{"id":31618,"date":"2018-12-08T23:29:07","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T23:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=31618"},"modified":"2018-12-08T23:29:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-08T23:29:07","slug":"kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/","title":{"rendered":"Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span style=\"font-size: 36px; color: #008000;\">Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg<\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ejbWlc0FJ6o\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">PROLOGUE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">&#8220;Cometh the hour cometh the man&#8221; from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka&#8217;s ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka&#8217;s history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, &#8216;Kumaradhatusena&#8217;. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong><u>KUMARA DHATUSENA\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0 THE MAN FOR ALL SEASONS.<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">In the year 513 AD following the death of King Moggallana, his son Prince Kumara Dhatusena ascended the throne. The chroniclers account in the Culavamsa regarding this young king is almost a\u00a0 contradiction. While referring to him as &#8220;a vigorous figure of God-like form&#8221; he\u00a0 writes that\u00a0&#8220;He\u00a0had repairs carried out to the Vihara built by his father&#8221;\u00a0 but the Vihara is\u00a0not named\u00a0. He further wrote &#8221; He had a revision made to the sacred texts and reformed the Order&#8221;.\u00a0 The nine year rule of\u00a0King Kumara Dhatusena ends with the words &#8221; After many meritorious works he passed away in the ninth year of his reign, that is in the year\u00a0522 AD.\u00a0 He was after all\u00a0the grandson of the great King Dhatusena but while the chronicler goes into rapture singing the praises of the great tank builder, the grandson&#8217;s rule and his &#8220;many meritorious works&#8221; have been skimmed over.\u00a0 Despite the flowery phrases describing King \u00a0Kumara Dhatusena&#8217;s reign, there is a woeful lack of detail. Unless any new discoveries are made by way of rock inscriptions, stone tablets etc. referring to\u00a0his rule, he will remain for the most part,\u00a0another great unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">However, two\u00a0 ancient publications, the &#8220;Pujavaliya&#8221; and the &#8220;Rajavaliya&#8221; refer to a certain friendship which King Kumara Dhatusena had with Kalidasa, a boyhood friend and son of King Moggallana&#8217;s first minister.\u00a0 (This &#8216;Kalidasa&#8217; is not to be confused with the great Indian Sanskrit poet and scholar by the same name). In the &#8220;Pujavaliya&#8221; Kumara Dhatusena is referred to as &#8216;Kumaradasa&#8221;.\u00a0 There is a sensational account in these manuscripts which state that the bonds of friendship between them were so strong that on Kalidasa&#8217;s death, Kumara Dhatusena was so distraught and overcome with grief that he flung himself on the pyre of his dead friend in a sort of immolation and perished with him. This is supposed to have occurred in present day Matara, and people in the area are familiar with the names of the two friends and their tragic fate. This of course is in conflict with the account in the Culavamsa which simply states that King Kumaradhasa &#8220;passed away in the ninth year of his reign&#8230;.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The\u00a0 stability which was a hallmark of the reigns of King Moggallana and his son King Kumara Dhatusena, was\u00a0followed by a political firestorm. To call it an orgy of blood is no exaggeration. Prince Kittisena, Kumaradhatusena&#8217;s son ascended the throne in 522 AD the year of his father&#8217;s death. What followed was a family squabble of intrigue and lust for power with daggers drawn. King Kittisena ruled for only nine months and was murdered by his uncle , his mothers brother Siva. King Siva however did not last the distance. He ruled for\u00a0twenty five days \u00a0(The Culavamsa records that he ruled for &#8220;Five and twenty days&#8221;) and was killed by Upatissa. Upatissa in various Sinhalese sources is referred to as &#8216;Lamanitissa&#8217; signifying that he came from the Lambakanna clan. It gets worse because Upatissa was the late King Moggallana&#8217;s brother-in-law, having married King Moggallana&#8217;s sister.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">King Upatissa ruled from 522 &#8211; 524 AD but in the brief period of two years he managed to win the populace over and also gave his daughter in marriage to Silakala with a substantial financial grant.\u00a0This was the same Silakala who fled the island twenty six years ago for fear of his life and sought refuge in India, when King Kasyappa 1st ruled in Sigiriya. He is best remembered for having brought the hair relic of the Buddha to Ceylon . Silakala however had other ideas.\u00a0 Deluded with a lust for power he\u00a0fled to the central mountainous region of the island (which the Culavamsa for some unknown reason calls &#8220;Malaya&#8221;). Here he wasted no time in gathering a large and strong force. Confident that he could now take the throne he \u00a0arrived on the outskirts of Anuradhapura in a show of might terrifying the populace and the royal court. And this is where in the confused\u00a0blood soaked fortunes of this family, history repeated itself once more. Enter the second Kasyappa, King Upatissa&#8217;a son. Following the example of his ancestor by the same name twenty six years ago, Prince Kasyappa\u00a0mounted his favourite elephant and with an army\u00a0ventured forth to confront the would be usurper Silakala.\u00a0Fortune favoured Prince Kasyappa because Silakala suffered defeat after defeat in eight encounters. Silakala is referred to as &#8216;The Sword Bearer&#8217;\u00a0 &#8211; a title which suits his capability in the field of battle and his staying power against all odds. \u00a0He was never captured and managed to flee, to live to fight another day. This &#8216;Sword Bearer&#8217; seems to have been endowed with\u00a0supernatural powers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">After some time in the wilderness, he raised another army and advanced on Anuradhapura for the second time. A ferocious battle raged for seven days and Prince Kasyappa finally saw the writing on the wall. Discretion he surmised, was the better part of valour and he decided to flee with his father King Upatisa and his mother, to the state of Merukandara in present day Malaysia. Merukandara was at the time a favourite place of refuge. It all went horribly wrong. The guides\u00a0heading the fugitives and their band of loyalists lost their way and were surrounded by Silakala&#8217;s forces. If one does not believe in the saying that history repeats itself, the following incident may dispel any doubts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">In the final battle which the Culavamsa describes as &#8220;a fight between Gods and demons&#8221; Prince Kasyappa&#8217;s royal elephant succumbed to grievous flesh wounds and the prince doing what an ancestor of the same name did twenty six years ago. The chronicler writing in the Culavamsa states &#8221; he cut his throat, wiped the blood from his dagger and stuck it back in its sheath. Then, supporting both hands on the temples of the elephant he sank down in death&#8221;.