MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01D169B8.605558C0" This document is a Single File Web Page, also known as a Web Archive file. If you are seeing this message, your browser or editor doesn't support Web Archive files. Please download a browser that supports Web Archive, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. ------=_NextPart_01D169B8.605558C0 Content-Location: file:///C:/D96BCAB9/Lankanmilitaryandnavalhistory.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Our ancient text the M=
ahawansa
has recorded over 1200 battles, the names of Kings or the Generals who led =
the
armies and fought these battles, the place=
of
battle and probable date, and the weapons and tactics used, the resul=
ts
etc. This is an attempt to re-record them and tie them with information fou=
nd
in other texts and on rock inscriptions.
Four methods of the warriors.<=
span
lang=3DEN style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"=
Arabic Typesetting";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN'>
According to the text Abhidhanappadipika
the Catura An example “Kautilya the Minis=
ter of
Chandragupta silent war or a war of assassinati=
on
against an unsuspecting king, his approval of secret agents who killed enemy
leaders and sowed discord among them, his view of women as weapons of war, =
his
use of religion and superstition to bolster his troops and demoralize enemy
soldiers, the spread of disinformation, and his humane treatment of conquer=
ed
soldiers and subjects”. The Mahavansa, Dipavan=
sa
the 4/5 Cent AD ,Text of Sri Lanka describes wars fought by kin=
gs,
the start with two peace keeping mission of the Buddha in his =
visit
to Mahiyangana and Na=
gadipa
to settle a disputes between tribes living here before the arrival of Vijeya, one of then was a dispute over a Throne
between two Naga Kings . Here he used two
eclipse of the Moon and the Sun to settle the disputes&=
nbsp;.
This may be used as Astroarchaeology tool to te=
st the
dates mentioned in these ancient Chronicles. In these ancient chronicles are the name the Generals who fought
battles, the Tactics used ,the type of Weap=
ons
and other logistics activities , and the Peace Treaties enacted . Most facts
are substantiated by Folk lore ,contemporary
inscriptions , by painting and sculptures. the f=
inding
of ancient Fortress . There is an Peace treaty
enacted found on a rock Inscription at Sangamuva Vihare in Kurunegala Dist=
rict, as
mentioned in the Mahavansa. I have been reading the Mahavansa ,to extra=
ct
quotes on the conduct of Battles by our ancient kings- After rereading many
times I believe Mahavansa is by it selves a tre=
atise
of the conduct of war . Text books on warfare. The Mahavansa in Ch70 ” With careful consideration of the w=
ork
profitable for the carrying out the war, such as the text books Koatalla[
Kautalaya]
the Yuddhannava and others[ now=
lost],
He versed in the procedures of war, worked out with ingenuity in way accord=
ing
with the locality and the time, the plan of campaign [ Yuddhopaya], wrote it do=
wn,
had it handed out to the officers and gave the order. ‘ Doubt not that ye do
thing of great moment, if ye do but swerve by a hair’s breadth from t=
his
my instruction’.. … “. The Mahavansa of the Buddhist monks,
contains enough material on the thinking of kings, based on potentials thre=
at
and remedial actions taken along some interesting details of the battles
fought. The lot could be gained from those strategies and How the Sinhalese were mentally and physically prepared for any eventua=
lity
is spelled out by PEP Deraniyagala in Combative S=
ports
of the Sinhalese. The practice of combative sports and the Schools was
strategically banned by the English after 1820’s. “Combati=
ve
sports were practiced from the earliest times not merely for amusement but =
in
order to foster disregard for pain and death, and to inculcate the valor and
pugnacity essential for the survival of a race.
………………. with combat displays between man
and man, as well as between animals as staged by the Sinhalese, for produci=
ng
soldiers who kept their small Island free for over two thousand five hundred
years”. Military Traditions of the Sinhala<=
/span>
Kings ?[ click ].The traditions set by General Sar=
ath
Fonseka and his illustrious Commander and
Soldiers 2009 was in the blood of the Sri Lankan soldiers, the Valor in the=
battefield Yuda
Vira ,combined with Dhramma<=
strong>
Vira and Dana
Vira[ humanitarian operatio=
n]
which were of second nature were old traditions from the days of our kings?=
. The four fold forces [the Chaturangabala]–=
The
Hattharohe,Anikatthe,
Rathika, Pattikarika
or The Elephants, Cavalry, Chariots, and the Foot-Soldiers. Chaturanga
is a game like chess that was played in ancient Ceylon H.Parker
pg 605. These are substantiated by ancient rock inscriptions, which are publish=
ed
in the rassl.srilanka web site The Elephant Corps S.Paranavitane. ” The better kn=
own
word denoting Cavalryman is found in IC I No 606,in which the a Upasika Gura, the wife of=
Paramuka Tisa, the Asaruya[ Pal=
i
Assaroha]. Asajiriya[ Pali Assa
ariya] in No 1158 was not one who himself fough=
t on
horse back, but a professional who trained horses and their riders in milit=
ary
Exercises and Manoeuvres. …. the cavalry =
was
confined to kings guards, and Cavalry and bodygu=
ards
became synonymous. A commission a Anikata
regiment appears to have been highly coveted, and it not only conferred
distinction on a person who obtained it, but also his relatives. The Chariots [Waggoners].=
Due to the wooded nature of the country, the use of Chariots and Cavalr=
y in
Battles would be restricted. The only painting of a chariot is seen at the =
Trivanka Pilmige at Pollo=
nuruva.
