It

SINHALESE EMBASSIES
,BY
Srn D. 13. Jayarrr,axe
(Presid,ent, Royal,

TO

ARAKAN.

Asiatta Society, Ceylon Branch,)

I
I

to exist, so much so that the rihole country could ;;; "irt;;ilf-;;r*;; muster five ordainerl ]lhikkhus. Virnaladharma to remedy this wretched state of affairs. In ""*olili ;; resuscitate the faith. of the pe-ogle, he turned fo. ".d;; *i U"fp, -12th did_ Vijayabahu I in the century, to Bu".rra' or yltfer_ to that part of Burma which was known to the ( Srnhttlese rs
Rakkhanga Desa and to the Burmese as Ilthough the portuguese had bv that time estab$r,ak1n. tlsned thernselves in the maritime districts, intercourse with the outside world had not yet been closed to the Sinhalese Government,. Vimalad"harma despatched ;; embassy to Rakkhanga Desa and got tfr" *i"g ;i tlr; country to send out a number of Jompetent frt itffr"r, headed by two eminent, Theras-Nandicakka and Candivisala-to re,estabiish Upasampada ordination in Ceylon. The Mahavansa (Chapter O4: tf-ZZ) gives a brief description oi this event. A full account oi ihis first embassy to'Arakan has not yet been discovered. ft cannot possibly b" tt;t;; such account was written at, the time, and f.rt.,ru investi_ gations may yet bring to light a detailed report 6f this

Hajasinha of Sir,au.uha :rnd the p";"g;;-J i;;;;";.';?1i: territory, tre turnecl his attention to tle i"t"""ni ntnir.l] the kingdom. Confusion antl ai*rJ"" confronted. him eve-rywhere. Attacks from outside and internal aissensions h?d utterlv disorgnnized the sociai llf" of the countrveducatron h;rd been neglected, und religion had lost ii; "Thehold upon

When Vimaladharrna_- I (1592_1604) had firmlv established himself .n the Thro'e of t<anav'att"" a"f""ii"i

the peopte.

Sangha

haj,

mission.

The revival inaugurated by Vimaladharma I did not unfortunateiy last long. The King himself did not live long enough to complete his labours. The whole of the reign of his successor, Senaratana, (1604-1692) and a

Jo(rnN,\r,,

R.,\.s. (ctvi,ox) [\rol. XXXY

grerter plrt of the rcign of t,he next l(ing, Il,ajasinha II, ftOaZ-tOS+) rrrls sTrent in contjnuous figirt,ing against the itortuguese.' Though this terrible struggle ceascd with the expulsion of the Por:tug-rrese in 1656 and,llajrrsinha lived. Jor rur.,r.e th,rn qtrilrtL-rr of :r r:elrturv trfter: that ervcnt, the iron of bittur clisappointtrent ai, the treratrnent he recejved frorn his.l)rrtch allies had entcredtris soul, nnd beyontl clefcnding the integritv of his terrjtory, he dirl little to impror-e the condition ol l'ris srrbjects. Once again religion gradualJy -tost its hold upon the pcople ancl religious observances and practices fell into ilisuse. When \rirrralailharma II suc' ceerled his lather in 1684, the social and rnoral conditioil of the peopie hirtl becorne as hopeless as jt $'as a hunilred yerrs ,,ru'ii,,r rvlrcn h'is grancl-rrncle, Vimaladharma I, initi:rteil iris rcforrrs. l[']re rrcrv King n rs of a peacefr.rl disposition. ]Iis relations rvii.h thc I)ritch \{ere on the r.r'irole trienclly ancl he nrled the corurtrv rl'ith justice rtritl rtrocleration. llis reig^n of 22 rr,,:rrs u.its thtts free from trritrblc. lllhis respits from rvat anci strife tlre T(ing ttrrnecl into good accoLrnt for promoting the rvelfare of thu cotrntrv. Naturrrll.v piorrs and clevoterl to his I,-rrittr, hc fourrd that the 'sangha hail become thoroughlv cr:xrtrpt ;tnd unu'ortlrv to be the cusiotlians of that ir:riiir anrl- tcaohcrs of the people. Follorving the example of his granrl-rrncle (\iinralrrtlharma I), he clecided to ri,ppeal to r\r:rilran {or help in otrler to re-establish orilination. t'or t'lris 1)llrpo,cc tu'o cnrbrsqjes I'ere sent, thc first to obtrlin rnfor:rliation rs i,o the state of Buc]clhism in tbat countrr, anrl ths secontl io bring oYcr A number of competent Rhikl<hrts in order to perforrn the ordination ceremony' I have been fo:trlnate enor.rgh to sccure :1n ol:r, manuscript rvhich gives a fairlv futrl accr.rtrnl; of thcse embassies u'ritten, as the context m,rkcs it clear:, b-v one of the Sinhalese envors, nrost probrrbl.y b.v Sivtgrtrita Pitndit'r I'hrcliyanse, who lvas a membet: of both thc llmbassies. It is a clocument rvhich, I think, is u'ell t'orth publishing I'vitli notes ancl expl:rrrat'ions. Leaving that ta.sk for a frrtrrre occasion' I propose now to qivs :t, short sltmmarY of the content-q rrf this rnanuscript. Tlro lirst crnbrssv t'lesp,rtchecl by Virnalaclhnrmn iI was coruposerl of lhe follou'ing olficials:J)oilanvrl:r Flcrrat I'Itrcli)-ilnsc! Jr, ii Lr irr lr-atte 1)i sln iilin I{Lrrli I l'rnse, a nttr Sit hgitttrrl l)andita \Ilrclili'rnstl. The retinuc of these glvir-:fs totrrllerl 20.
r

