Kanchanpura was ruled by a just king named Viravikrama. One day, his soldiers were taking a barber to the court whom they had arrested. A mendicant saw them and stopped the soldiers, saying, “Don’t punish him, sir! Only those who knowingly do wrong things should be punished.” The soldiers took him also along to the King and there he told his story. He was Kandarpaketu, the son of the King of the island kingdom of Sinhala. In his young days during the course of his travels, he saw a beautiful maiden deep in the sea waters. She was wearing fabulous jewels and seated on a jewel-studded throne. As he came near her, she vanished. He followed her into the deep waters and found her to be Ratnamanjari, the Princess of the Vidyadharis who lived in the sea. She had vowed to marry someone who came to her golden kingdom seeking her. So, she married Kandarpaketu.
Kandarpaketu and the Princess