This seems to be Two wheeled type drawn by two
horses. Each could have carried the driver and one or two combatants a=
rmed
with Bows, Lancers and with Swords. As stated in Dhatuvansa,
King Mahanaga of Tiss=
a had
presented a Chariot to a Mahakala the son of a
wealthy man, which had seats for 4 pe=
rsons.
Vattagamini Abaya w=
as
fleeing For Logistic the larger version of these, the oxen and elephant carts w=
ere
used. The Ottupanthiya-Camel Corp. The Ottupanthiya or the Camel Corp was recr=
uited
from the Moors by the later Sinhala Kings
and they proved to be great fighters. The Camel corp=
span>
played a prominent role in the victory of Rajasinghe=
span>
II [ 1632-1687 AD] at the battle of Wellawaya Pass.[ Cyrus.D =
.F.Abeyakoon]. Foot soldiers. The earliest mention of Soldier is perhaps from the 1st Cent AD <=
span
class=3DSpellE>Habarana Rock Inscription of a V=
esamanaya
a grandson of a guard named Naka[ Rakanaka
Nakaya ], who old[ retired] <=
span
class=3Dskimlinks-unlinked>soldier. The name for soldier is =
Balata
which in elu langauge is Balat.
A 4th Cent AD inscription at Archers Calu, dunugaya:
Saliya. the archer (=
IC-I.
490) Hadaka, danuku: Sadhaka. the archer (IC.II, 39. 6) Sumana, Dunuga,; the archer (I Lancers. Kasub, kolpatti:
Kassapa, the lance-bearer (IC.V,I,
30,C. 9;Sg. 92, 314). Henry Parker names four branches of the Foot Soldiers each bearing their
own flag commanded by young chieftains mar=
ching
into battle. The Archers formed the chief branch of the foot soldiers of the Sinhale=
se army,
the weapons of the Sakya. Painting and
Sculptures indicate the use of leather armour, those who could afford were protected by Mail=
. PEP Dereniyagala suggests that our local tradition dancer=
s are
clad in Chain and Mail of ancient soldiers. They had leather scarves or bel=
ts which passed around the right shoulder and the =
swords
scabbards and Quivers were slung. The Vaddha Bow-men too, belonged to this branch. The Lancers or Spear-men formed
another branch of the foot-soldiers. The third branch perhaps were those who carr=
ied
the Battle Axe, the Sinhala Keteriya
or the broad Axe. The fourth branch were composed of those who
carried the straight Sword and Shi=
eld. Medical services in the ancient army.=
Mahavansa Chapter 76 Verse The Medical Servi=
ces
in the Seaborne Military Raid to punish a king in “…………………and also Ordnance Services/ Factories. “….. and abundant weapons of war,
such as armour and the like<=
/span>;
further gokannaka The ancients mastered the Iron technology and used advanced technologies
such as the wind assisted Furnaces that produed=
high
quality steels. This they used for hand tools required for the maintenance =
and
construction of Tanks and Canal system as well as the agricultural tools. In
time of war, these craftsmen were deployed for the manufacture of war hardw=
are
such as swords, Arrow and Spear heads , Armour etc. Iron smith of ancient Supplies Corp. “……………..endowed with vast royal pow=
er
he had provisions supplied for a whole
year such as rice and the like…”. Military Bands. Armourers. – =
Vama-kara
is mentioned in inscription IC I No 85.Perhaps a supplier of Chain mail and
Leather protective to soldiers. The only armour worn by=
the Sinhala armies that survive is the p=
erhaps
a modification of dress of Vas dancers of Ancient ola books mention The Rathe=
– The Chariots, the Elephant and Oxen driven carts etc.<=
o:p> Fortified=
a> Citadels in WEAPONS a.Anuradhapura=
period . Pasavi=
span> or Panchayudha. b.Pollonaruva<=
span
lang=3DEN style=3D'font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"=
Arabic Typesetting";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN'> Period. The <=
span
class=3DSpellE>Sinhala Swords as mentioned in texts. c.Weapons of the Sinhala Army during the Portuguese, Dut=
ch and
British Period.- Capt MSC De Silva, CA Command Structure a. W. Geiger has suggested that <=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Arabic Typesetting";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New R=
oman"'>Senapati
or Senevi is
the of Commander-in -Chief, Samata
is a rank corresponding to the Corp Commander, A Nayaka
is at Colonel rank etc etc Sinhala =
Kings.The nam=
es of Commanders of the=
Kings
in these ranks as recorded in texts and on inscriptions.[ For more click on
Link]. The rank of Maha-senpathi found on inscr=
iption
perhaps an equivalent of Field Marshal. Historic Battle Flags b. Martial Music. The i.Blowing of the Conch.