,l

irlt-n\1r,,

n.:r.s. (cerr,ox)

[Yor,. XXXV"

-i\o. 93-19.101

srrvrrAr.ESE IIMBASSTEs

ro

ARAKAN

envoys expected that all the obstacles in their way had been removed, they were soon disillusioned. The Commander od the Fort gave peremptory orders that no one on board should be allowed to land. In this predicament the Ambassadors made use of the Interpreter (Tuppasi;'a) to make representations on their behalf to the higher authorities, with the result that the Commander of the Fort came on board with six permits to three Sinhalese and three Dutchmen.to land and obtain necessary supplies of water ancl firewood. Tlrereafter the envoys ieceived a visit frcm the Chief of the. Port (styled ,Sahabandu) and the Commander of the Fort who came to inquire whether the;, would ergree to harrd the Pali document rvhich they had audience of the King for the purpose. The Ambassadors replied'ihat they could present the document only to the King in audience. Four days after, anotirer pair of offieials appeared and questioned the envoys as to the object of their visit antl whether thev lvere really emissaries from the King of Ceylon. Upon their repeating that assurance, the oflicials stated that they had received orders to remove to the Court the Pali dotument and the two Bana books which ths ambassadors had brought with them. These were handed to the officials who escorteil them in procession amidst the firing of guns. The suspicion rvhich the Arakan Authorities had entertained having at last been removerl, the Sinhalese arnbassadors \\rere allowed to lanil. 'Ihey were lodged in suitable quarters near the harbour, rvhere high ollicials of the Court visited them with the

guns. If the Sinlialese

Sinhalese Ambassadors and heard the purpose of their visit to Arakan and promised his help. The Ambassadors returned to their loilgings and remain6d. ,embnrked and arrived

graciously received

tho palace in

procession

the

with elephants. The

Kine

there until the King's reply was prepared.. Then they in Colombo on the 10th day of the
bright half of the month of Durutu. On their way to Kandy a number of Ministers, headed by the Adigar Yalagoda met them at Kosgama and escorted them to the Capital, which they reached on the l1th clay of the bright half of the month of Vesak (May-June) in the Saka year 1616 (1694 A..C.)",that is nearly a year after their ileparture on their
mlssron.

brought with them on board the ship, or at i'ome \Iihare in the presence of the Sangha, or whether they sought an

The account of the second Embassy to Arakan given manuscript is exceedingly brief. The mission left Kandy on Thursday, the 7th day of the bright half of the month of Asala (July-August) in the Sakrr ye'iir 1618 (1696 A.C.). The Embassy consisted of the following ,officials:-

in this

Dodrr,nvaLa

Herat \{udi;ianse,

It

Bdminivat'te Disdndka Mudiyanse, Garnpartra \/ijetunga Nludivanse, Sivagama Pandita Mudiyanse, ancl Grrlagama \,[ohottlla. will be noted that three of these officials formeil the first

following presents

;-

200 rupees. 15 brrnches of coconuts. 74 ,, ,, plantains. 2 baskets of oranges. 2 ,, mandarins. nasnariin.

o
c)

