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Sinhapura
Sinhapura ("Lion City" for Sanskrit; IAST: Siṃhapura) was the capital of the legendary Indian king Sinhabahu. It has been mentioned in the Buddhist legends about Prince Vijaya. The name is also transliterated as ''Sihapura'' or ''Singhapura''. The location of Sinhapura is disputed with some scholars claiming the city was located in eastern India and others claiming it was located in present-day Malaysia or Thailand. The city is linked to the origin of the Sinhalese people and Sinhalese Buddhist ancient texts. The legend According to '' Mahavamsa'', the king of Vanga (historic Bengal region) married the daughter of the king of Kalinga (present-day Odisha). The couple had a daughter named Suppadevi, who was prophesied to copulate with the king of beasts. As an adult, Princess Suppadevi left Vanga to seek an independent life. She joined a caravan headed for Magadha, but it was attacked by Sinha ("lion") in a forest of the Lala (or Lada) region. The ''Mahavamsa'' mentions the "Sinh ...
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Vijaya Of Sri Lanka
According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'' chronicle, Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was the first Sinhalese king. Legends and records from both Indian and Sri Lanka sources say that he along with several hundred followers came to Sinhala after they were banished from Sinhapura. In Sri Lanka, Vijaya and his settlers defeated a yaksha near "Thammena" (Tambapaṇṇī, believed to be in the central or western part of the island), eventually displacing the island's previous inhabitants from their city of Sirisavatthu. Vijaya's marriage to Kuveni, a daughter of a yaksha leader, may have cemented his ability to rule the kingdom of Tambapanni. However, Kuveni's renunciation of her people for love did not last long; Vijay betrayed her for a princess from India. Kuveni had two children by Vijaya, whose fates are unknown. Sources and variations Four versions of the legend explain the origin of the Sinhalese people. In all the versions, a prince comes to the island of Lanka and establishes ...
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Prince Vijaya
According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'' chronicle, Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was the first Sinhalese monarchy, Sinhalese king. Legends and records from both Indian and Sri Lanka sources say that he along with several hundred followers came to Sri Lanka, Sinhala after they were banished from Sinhapura. In Sri Lanka, Vijaya and his settlers defeated a yaksha near "Thammena" (Tambapaṇṇī, believed to be in the central or western part of the island), eventually displacing the island's previous inhabitants from their city of Sirisavatthu. Vijaya's marriage to Kuveni, a daughter of a yaksha leader, may have cemented his ability to rule the kingdom of Tambapanni. However, Kuveni's renunciation of her people for love did not last long; Vijay betrayed her for a princess from India. Kuveni had two children by Vijaya, whose fates are unknown. Sources and variations Four versions of the legend explain the origin of the Sinhalese people. In all the versions, a prince comes to the isl ...
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Sinhalese People
Sinhalese people ( si, සිංහල ජනතාව, Sinhala Janathāva) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They were historically known as Hela people ( si, හෙළ). They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number more than 16.2 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, cultural heritage and nationality. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions. Since 1815, they were broadly divided into two respective groups: The 'Up-country Sinhalese' in the central mountainous regions, and the 'Low-country Sinhalese' in the coastal regions; although both groups speak the same language, they are distinguished as they observe different cultural customs. According to the Mahavamsa and the Dipavamsa, a third–fifth century treatise written in Pali by ...
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Nissanka Malla Of Polonnaruwa
Nissanka Malla ( si, නිස්සංක මල්ල), also known as Keerti Nissanka and Kalinga Lokesvara was a king of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka) who ruled the country from 1187 to 1196. He is known for his architectural constructions such as the Nissanka Lata Mandapaya, Hatadage and Rankot Vihara, as well as for the refurbishment of old temples and irrigation tanks. Nissanka Malla declared that only a Buddhist had the right to rule the country, thereby securing his position and justifying his claim for kingship. He spent large sums for various constructions and refurbishments, and also gave money to the public in an attempt to put down crimes. He maintained cordial relationships with several countries, and also invaded the states of the Pandyan and Chola dynasties in South India. Ancestry and family A rock inscription made by Nissanka Malla at Dambulla mentions that he is of the Kalinga dynasty and a descendant from the race of Prince Vijaya. Another inscription at Ruwanwelisa ...
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Sinhabahu
Sinhabahu (Sinha = Lion, Bahu = Arm) is a legendary king of ancient India, mentioned in Sri Lankan texts. He was father of Vijaya of Sri Lanka and king of Sinhapura. He was the son of Supadevi, a Vanga Kingdom princess. According to the Mahavamsa's folklore (the chronicled history of Sri Lanka), Sinhabahu's father was a lion and his mother a princess of Vanga, who was kidnapped by the lion. His hands and feet were like a lion's paws. When Sinhabahu was sixteen, he escaped with his mother and sister Sinhasivali, and arrived in the capital of Vanga. He later killed his father for a reward and was offered the throne of Vanga. He refused the throne, instead founding the city of Sinhapura, in the country of Lála. He lived there with his sister Sinhasivali, whom he made his consort. They had thirty-two children, of whom Vijaya was the eldest and Sumitta the second. See also * Incest in folklore Incest in folklore and mythology is suggested to be a motif that hides origin my ...
