Important Facts
At the early stages the political power in
Sri Lanka was in a decentralized nature. The
chieftains who were powerful provincially
handled the ruling power.
Those who were engaged in ruling affairs at
the village level were called Gamikas and those
who ruled a wide area consisted of several villages
were named as Parumakas. Gamikas represented
the householders who were in charge of several
houses in a village. The word Gahapathi was
used to name them.
A political body is needed to control power
which is necessary to handle the conflicts and
other complexities in a society, which are caused
due to the facts such as life competition caused
by emergence of various social requirements
in line with development of settlements. The
political power in the ancient society of Sri
Lanka developed based on such needs.
The process of centralizing the political
power, which had been decentralized in this
country, was initiated by king Dutugemunu.
That task, initiated by king Dutugemunu for a
political purpose for the first in the history of
this country, was accomplished by King Vasabha,
who was a member of the Lambhakarna lineage.
Centralizing the power means the ruling
power of the country goes to one hand of one
ruler. There a group of officers are appointed to
run the administration of the country. The word
state is used to name the king, the officers, the
rules and regulations imposed by them and the
institutions which put them into practice.
In running the rule of the country, the rulers
appeared in different types of concepts. Most of
the time they attempted to appear as a god.Pancha Kakudha Bhanda – Pancha Kakudha Bhanda means
the five items which are considered to provide prosperity when
they are used. The Walvidunava, Mirivedi Sangala (a pair of
slippers), Magul Kaduva (king’s sword), Sesatha (Parasol),
Nalal Patiya (the strap tied on the forehead) belong to it.
Kings used them in their coronations. Mahawamsa says that
king Devanampiyatissa held his second coronation using the
Pancha Kakudha Bhanda sent by emperor Ashoka.The title Devanapiya – Indian emperor Ashoka used the
title Devanapiya (Devanampriya) meant ‘adorable to God’.
King Tissa, who ruled this country in the contemporary
period of emperor Ashoka, used this title and called himself
Devanampiyatissa.Alakamandava – Literary texts describe that Alakamandava is
the dwelling place of the ‘Kuvera’ who is in charge of wealth.
Accordingly, it is one of the prosperous cities which belongs to
the island ‘Uthurukuru’ where gods live.