Sinhalese kingdom in present-day Sri Lanka (1055-1232)
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
පොළොන්නරුව රාජධානිය Polonnaruwa Rājādhaniya
1055–1232
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
before 1153
Principality of Maya Rata
Principality of Ruhuna
Capital
Vijayarajapura
Common languages
Sinhala
Religion
Theravada Buddhism
Demonym(s)
Sinhala: පොළොන්නරු, romanized: Polańaru
Government
Monarchy
Monarch
• 1055-1111
Vijayabahu I
• 1153-1186
Parakramabahu I
• 1187-1196
Nissanka Malla
• 1215-1232
Kalinga Magha
Historical era
Polonnaruwa period
• Established
1055
• Disestablished
1232
Currency
Coins
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Chola Empire
Principality of Ruhuna
Kingdom of Dambadeniya
Jaffna Kingdom
Today part of
Sri Lanka India
Part of a series on the
Historical states of Sri Lanka
Sinhala Kingdom
Kingdom of Tambapanni
543–437 BCE
Anuradhapura Kingdom
437 BCE–1017 CE
Anuradhapura from Rohana
1017–1055
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
1055–1232
Kingdom of Dambadeniya
1232–1341
Kingdom of Gampola
1341–1371
Kingdom of Kotte
1371–1597
Transitional period
Jaffna Kingdom
1232–1620
Kingdom of Sitawaka
1521–1594
Kandyan period
Kingdom of Kandy
1469–1815
Portuguese Ceylon
1597–1658
Dutch Ceylon
1658–1796
British Ceylon period
British Ceylon
1815–1948
Sri Lanka since 1948
Dominion of Ceylon
1948–1972
Republic of Sri Lanka
1972–present
Sri Lanka portal
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This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.
The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa[note 1] (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව රාජධානිය, romanized: Polonnaruwa Rājādhaniya) was the Sinhalese kingdom that expanded across the island of Sri Lanka and several overseas territories, from 1070 until 1232. The kingdom started expanding its overseas authority during the reign of Parakramabahu the Great.[1]
It had a stronghold in South India since its involvement in a civil war in the Pandya country. During this war, Pandya Nadu was seized as a province administered by the military of Polonnaruwa and Vira Pandyan of Pandya Dynasty. The tributaries of the Chola empire, Tondi and Pasi, also came under its and Vira Pandya military rule.[2] Rameshwaram was under Sinhalese and Vira Pandyan Alliance rule until 1182.[3] Its currency Kahapana was struck in these provinces. During the occupation of South India, construction works were undertaken.
Despite the prosperity endured under kings such as Parakramabahu, territorial and political instability would repeatedly occur, as the royal court was embroiled with factionalism chiefly between the Pandya and Kalinga bloodlines of the Polonnaruwa kings. This gave the royal military the opportunity to back their own preferred claimants to power, and generals like Ayasmanta and Lokissara would repeatedly seize the throne and install puppet rulers. Queen Lilavati's tumultuous reigns are a notable example for this, having come to power thrice under various generals. This escalating power struggle put the kingdom under decline, as evident from repeated intervention and raids by the Pandyans and Cholas to the North.
In 1212, the capital was seized by Parakrama Pandyan, a rival claimant who took power via Pandyan assistance. Only three years later, Kalinga Magha, whose title evidently traces his bloodline to that of the Eastern Ganga dynasty of Odisha, invaded the kingdom with a force of 24,000 men, capturing the previous ruler. As described in the Mahavamsa, Polonnaruwa was sacked and its population massacred, and the widespread devastation the region fell under prompted a massive migration into the South, ending the 1500-year long civilization of the Rajarata basin.
Following the capture of the royal capital by Magha, opposition coalesced around various warlords and nobles of the previous kingdom, who established fortresses in numerous locations to fight back enemies from the North. This would eventually give rise to Vijayabahu III, the ruler of the fortress of Dambadeniya, who eventually centralized Maya Rata by subjugating the power of rival lords and Magha's influence and established the kingdom of Dambadeniya in 1232, marking the beginning of the Transitional period in Sri Lankan history.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
^Wright 1999, p. 37.
^Balasubrahmanyam 1971, p. 255.
^Sri Lanka in Early Indian Inscriptions. p. 5
and 27 Related for: Kingdom of Polonnaruwa information
instead of Indic text. The KingdomofPolonnaruwa (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව රාජධානිය, romanized: Polonnaruwa Rājādhaniya) was the Sinhalese kingdom that expanded...
part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the KingdomofPolonnaruwa. The second oldest of all Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first...
located. These are in chronological order: the kingdomsof Tambapanni, Upatissa Nuwara, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Gampola, Kotte, Sitawaka and...
years. Polonnaruwa was renamed “Vijayarajapura” and chosen as the capital, making Vijayabahu the first Sinhala king of the PolonnaruwaKingdom. The coronation...
relationships with the Pandyan Kingdom. He succeeded and housed the tooth relic in the temple of the Tooth in Polonnaruwa. King died after reigning five...
centre of the kingdom was located. These are, in chronological order: the kingdomsof Tambapanni, Upatissa Nuwara, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya...
formation of the second kingdomofPolonnaruwa by Parakramabahu I. History of Sri Lanka List of Maya Rata monarchs List of monarchs of Sri Lanka De Silva,...
temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city Polonnaruwa, the capital of the ancient KingdomofPolonnaruwa, now present-day Polonnaruwa, in North...
The Kingdomof Kandy was a monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th...
right. Lilavati rose to prominence as the wife of Parakramabahu I, king of the KingdomofPolonnaruwa. Being of royal descent herself, she then ruled as sole...
Parakramabahu the Great, was the king ofPolonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital,: 7 constructed extensive...
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The Transitional period of Sri Lanka spans from the end of the KingdomofPolonnaruwa, in 1232, to the start of the Kandyan period in 1597. The period...
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The Kingdomof Kotte (Sinhala: කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, romanized: Kottay Rajadhaniya, Tamil: கோட்டை அரசு), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom...
king of the KingdomofPolonnaruwa, in what is now Sri Lanka. He was the nephew of his predecessor, Parakramabahu I. Mahavamsa List of monarchs of Sri...
The Kingdomof Tambapaṇṇī (Sinhala: තම්බපණ්ණිය රාජධානිය, romanized: Tambapaṇṇī Rājadhāniya) was the first Sinhalese kingdom in Sri Lanka. Its administrative...
regions of Present-day Ramanathapuram. In approximately 1173, the Sinhalese kingdomofPolonnaruwa, invaded the neighbouring Pandya kingdom and overthrew...
Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, were established as capitals within the area by successive rulers. Rajarata was under the direct administration of the King (raja/king...
Mahinda VI (?–1187) was a king of the KingdomofPolonnaruwa who came to the throne by killing his predecessor Vijayabahu II. He only reigned for five...
මල්ල), also known as Keerti Nissanka and Kalinga Lokesvara was a king ofPolonnaruwa (Sri Lanka) who ruled the country from 1187 to 1196. He is known for...
Kingdomof Sitawaka (Sinhala: සීතාවක, Tamil: சீீீதாவாக்கை இராசதானி) was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of...
the kingdomof Anuradhapura, which lasted for over a millennium, was destroyed by the Cholas. Polonnaruwa, a military outpost of the Sinhalese kingdom, was...
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