Sena II

Sena II (Sinhala: දෙවන සේන) was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned 853–887 CE in Sri Lanka belonging to the Moriya clan of the Lambakanna dynasty, who ascended the throne upon the death of his uncle, Sena I. His thirty-four-year reign was distinguished by successful overseas military campaigns as well as significant patronage of Buddhist institutions within the kingdom. Sena II launched an expedition against the Pandya kingdom in South India. As per Culawamsa, In 862 CE, his general, Senpathi Kutthaka, captured and plundered the Pandya capital of Madurai, installed a client ruler, and recovered royal treasures that had been seized during earlier invasions. But the Culawamsa is a highly embellished and poetic account of the history of Ceylon and it persistently colours the account favourably to the Ceylonese kings and commanders to obscure the defeat of them. So it is possibly intended to obscure the defeat of Sena II. The Pandyan side of the evidence makes the ruling king Srimara Srivallabha successful in repelling a Maya Pandya and Sinhalese forces thus keeping his throne to himself at the end of the struggle. But it also possible to think that Pandyan inscriptions appear to contain some exaggerated claims, possibly intended to obscure the later defeat of Srimara Srivallabha.