King Dhatusena

King Dhatusena (459 AD – 478 AD) 


After been consecrated, Dhatusena built many Viharas and reservoirs. His biggest achievement was
magnificent reservoir “Kala Wewa”. King Dhatusena built eighteen reservoirs in the country.
Writing of Mahavamsa:
King Dhatusena ordered to produce an interpretation to the Deepavamsa and spent 1,000 gold coins
(Kahavanu) for the work.
(Author’s Note: Interpretation to Deepavamsa is considered to be “Mahavamsa”. Mahavamsa
is more complete than Deepavamsa since the author Mahathera Mahanama used other older sources
other than Deepavamsa. Hence Mahavamsa was written by Mahathera Mahanama under the patronage
of King Dhatusena. Interestingly Mahathera Mahanama does not write all the way to King Dhatusena.
He stops at King Mahasen’s time period).
King Dhatusena Built a Statue of Mahinda Thera:
King Dhatusena built a statue of Mahinda Thera and brought it where the thera was buried.
(Author’s Note: As per Sri Lankan tradition, Mahinda Thera was buried north of the Thuparama
while his sister Sangamitta was buried east of Thuparama).
Kassapa and Moggallana:
King Dhatusena had two sons (Kassapa and Moggallana) and one daughter. Due to a family problem,
King Dhatusena burnt his own sister alive as a punishment. Son of the dead woman, Migara was
extremely angered by this incident. (Migara is King Dhatusena’s nephew. Mahavamsa does not
provide sufficient information of the family problem that occurred).
Migara, banded with Kassapa and plotted against the King. They overpowered King Dhatusena and
imprisoned him.

---