The First War of Unification in Sri Lanka: a Read Between the Lines

Abstract

The war fought between prince Duttagamini and Elara in the 1st Century BC was commonly known as the first war of unification in Sri Lanka. Until then the country was not referred to by the historians as a single sovereign administrative unit. There were many power pockets operating from various parts of Sri Lanka. However, Mahavamsa the chronicle which was written a few centuries after the war of unification, allocates a favourable prominence to the victory of Duttagamini against Elara. This historical event has been interpreted by many historians for many objectives in the passage of Sri Lankan history. This paper critically analyses the historical validity of the facts about the war taken place.