Sangha Tissa II
king of Anuradhapura
Sanghatissa II (reigned c. 614 CE) was a monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Formerly the Sword-Bearer (Asiggaha) to King Aggabodhi II, he ascended the throne in 614 CE. His reign was brief and dominated by a civil war against the commander-in-chief, Moggallana, which ultimately led to his defeat and execution.
Accession and Lineage
Upon the death of King Aggabodhi II in 614 CE, his sword-bearer, Prince Sanghatissa, was crowned king. There are conflicting historical accounts regarding his relationship to the royal family:
The Chronicles: The Pujavaliya and Rajavaliya state that he was a younger brother of the previous king. However, the Culavamsa asserts that he was a relative of Aggabodhi II’s queen.
Legitimacy: It appears Sanghatissa did not have a strong legal claim to the throne. This weakness was immediately exploited by Moggallana, the powerful commander-in-chief (Senapathi) of the previous king, who was stationed in Ruhuna.
The Civil War
Immediately after Sanghatissa's accession, Moggallana launched a rebellion to seize the crown.
Moggallana marched from Ruhuna and captured the fortress of Mahagallaka (identified as Magalla or Nikaweratiya in the modern Kurunegala District).
“Sangha Tissa II” enters the record as king of Anuradhapura. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sangha, Tissa and king can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16933194. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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