References in Mahavansa- Ch 25 ,v64
;Ch 65 V 27; Ch 88 V 74-75. “……. the shield thus released Di=
ghajantu
fell there and Suranimala spring up, slew the f=
allen
with his spear. Pussadeva blew his conch shell =
and
the enemy was scattered…..” 3 types of drums beats the victory drums-Jaya
-bera[
Mhv88-v 74-75,- Rana Bera<=
/span>[ Mhv 70-v 226] and Mahvansa Ch 96.v 15-16
–Use of drums to motivate soldiers to advance in to ba=
ttle.
War Songs Military Parades “…..With row of umbrellas and whisks, with rows of coloured banners and all kinds of pennons he veiled t=
he
whole firmament. With trumpeting Elephants and neighing of horses, with the
clatter of chariot wheels and the rattle of kettledrums; with the enraptured
tone of all festive Chanks or shell trumpets; w=
ith
the roll of great drums and the cries of victory by the Bards……=
.. filled the region …. Tactics. Can the mechanics of skirmishes be
worked out from the that described in the texts avialble ?. The aim =
of this
study is to spot light at higher levels what was in the minds of Kings and =
Commader and at ground level trai=
ning ,
covering fire, break
through defence and There are many interesting incidents where the conduct of operation and
military tactics are spelled out in our ancient texts. Perhaps the orders g=
iven
to his Generals Bhuta and =
Kitti
by the Commander in chief of Parakramabahu I , when he facing the armies of Queen Sugula
in the South which is quoted with in brackets by W. Geiger ……………”Of the enemy w=
ho
have invaded our country we shall not let a single foe escape. On the road
which would be the line of retreat of the foe, we shall place barricades and
make the roads to an extent of two to three gavutas
impassable and round about the territory occupied the enemy cut off the sup=
ply
of food, Then when the whole hostile army is weakened we shall an action wi=
th
it in which because of our rain of arrows they will have difficulty in
approaching us, and destroy them”. Warfare in Lanka 1.&n=
bsp;
Battle of the Nagas.The Mahavansa
and Dipavansa relates the war between two Naga Kings,t=
his
was before the arrival of Vijaya. This battle o=
ver
the gem studded throne , was settled by Lord Bud=
dha
himself. The battle ended without spilling a drop of blood. No winners or
losers and for the Soldiers ,Peace=
strong>
is the Nibbana of Battles . 2.&n=
bsp;
Vijaya. 3.&n=
bsp;
P=
anduakabya. 4.&n=
bsp;
Sena and Guttika.Invade Lanka, ch 21 P 82.Two Damilas, SENA and GUTTIKA, sons of a freighter who br=
ought
horses hither, conquered the king Süratissa, at
the head of a great army and reigned both (together) twenty-two years justl=
y. 5.&n=
bsp;
Asela .Defeats the Tamils, ch 21 P 82. But when Asela had
overpowered them, the son of Mutasiva, the ninth
among his brothers, born of the same mother, he ruled for ten years onward =
from
that time in 6.&n=
bsp;
Elara=
strong> –A Damila of noble descent, named ELARA, who came hither=
from
the Chola-country to seize on the kingdom 7.&n=
bsp;
Battles of Dut=
ugemunu. The Dutugemunu – 8.Vatta Gamani His strategy which failed in the war with 5 Pandya=
ns
Ch 33 p 129 Battles Mahatittha, Kolambaraka,
Ch 33 p 129 Anurhadapura, Ch 33 p 131 9.Kalatha Tissa War with Anula ch 34 P
134 10. llanga=
span> War with the Lambakannas ch
35 p 138; battle Ahankarapitthika.ch 35
P139 11.Vasabha=
. War with Subha ch 35 P
140 12.Sirinaga War with Kuddanaga ch<=
/span>
36 P 144 13.Abhayanaga War with Voharaka Tiss=
a,
ch 36 p 146 14.Gothakabhaya War with Sirisanghabodhi ch
36 p 147/ Read the rest Click Battles and
conflicts in Sri Lanka from 2500 BC on the Blog=
Vulnarability=
span> of Soldiers w=
ith
out Protection A good example is placed on rock
sculpture now at I read some where that it is not becoming of a Noble Kat
[kastriya] warrior to wear =
armour. In chapter 74 verse 73, the Mahavansa
staes that General Bhuta=
span>
was sent to reinforce General Rakkha who was bo=
gged
down inacessable fortifications in the forestb of Divacandajntabatava=
span>
