Once upon a time, some fifteen hundred years ago, King Dhatusena ruled Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of North Central Sri Lanka. Dhatusena had two sons, Kashyapa and Moggallana. Kashyapa was the older son, but he was illegitimate; his mother was a beautiful concubine from the king’s harem, so Kashyapa could not inherit the throne. Moggallana, Kashyapa’s younger brother, was the legitimate heir, because his mother was the queen.
Kashyapa resented his brother’s destiny as heir to the throne. From Duke Hill, a small mountain some fourteen leagues south of Anuradhapura, where he was stationed as governor of central province, Kashyapa could look up at the nearby much larger rock formation of Sigiriya. Towering over Duke Hill, Sigiriya reminded him of his brother and of his own inferior status.
One day he decided to challenge destiny. In 477 AD, aided by Migara, his trusted military commander, Kashyapa overthrew the king, walling him up alive, while Moggallana fled to safety across the Palk Strait to South India. Seething at his brother’s betrayal of natural justice, Moggallana vowed to take revenge.
Kashyapa did not feel safe in Anuradhapura, where his father and younger brother had been much revered. He also suspected that Moggallana might invade and try to take back the throne. So, remembering Sigiriya, he decided to move his capital south to where he had been stationed as governor. When he arrived, he immediately began to develop the area at the base of Sigiriya Rock into the most magnificent city of palaces and water gardens the kingdom had ever seen.
A man of strong passions, Kashyapa’s commitment to architecture was matched by equally zealous pursuit of pleasure. On the rock above as well as in the palaces below, he built beautiful octagon pools for swimming, complete with shaded patches of soft grass for cavorting and feasting. Perhaps remembering his mother, he loved and respected concubines, so he filled his harem with the most accomplished and beautiful women in the entire kingdom.
Still, he never forgot the threat of an invasion from his brother in India. To defend himself, he fashioned the rock of Sigiriya into a giant lion to deter his younger brother. On the lion’s back, nearly 200 meters above the forest floor, he built an unassailable fortress replete with food stores and a large water reservoir. On the vertical walls of the rock, he had enormous paintings of his accomplishments made to remind everyone for miles around that his kingdom was not one to be tampered with.
In AD 495, the inevitable happened. One morning on the horizon appeared the army of Moggallana. Soon followed the declaration of war. Kashyapa, who was no coward, mounted his battle elephant and prepared to charge the invader. At the last moment, however, he spotted a weakness in Moggallana’s defences and changed direction so as to exploit the opportunity. At great pace, he rode off towards the flank of his forces, but, in his excitement, he forgot to inform Migara of his intentions, assuming that his forces would simply follow him. They did not. Instead, Migara and the bulk of Kashyapa’s forces interpreted their king’s sudden change of direction as intent to retreat, prompting the army to abandon their commander altogether. By the time Kashyapa realised his mistake, it was too late. Rather than being caught by his brother he unsheathed his dagger and dragged it across his throat. As the blood gushed from his body, he calmly sheathed the dagger and died.
Moggallana had no desire to remain at Sigiriya. His powerbase was in Anuradhapura and so he rode back and assumed his rightful role as king. Sigiriya became a Buddhist monastery for a few hundred years, but then gradually was abandoned.
Today, all that remains of these events some fifteen hundred years ago are the beautifully maintained grounds and ruins of the old Kashyapa Kingdom, a few fresco paintings of Kashyapa’s beloved concubines, and the birds and wildlife. Yet, it is Kashyapa we remember, not Moggallana. And therein lies an important moral: if you wish to go down in history do not worry about being good. Kashyapa was not a good man. He killed his father and stole his brother’s throne. Instead, build something truly beautiful in a genuinely amazing location. Build art. Then you will live forever.
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