Anuradhapura invasion of Pandya

The siege of Madurai in 862 was a pivotal moment in the history of the Pandya Empire, with differing accounts regarding its outcome.This was a part of Sena II's retaliatory campaign against the devastation caused by Pandya incursions during his predecessor, Sena I. According to Culavamsa, the invasion ended in a victory for the Anuradhapura king, with the death of Srivallabha and the coronation of prince Varaguna II by general Kutthaka. According to the Pandyan side of the evidence makes the ruling king Srimara Srivallabha successful in repelling a Maya Pandya and Sinhalese forces thus keeping his throne to himself at the end of the struggle.^[4][6]

As the 9th century progressed, Pandyas were drawn into war with the neighbouring Pallavas and Cholas, while Rashtrakuta invasions from the north also had to be kept in check. The Cholas, who had made an alliance with the Hoysalas and Eastern Ganga, constantly assaulted Pandyan territories and weakened their influence north of the Kaveri river. However, by the time of king Sena I of Anuradhapura, Pandya incursions into Rajarata territory had increased in scale, causing much devastation, and an invasion at the time of Sena I by Pandyas had sacked and ransacked Anuradhapura kingdom. Sena was eventually forced to make terms with the Pandyas and the Tamil forces were withdrawn from Sri Lanka with many booties.^[4] Sena would die having unable to bear the suffering induced on his people by the devastation.It was his successor Sena II who made preparations to pillage and pacify his northern rival as an act of revenge.

The Lankan sources and Pandyan sources vary each other. According to the K. A. Nilakanta Sastri Pandyan sources are reliable. He mentions in his book named 'Pandyan Kingdom' that "The Pandyan side of the evidence makes the ruling king successful in repelling a Maya Pandya and thus keeping his throne to himself at the end of the struggle, the Ceylon account makes out a disaster of the first magnitude to the Pandyan kingdom from the story of the counter-invasion undertaken by Sena partly in support of the Pandya prince There is no possibility of reconciling these accounts, one of them must be rejected as untrustworthy Now, on the face of it, it seems impossible to suppose that such a serious disaster befell the Pandya power in the reign of Srimara and that the Sinnamanur plates suppressed the truth or deliberately gave a false account of the reign. On the other hand, the Mahavamsa is a highly embellished and poetic account of the history of Ceylon. And one cannot help feeling that in this chapter of the Mahavamsa some transactions belonging to a later age (twelfth century A D.) have been repeated perhaps to take off the edge from the story of the conquest of Ceylon by the Pandya king, narrated a little earlier. When we come to the Pandyan civil wars of the twelfth century in which Ceylonese kings often interfered, we shall see that the Mahavamsa persistently colours the account favourably to the Ceylonese kings and commanders Our conclusion, therefore, is that Srimara did carry out a successful raid against Ceylon and that he repulsed the attempt at retaliation.^[4][5][6]

According to the Sri Lankan Sources, in 862 CE, Sena II of Anuradhapura launched a large-scale retaliatory expedition against the Pandya kingdom of South India in response to earlier Pandya invasions carried out during the reign of his predecessor, Sena I. Those attacks had culminated in the sack of Anuradhapura and the seizure of royal treasures, including a revered golden Buddha image.^[2] The campaign was also influenced by the arrival in Sri Lanka of Varaguna II, the son of the reigning Pandya monarch Śrīmāra Śrīvallabha (r. 815–862 CE), who sought military support after suffering ill treatment from his father. Sena II further strengthened his position by forming a coalition with the Pallava king Nriputungavarman (also known as Nrupatunga I).

Preparing for the invasion, Sena II assembled a substantial expeditionary force composed of both naval and land units at the port of Mahātittha (modern Manthai) on Sri Lanka’s northwestern coast. Command of the campaign was entrusted to his loyal general Kutthaka, identified in inscriptions as Senevirad Kuttha.^[9][10][11] After successfully landing on the Pandya coastline despite potential hazards, taking advantage of the Pandya kingdom’s weakened condition following conflicts with the Pallavas, the Sinhalese army besieged Madurai. During the assault, Śrīmāra Śrīvallabha was severely wounded and reportedly died while attempting to escape the city. Kutthaka’s forces captured and plundered Madurai, recovering treasures looted from Sri Lanka two decades earlier, including the sacred golden Buddha image, ceremonial victory drums, and a jeweled royal goblet. Additional wealth was seized, enhancing Anuradhapura’s prestige and resources.

The expeditionary campaign ends with the enthronement of Varaguna II as the new Pandya king. Kutthaka returns to Anuradhapura with the treasures taken by the Pandyas during their earlier invasion.^[2][12]