Kavantissa
Kavantissa was king of Ruhuna in the southern part of Sri Lanka. His father Duttagamani (161 BC-137 BC) was a Buddhist king of Sri Lanka.
Variants of name
- Kavan Tissa
- Kavan-Tissa
- Kaha Wan Thissa (means who has the color of golden body).
Jat clans
History
He ruled Ruhuna, in the same time as Keleni Tissa of Maya Rata and the usurping Tamil king of Anuradhapura, Elara of South India, expanding and beautifying the city, and projecting the power of his native Rajarata region across the island of Sri Lanka. Kavan Tissa was a great-grandson of King Devanampiyatissa's youngest brother Mahanaga, and also the father of the great Sinhalese King Duttagamani.
As with his son Duttagamani, Kavan Tissa's figure is mostly swathed in myth and legend.[1] The main source of information on his life is Mahavamsa, the historical poem about the kings of Sri Lanka, which portrays Kavan Tissa as "devoutly believing in the three gems, [and] he provided the brotherhood continually with... needful things"[2].