The envoys were entrusted with a, Royal letter and valuable presents to the King of Arakan, and 550 sets of ,ata pirikaras (eight requisities) anil other offerings to the 'Sangha. They embarkecl at Colombo and. arriveil in due .course at the Capital of Arakan. The King received them in audience, and soon preparations were set on foot to

emb,rssv.

iemons.
guavas.

liiitrimbilla

Such gifts were repeated on several occasions during the. stay of the envovs in Arakan. Some time after the Ambassadors were requested to confer s'ith a high dignitary of the Court (styled Sikh:) as regards their mission. After. several interviews and conferences rvith various officials, audience was granted to the envoys who were escorted to,

,send out a number of ordained Bhikkhus to Ceylon. 'Thirty-three Bhikkhus were selected for the purpose, under the leadership of the great Theras, Santana and Lokaragapudgala. The envoys having accomplished their mission returned to Ceylon with the Bhikkhus and having landed at Colombo they immediately proceeded on their way to Kandy. Court olficials sent by ihe King met them at different p"oints on the journey, until they reached A!tapitiva where a halt was" made to enable a deputation heacled by the Adigar, Yalegoda Nilarne, arriveil to-eseort them to ihe Capitil in a riagnificent- procession' Vimaladharma receivea the Arakanese Bhikkhus with great honour ancl lodged them at Malvatte Yihare' On the 13tir .day of the bright half of the month ol Bah (April'May!

rolRNAr-,

R.A.s. (cnrloN) [\ior,. XXXV.

in the Sakrr year 1619 (169? A.C')., in a special auili-qlce 'in hall erecl,ecl front uf the Dalada Maligawa the King received the envoys in audience v'hen the reply of the
King of Arakan was presentecl to

llis

Majesty.

Mr. rP,akelnan sa,id that t'he History Department of the' Unive'rsity of Il'a.ngoon mighi be able to give irrformation as to the aut rorities consu,lted by "$[r. ]Hral'\'ey f ot' tlrrl ptrrpose of giving the dates, ''which ruight' throrv light otr t'he curious discrepancy referred to b5' the lecturer'. Sir Ralon r:eplied tbnt Hnrl'e1' seems to have consulteil the" iletails in his ll,.l"ttt".e a uthorities on this q.,'".tiott. Yet t'he jn Ilistory and the ola' do nof corl'espond, especially -the matter of the , dates. It is the date o'f the enrlbassy n'hich warrantl inve*tigrlllon "5 [reilrg verl itrtlrortattt. Dn, P,tn.lxlvr".{}rA aslied tYho l\ra.s the rvr:iter of the
manuscnipt,,

Srn B,qnox: "Iterhaps it is one oI the am'bass:rdors who 'vyeni,' on troth embassies. lt is written in the first, person zlnrdi rrray

of tcn anttr.ittg. For example, he saicl. 't'hat *-hen the Sinhalese I'ere asitetl l.hat presents they brought for the .liing of Arahart the amhas-. sadors me',rely extollecl tho viltues of the l{ing orf Cq'1611. (reacl out from the One question askod 'lvas as follorvs : a. llas the King of Ceylon got no boats and lrhv do 5ou travel in a Dntch boat? A" The l(ing of l(andy irad all sorts of Not thrat he ilid not, have boats. He dreed got severailt lboats. Sir Baron sa,id tha,b the a.nsrvers I'ere not strictlv accurate but were very diplomatic. He said th'a;b details had been ii,serteil in tlie martuscript verl' rrarefull)' ,as for exrttlple even the nurniber of guns firecl on 'different oc,oa,sions is mosti c,alel'ul,ly

Dr. Pie,risr sai.d that he dic-l 'w'ere deliberately i.na,ocura,te t}e Sinh,ll,ese amib.assaclors
Anbrlers which rvere

have been written b-v Siva,gama llanclitn Mudiyanse." Srn B,r.nox Jev.rtrl.tna in I-eply to th.e criticisms olfered by

rlot mlrintain that the Sinhalese'

in their sta,tcrnerlts. He said thet lvere \rery tliplorna tic in their'

recorded.

;Sir Bnron reptried that it rvas fonn'd br Buddhist priest from rvhom he secured it,. Jlrron, The meeting a,djourned with a vote of thanlrs to Ja.1':rtilalia ploposed b1- i)I'. P:rrtl Pieris:

NIn.

Il. \\r.

Pnnnn.q,

asked ltow thc ol:r

cliscovet'ed.