from the Bengali land of Lala that Vijaya the son of king Sinhabahu arrived in Lanka with 700 followers. The Great Indian sage was passing on, on his journey towards Nirvana. Then, in the assembly of gods, he spoke to Sakka, for the Noble One wished Lanka to be the abode of his doctrine. Thus Indra, king of the gods handed over the guardianship of Lanka to Vishnu --- by allusion, pointing to the colour of the blue lotus. And the god came down to Lanka and sat down at the foot of a tree in the guise of a wondering ascetic. All the followers of Vijaya came to him and asked him, “What land is this?” And the god said “The island of Lanka. ‘’
“There is no man here and no danger will arise.” And from his water-vessel he sprinkled water on them, wound a thread round their hands and vanished. And, in the form of a she-dog there appeared a yakkhini, an attendant of Kuvanna. Forbidden by Prince Vijaya, yet, one of his men followed the dog, reasoning that only where there is a village must a dog be found. There, a yakkhini, named Kuvanna, sat, at the foot of a tree. She, with a spindle was spinning as a woman hermit might.
Enthralled at the sight of the pond and the sitting woman, the man bathed and drank of the water. Taking young shoots of lotus and water in lotus leaves, he approached. But the yakkhini said “Stay, thou art my prey!” and the man stood unmoving. Because of the power of the holy thread, yet spellbound, the yakkhini could not devour the man or remove his thread. Then the yakkhini hurled the man into a chasm. In like manner, she hurled all 700 men.
Seeing no return of his men, fear seized Vijaya. The prince armed with a sword, bow, battle-axe, spear and shield saw the beautiful pond but no footprints coming out of it.
“Lady, hast thou seen my men?” “What do thou want with your people, prince? Drink, thou and bathe.”
Vijaya reasoned that knowing his rank, she had to be a yakkhini, and had dispatched his men. Instantly, uttering his name he came at her drawing his sword. He caught the yakkhini by the nose above the neck, and seizing her hair with his left hand, he lifted the sword in the right and cried: “Slave give me back my men or I slay thee!” Tormented with fear the yakkhini prayed to the prince: “Spare my life sir, I will give thee a kingdom and do thee a woman’s service and other services as thou wilst.”

The yakkhini swears an oath

That he might not be betrayed, the prince had the yakkhini swear an oath. Having the men delivered with all speed, he said “These men are hungry.” The yakkhini showed them rice and other food and goods of every type she had in the ships of the traders she had devoured.
The yakkhini having taken the first portion of the meal handed over to her by Vijaya, was well pleased. Assuming the form of a sixteen-year-old maiden, bedecked with ornaments, she approached him. At the foot of the tree she made a splendid bed, well covered with a tent and adorned with a canopy. Pleased, the king’s son took her as his spouse and lay with her blissfully on the bed. And, all the men encamped around the tent.
At night, there was the sound of music and singing. “What is this noise?” Vijaya asked the yakkhini, lying beside him. And the yakkhini thought she must bestow kingship on her lord. “All the yakkhas must be slain, or else they will slay me” for it was through this yakkhini that all men (bringing about a settlement of men) had taken up dwelling in Lanka.
The yakkhini told the prince of a yakkha-city called Sirisafattu. The daughter of the chief of the yakkhas was brought there... There was a wedding, and a great multitude had come and high festivity lasting seven days ensued. “Even today destroy the yakkhas or hereafter it will be impossible.”
But how can Vijaya slay yakkhas who are invisible? Kuvenna: “I will utter cries and then strike; by my magic power thy sword shall strike them... Vijaya, having fought bravely splayed all yakkhas. The prince put on the garments of the yakkha king and bestowed the other raiment on one and another on his followers. Then Vijaya went to Thambapanni together with the yakkhini and his ministers and dwelt there.
The followers of Vijaya, tired, placed their hands on the soil and it turned it red. The soil of Sri Lanka is composed of laterite which crumbles into a red dust. That region and also the island, by colour, was called Thambapanni. (Direct quotation of the Mahavamsa): “But as the King Sihabahu since he had slain the lion was called Sihala and, by reason of the ties between him and them, all those (followers of Vijaya) were also (called) Sihala.”

Origin of Anuradhapura

Vijaya’s ministers founded villages. Anuradhagama was built by a man bearing that name — near the river Kadamba, now Malwatta Oya, which flows by the ruins of Anuradhapura.
The chaplain Upatissa built Upatissagama north of Anuradhagama, thought to be sought on one of the right-bank tributaries of the lower Malwatta Oya. According to the Mahavamsa, Gambhira-nadi flows one yojana or seven to eight miles north of Anuradhapura.
Three other ministers built each for him, Ujjeni, Uruvelia, and the city of Vijita. By folklore the remains of the city of Vijita exist as those ruins which lie not far from the Kalu-wewa (Kalavapi). It is found south of Anuradhapura in the jungle.
The ministers sought the consent of the prince to be consecrated king of Lanka, but Vijaya would not have it unless a maiden of a noble house was consecrated his queen.