Mahinda V

Mahinda V
King of Sri Lanka
Reign982–1017
PredecessorSena V
SuccessorRajaraja Chola I (Anuradhapura)
Vikramabahu (Ruhuna)
Died1029
IssueKassapa
FatherMahinda IV

Mahinda V was King of Anuradhapura in the 11th century. He was the last king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom as well as from the House of Lambakanna II.[1] In 993, he fled to Ruhuna, the southern part of the country, following a large scale mutiny by his army. A Chola invasion led by Rajaraja Chola I captured Anuradhapura[2] taking advantage of the 11 year civil war and subsequent turmoil that happened after Anuradhapura fell into anarchy. He was later taken prisoner and taken to India, where he died as a prisoner in 1029.[1] The Mahavamsa records that the rule of Mahinda V was weak and he was unable to even organize the collecting of taxes. The country was in a state of extreme poverty and his army refused to follow orders due to lack of wages.[3]

  1. ^ a b "A solid bedrock of research: The Institutios of Ancient Ceylon from Inscriptions". International Centre for Ethnic Studies. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  2. ^ Siriweera, W. I. (2004). History of Sri Lanka. Dayawansa Jayakodi & Company. p. 302. ISBN 955-551-257-4.
  3. ^ Wijesooriya, S. (2006). A Concise Sinhala Mahavamsa. Participatory Development Forum. p. 114. ISBN 955-9140-31-0.