hemmed inby mountains on either side by the tro=
ops of
Queen Sugula, ” with out in any way departing from the orders of the Illustrous Lord of men[ King Par=
akramabahuI],
they both had doublets of buffalo hide for their men for
protection against Arrows, made the great Army ready for
battle, offered a sharp encounter,…..” The Dress of a Sinhala So=
ldier
interposing the Armour Like=
Dress of Vas dancer of Name of Dress items from words in Saddharmalamkaraya and Dambedeniasanaya as described in Soci=
ety
of Mediaeval Ceylon Ariyapala. The dress of Dan=
cers
were was suggested by experts of Weapons of Sri Lanka Mr
Nanayakkara and Werakkody<=
/span>
who paint ancient Milatry scenes, that they were
modification of ancient soldiers armour. Perhap=
s the
Dancer of the Army Dance Troup should now practice the Angampadi
or swordmenship of the ancient, to see if its feasible proposition. A statue found at The arrival of Vijeya =
Kastriya
queen from Mathuraas depicted at I have now traced two photo’s done by
experts in this field. Mr
Weerakkody the painter. Please go to his web pa=
ge and
look for more, but I am copying a part of this fantastic painting for those
interested, Pakramabahu I Fleet. “……..Then the highly famed one gave=
the
order without delay to make ready ships of various kinds, many hundreds in
number. Now all the country round about the coast was one great workshop fu=
lly
occupied with the building of the ship taken in hand. When in five months he
had all the ships built, he assembled them in haste at the Parakramabhu=
I – expedition against King Kulasekera
of “He[ General Lankapura] embraked his g=
reat
army on many hundreds of ships, started off and
sailed a day and a night on the back of the oce=
an.
When he caught sight of the coast, since a hostile army was standing there,=
he
made all his troops put of armour=
on board. As the ships had to lie in deep water[=
Gieger- Agadhe<=
/b>
samnivttanabhavato– <=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Arabic Typesetting";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New R=
oman"'>The
coast is so flat that ship cannot lie close] and because with a
landing just at this spot, the armour of the wh=
ole
army would have been wet through, he made the troops get
into hundred of boats of small size[Gi=
eger
commnts;-Ekadoninaca&=
#8211;
Droni
means boat as also a measure of volume] Then when the rain of arrows from=
the
Damilas standing on the coast, came flying, he =
had shields
fashioned of leather set up in front of the soldiers against
the arrows and so landed in the Sinhala=
span>
Navy of the Portuguese and Dutch periods – Capt Sally De Silva Moggallana [ 497-5=
16 AD]
instituted a coastal Guard to prevent possible invasion from India.[ Histor=
y of
Ceylon Vol I pt I pg 298]. The Coast Guards con=
cept
has been reintroduced a few years back. Naval Ports on record in the
Upaya, the four means of su=
ccess
in battle is Bheda[ t=
he
division or weakening of the enemy] ,Danda
[ Open War-fare or offensive operations], <=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Arabic Typesetting";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New R=
oman"'>Sama
[ Peaceful negotiations, treaty] and Danani[
Gifts, Bribes..]. Vijayabahu
I[1058-1114 AD] based his
military operation on these four methods of Warriors to destroy the Cholas =
who
were ravaging the Rajarata[ Mahavansa
Chapter 58 verse 3]. The doctrine of four <=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Arabic Typesetting";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New R=
oman"'>upayas
is also known in Vedas, the Mahabaratha,in
the Amarokosha and other epics of
Sri Lankan Kings never aspired to conquer the world, though many punitive r=
aids
across the Palk Strait and one adventure to The Cavalry.
Elara Combat from Dambulla
painting. Foot Soldiers capturing prisoners =
CA.The kings =
of Sinhala had Navani,
or Naval Forces, (Nau
– sanskrit=
span>
nau,
‘ship’ and, ani=
-sanskrit
anikca, army=
,).