\u00a0\u00a0 King Upatissa when he heard the news &#8220;died pierced by the arrow of grief &#8221;\u00a0(Culavamsa). This could be interpreted that the news when conveyed to him caused him such shock and sorrow that he died following a heart attack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">In 524 AD Silakala ascended the throne and this one time rebel rouser now turned out to be a benevolent monarch who ruled the island for thirteen years. Also known as Lamani Ambaherana Salamevan, he first increased the revenues of the hospitals and forbade the killing of wild animals.\u00a0 The Abhayagiri sect were particular\u00a0\u00a0recipients of his benefactions and he made daily sacrifices to the sacred Bodhi tree. Throughout his reign the Culavamsa confirms that &#8220;he performed meritorious deeds without number&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">In the year 527 AD he sent a letter to the Chinese court. There is no mention of this in the Culavamsa, but receipt of the letter at the Chinese court is confirmed by Chinese annals although the contents and purpose of the letter are not known. \u00a0He died the same year after a just and peaceful rule. The orgy of blood and violence did not end with his death, but ultimately paved the way for one of the most distinguished Kings to sit on Lanka&#8217;s throne, who ranks second only to\u00a0\u00a0King Mahasena and \u00a0King Dhatusena as one of the great tank building kings of the island, apart from being a\u00a0gifted poet. He is better known as a king &#8220;who had poetic gifts without equal&#8221; (Culavamsa).\u00a0 The chronicles refer to King Silakala as &#8220;an abode of virtue, generosity and goodness&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">Regarding the chronological investigation of Lanka&#8217;s history, it is a matter of regret that often one has to rely on foreign testimony. I refer specifically to relations with China, particularly in the Culavamsa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The name of &#8220;China&#8221; is not mentioned even once whereas Chinese historical records and South Indian inscriptions bear ample testimony to relations between ancient Lanka and China. So much on this subject that is important to the reader, has been concealed\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0 a great pity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-23997\" src=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Bernard-VanCuylenburg-1024x745.jpg\" alt=\"Bernard Van Cuyenburg\" width=\"289\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">Bernard VanCuylenburg.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg PROLOGUE &nbsp; &#8220;Cometh the hour cometh the man&#8221; from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":31620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3043],"tags":[3045,3867,5438],"class_list":{"0":"post-31618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-bernard-vancuylenburg","9":"tag-bernard-vancuylenburg","10":"tag-king-dhatusena","11":"tag-kumaradhatusena","12":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;Cometh the hour cometh the man&quot; from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka&#039;s ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka&#039;s history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, &#039;Kumaradhatusena&#039;. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;Cometh the hour cometh the man&quot; from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka&#039;s ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka&#039;s history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, &#039;Kumaradhatusena&#039;. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\"},\"wordCount\":1518,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bernard VanCuylenburg\",\"King Dhatusena\",\"Kumaradhatusena\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\",\"Bernard VanCuylenburg\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\",\"name\":\"Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"\\\"Cometh the hour cometh the man\\\" from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka's ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka's history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, 'Kumaradhatusena'. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg\",\"width\":480,\"height\":360},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg","description":"\"Cometh the hour cometh the man\" from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka's ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka's history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, 'Kumaradhatusena'. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg","og_description":"\"Cometh the hour cometh the man\" from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka's ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka's history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, 'Kumaradhatusena'. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":360,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg","datePublished":"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/"},"wordCount":1518,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg","keywords":["Bernard VanCuylenburg","King Dhatusena","Kumaradhatusena"],"articleSection":["Articles","Bernard VanCuylenburg"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/","name":"Kumaradhatusena - the great unknown - By Bernard VanCuylenburg","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg","datePublished":"2018-12-08T23:29:07+00:00","description":"\"Cometh the hour cometh the man\" from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka's ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka's history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one word, 'Kumaradhatusena'. I have broken it up to facilitate easy reading.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknow.jpg","width":480,"height":360},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/kumaradhatusena-the-great-unknown-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Kumaradhatusena &#8211; the great unknown &#8211; By Bernard VanCuylenburg"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31619,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31618\/revisions\/31619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}