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Lata (region)
Lata (IAST: Lāṭa) was a historical region of India, located in the southern part of the present-day Gujarat state. Location and extent ''Shakti-Sangam-Tantra'', a Shakt sampradaya text composed before 7th century CE, states that Lata was located to the west of Avanti (India) and to the north-west of Vidarbha. According to Tej Ram Sharma, Lata's northern boundary was formed by the Mahi River, or at times, by the Narmada River. In the south, Lata extended up to the Purna River, and at times, up to Daman. It included Surat, Bharuch, Kheda and Vadodara. According to Georg Bühler, Lata was the area between Mahi River and Kim River, and its major city was Bharuch. Historical mentions The Lata region is not mentioned in the earliest of the Puranas or the Sanskrit epics. The earliest mention of the region probably comes from the writings of the 2nd century Greco-Egyptian writer Ptolemy. The Larike mentioned by him is identified with Lata by multiple scholars including ...
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Kingdom Of Tambapanni
The Kingdom of Tambapaṇṇī ( si, තම්බපණ්ණිය රාජධානිය, Tambapaṇṇī Rājadhāniya) was the first Sinhalese kingdom in Sri Lanka. Its administrative centre was based at Tambapaṇṇī. It existed between 543 BC and 437 BC. According to the Mahavamsa, the Kingdom was founded by Prince Vijaya and his followers. Name Tambapaṇṇī is a name derived from ''Tāmraparṇī'' or ''Tāmravarṇī'' (in Sanskrit). This means the colour of copper or bronze because when Vijaya and his followers landed in Sri Lanka, when their hands and feet touched the ground they became red with the dust of the red-earth. Therefore, the city founded on that spot was named Tambapaṇṇī. A derivative of this name is Taprobane (Greek). Background According to the '' Mahāvamsa'', a chronicle written in Pāḷi, the inhabitants of Sri Lanka prior to the Bengali migration were Yakkhas and Nagas. Ancient grave sites that were used before 600 BC and other signs ...
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Indian Copper Plate Inscriptions
Indian copper plate inscriptions are historical legal records engraved on copper plates in India. Donative inscriptions engraved on copper plates, often joined by a ring with the seal of the donor, was the legal document registering the act of endowment. It was probably necessary to produce them when required to prove ownership/ the claim to the rights.Thapar, Romila'', The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.'' Penguin Books, 2002. 295-96 and 339. The retrievability of the copper plates was perhaps crucial in the newly settled lands. Detailed information on land tenures and taxation available from these copper plate grants. History Indian copper plate inscriptions (''tamarashasana''), usually record grants of land or lists of royal lineages carrying the royal seal, a profusion of which have been found in South India. Originally inscriptions were recorded on palm leaves, but when the records were legal documents such as title-deeds they were etched on a ...
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Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. The state was formed on 15 November 2000, after carving out what was previously the southern half of Bihar. Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 40% of the mineral resources of India, but 39.1% of its population is below the poverty line and 19.6% of children under five years of age are malnourished. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in ...
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Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the north-west, Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the north-east, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat, of about . Andhra State was the first state to be formed on a linguistic basis in India on 1 October 1953. On 1 November 1956, Andhra State was merged with the Telugu-speaking areas (ten districts) of the Hyderabad State to form United Andhra Pradesh. ln 2014 these merged areas of Hyderabad State are bifurcated from United Andhra Pradesh to form new state Telangana . Present form of Andhra similar to Andhra state.but some mandalas like Bhadrachalam still with Telangana. Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kurnool is People Capital of And ...
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Mathara Dynasty
The Mathara (IAST: Māṭhara) dynasty ruled in the Kalinga region of eastern India during 4th and 5th centuries CE. Their territory included parts of the area between the present-day Ganjam district of Odisha in north and the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh in the south. They appear to have been overthrown by the Pitrbhakta dynasty. Genealogy The following members of the Mathara family are known (IAST names in brackets): * Shankara-varman (Śankaravarman) * Shakti-varman (Śaktivarman) * Prabhanjana-varman (Prabhañjanavarman) * Ananta-shakti-varman (Anantaśaktivarman) The Mathara kings were devotees of Narayana (Vishnu). History The Mathara dynasty ruled Kalinga from the mid-4th century to the end of the 5th century, probably after the forces of the Gupta emperor Samudragupta withdrew from the region. They fought with the Vasisthas and the Pitrbhaktas for the control of Kalinga. Shaktivarman Shaktivarman is the earliest known ruler of the dynasty, and bore ...
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Srikakulam District
Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the six districts, located in the extreme northeastern direction of the state. It was formerly known as Chicacole , and was under Ganjam district till 1936 April 1, then merged under Vizagapatam district .This was once the part of ancient Kalinga (historical region), Kalinga. History Prehistory Evidence of early historic man and his activities during the Stone Age and Iron Age have been discovered at Sangamayya Konda and Dannanapeta. The speciality of Dannanapeta Iron Age megalithic site is a large single capstone as a dolmen with 36 ft in length and 14 ft in width and 2 ft thickness. Sailada Hills consists of 36 upright rocks and natural caves used for habitation by Iron Age man in Amudalavalasa mandal of the district. J ...
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