Geiger on the Singhalese raid of Lower Burma (1164-5)

In the wake of what was essentially a trade dispute, King Parakkamabahu I, who had unified the island of Lanka (Ceylon) early in his reign, decided to gather together a fleet of ships and launch raids against Lower Burma.

The landing of Singhalese forces from Sri Lanka on the soil of Lower Burma and the events that transpired after that run as follows what Geiger called the Culavamsa chronicle (actually just a continuation of the Mahavamsa). As the Lankan troops disembarked from their boats at Bassein, known then as Cosmi (or Kusumi below), in Lower Burma, Ramanna troops met them in combat. The Lanka troops quickly overwhelmed the feeble resistance and took to a strategy of scorched earth:

"Warriors of great fighting strength who sailed on five vessels landed on the territory of Ramanna in the port called Kusumi. These doughty soldiers with the Nagaragiri Kitti at the head, equipped with armour and weapons slew from their landing place the troops belonging to the Ramanna country, many thousands of them in terrible combat and while they, like to rutting elephants, hewed down around many coco palms and other trees and set fire to the villages, they laid waste a great part of the kingdom." (Geiger, 1953, 69)

Another division disembarked at another place named Papphalama (probably Martaban but have to check hard to find Frasch (1998) first):

"But the ship on which the Damiladhikarin Adicca commanded, landed in the territory (or Ramanna) at the port of Papphalama, and while at once the people with the Damiladhikarin at the head, fought a gruesome, fearful, foe-destroying battle and captured alive many people living in the country, they plunged the Ramanna kingdom into sore confusion. Thereupon the Sihalas with terrible courage, fearful with their swords, burst into the town of Ukkama [north of Yangon] and slew the Monarch of the Ramanas. when they had subdued the Ramanas and brought their country into their power, the great heroes mounted a splendid white elephant. They rode around the town free from all fear turning the right side towards it and thereupon made known by the beat of drum the supremacy of the Sovereign of Lanka." (Geiger, 1953, 69)

Buddhist monks were then sent to negotiate a peace:

"Then overwhelmed by fear the people in the Ramanna land, seeing no other protection, gathered together and held counsel. With the instructions: "Year by year must we from now onwards send elephants to any amount as tribute from our property – in order that the Monarch of Lanka lay on us intolerable (burdens), ye must influence him [1] and thereby at all times full of pity, have mercy on us all" – they sent in haste their messengers with letters in their hand to the bhikku community dwelling in the island of Lanka. Through the friendly words of the community living in the three communities, the Ruler of Lanka was moved to kindness, and while the Ramanas sent him yearly numbers of elephants, they made anew with the Lanka Ruler who kept his treaties faithfully, a pact of friendship" (Geiger, 1953, 70).

References:

Frasch, Tilman (1998a) "The Mount Thetso Inscription Re-examined," Myanmar Historical Research Journal 2: 109-126.

Geiger, Wilhelm and Christian Mabel Duff (trs.) (1953) Culavamsa : Being the more recent part of the Mahavamsa, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ceylon Govt. Information Dept.

Comments: These Culavamsa passages must be one of the few independent outside sources for military history during the classical Pagan period of Burma’s history. Since my research is on warfare during the early modern period (1350-1600), these passages are of interest to me.