Beminitiya Seya

Part of a series on the
History of Sri Lanka
Chronicles
Dipavamsa Mahavamsa Cūḷavaṃsa Rajavaliya Pujavaliya
Periods
Prehistory Stone Age Bronze Age Iron Age 300,000 BP –543 BC Pre Anuradhapura Indo-Aryan settlement 543–377 BC Anuradhapura Arrival of Buddhism Dutthagamani's campaign Fall of Anuradhapura 377 BC–1017 Polonnaruwa Chola conquest Sinhalese Resistance Invasion of Kalinga Magha 1017–1232 Transitional Vijayabā Kollaya Crisis of the Sixteenth Century 1232–1597 Kandy Kandyan Wars 1597–1815 British Ceylon Great rebellion Matale rebellion Buddhist revival World War II Independence 1815–1948 Sri Lanka Dominion Republic 1948–present
By Topic
Agriculture Armed Forces Army Air Force Navy Economy Education Geography Politics Tamil immigration World Heritage Sites
Sri Lanka portal Bibliography Glossary Timeline
v t e

Beminitiya Seya, also known as the Great Famine (103–89 BCE) was a major famine which occurred in the Anuradhapura Kingdom during the rule of the Five Dravidians, shortly after overthrow of King Valagambahu.^[1] For over a decade, the irrigation systems of the Anuradhapura Kingdom had failed as a result of invasion, corruption and neglect.^[2]

It was undoubtedly one of the darkest eras of Sri Lankan history. Long periods of drought coupled with South Indian invasion meant that maintenance and repair of the once advanced irrigation systems of the kingdom were now completely neglected. The situation eased after the death of the last of the Five Dravidians and the return of King Valagambahu. As soon as Valagambahu returned to the throne in 89 BCE, many reforms were introduced to repair and reconstruct the ill-fated irrigation systems of the kingdom, which eventually brought the Beminitiya Seya to an end in 89 BCE. To this day, Valagambahu is regarded as one of Sri Lanka's greatest kings.^[2]

The famine is mentioned a number of times in the stories contained in the "Sihalavatthu Pakarana", the oldest work of Sri Lankan literature. In this work, it is related that many monks left the island during the famine to India or the Maldives.^[3]

References

This Sri Lanka–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This South Asian history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e