In Sri Lanka ideas on kingship were derived from the sub-continent of India. There the earliest lege

In Sri Lanka ideas on kingship were derived from the sub-continent of India. There the earliest legend on the origin of kingship occurs in the Aitareya Brahmana , one of the later Vedic texts written perhaps in the eighth or seventh century B.C. It gives an idea, how the gods and demons fought in a war and the gods feeling that they needed a raja to lead them to battle new orleans hotels french quarter appointed Indra as their king. A little later in the Taittiriya new orleans hotels french quarter Upanisad this story is significantly altered. The gods did not elect Indra but sacrificed to the high god Prajapati who sent his Indra to become their leader. Kingship was thus given divine sanction and his idea prevailed in India although it faced a slight challenge from dissenting group like the Buddhists.
The Buddhists conceived the king as a being popularly elected (Mahasammata) new orleans hotels french quarter to safeguard society from anarchy and in return for the protection afforded paid by a share of the grain. This idea carried most weight in Sri Lanka as is seen in the tenth century work, the Vamsattappakasin and the nineteenth century work, the Niti Nighanduva . But in practice we find this elective theory new orleans hotels french quarter rather incongruously combined with Hindu and Mahayana beliefs regarding the divinity of kings.
Although the kings of Sri Lanka were no more elected than their Indian brethren were divine, the influence of the elective theory was clearly seen in the Kandyan period  when on several occasions the king having left no issue by the anointed queen, the succession was settled by an election. On four occasions the adigars acting on behalf of the people chose the successor to the throne by a 'mock election'. It was a monk election for the reason new orleans hotels french quarter that the choice was pre-arranged but elaborate devices were adopted to show what it was not so, and that the choice was really the people's. Davy reports that on the death of the king the adigars would summon the chiefs and people, who according to tradition were entitled to be consulted on the election of a new monarch, to appear in Kandy . In practice if the deceased monarch had not nominated his successor, the adigars made the choice and obtained the nominal approval of the chiefs and people, and then announced to the assembly. This public approval even though nominal suggests new orleans hotels french quarter the ideology that royalty derived its strength from popular support and not from divine new orleans hotels french quarter right.
The naming ceremony was an important rite connected with accession. The royal astrologers would select new orleans hotels french quarter suitable names for the new king and writing them on gold plates of gold deposits them in the Nata Devala. On the auspicious day the prince went in state to the Vishnu Devala where he made prostrations to the god. From there he proceeded to the Nata Devala and having gone through the same rite, selected a name and read it to the first adigar new orleans hotels french quarter who proclaimed aloud. The naming ceremony seems to suggest that the ruler of the people's choice had received the approval and blessing of the guardian new orleans hotels french quarter deities. No crowning ceremony, however, was connected with the accession of the Kandyan king.