Although there were over 180 monarchs who ruled the
Sinhalese Monarchy
The Sinhalese monarchy has its origins in the settlement of North Indian Indo-Aryan immigrants to the island of Sri Lanka. The Landing of Vijay as described in the traditional chronicles of the island, the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa and Culavams ...
, there have only been 4 Sinhalese female monarchs. Two ruled during the
Anuradhapura Period
The Anuradhapura period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka of the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 377 BCE to 1017 CE. The period begins when Pandukabhaya, King of Upatissa Nuwara moved the administration to Anuradhapura, becoming the kingdom's ...
, another two during the
Polonnaruwa Period
The Polonnaruwa period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka from 1017, after the Chola conquest of Anuradhapura and when the center of administration was moved to Polonnaruwa, to the end of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa in 1232.
The Kingdom of ...
.
Anuradhapura Kingdom
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Anula of Anuradhapura
Queen Anula of Anuradhapura (? – 42 BC) was the first queen regnant in Sri Lankan history, as well as the first documented female head of state in Asia. Anula initially rose to power as consort of King Chore Naga (also known as Coranaga and M ...
(47 BC – 42 BC) :
Anula was the first known
Queen regnant
A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...
found both within Sri Lankan history and during
Anuradhapura period
The Anuradhapura period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka of the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 377 BCE to 1017 CE. The period begins when Pandukabhaya, King of Upatissa Nuwara moved the administration to Anuradhapura, becoming the kingdom's ...
. She is also considered as the first female head of state in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. Being come to known first as the consort of King
Chora Naga, son of King
Valagambahu
Valagamba (Sinhala: වළගම්බා), also known as Wattagamani Abhaya and Valagambahu, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Five months after becoming king, he was overthrown by a rebellion and an invasion from South India, b ...
of
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central ...
, she is infamous for killing at least 6 of her husbands or consorts by poisoning them. The second husband of her,
Kuda Tissa, was actually the son of the brother of ''Chora Naga'' and rose to the throne as his legal successor. But her other husbands who rose to the throne as the King of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
were not his legal successors and were only the husbands of then present legal successor, ''Anula''. They are (in chronological order)
Siva I,
Vatuka
The 'Vaduga' or 'Vadugar', comprise three distinct Telugu-speaking caste-based communities of what is now the state of Tamil Nadu in India. They are families who moved south to the region from north Madras presidency following the collapse of th ...
,
Darubhatika Tissa and
Niliya, who ruled the country within just one year. After the death of her final husband ''Niliya'', she became the sole ruler of the country for about 5 years thus becoming the first known female monarch of Sri Lanka, but was the real power behind the King during the tenures of all of her husbands, also. At the end of her tenure, she was deposed by
Mahakuli Mahatissa's second son,
Kutakanna Tissa. The ''Mahavamsa'' states that ''Kutakanna Tissa'' had ''Anula'' burned on a funeral pyre. Other sources indicate that ''Anula'' was burned alive in the palace where she had committed her murders. She was from the
House of Vijaya
The House of Vijaya (also known as the Vijayan dynasty and sometimes referred to as the "Great Dynasty") was the first recorded Sinhalese royal dynasty that ruled over the island, Sri Lanka. According to Sinhalese folklore Prince Vijaya is the ...
.
*
Sivali of Anuradhapura (35 AD)
Sivali was the second known female monarch within Sri Lankan history and succeeded her brother
Chulabhaya. She only ruled the country for about 4 months within the year 35 AD and was succeeded by her nephew
Ilanaga, presumably the son of her brother ''Chulabhaya'', after an interregnum of 3 years. She was also from the
House of Vijaya
The House of Vijaya (also known as the Vijayan dynasty and sometimes referred to as the "Great Dynasty") was the first recorded Sinhalese royal dynasty that ruled over the island, Sri Lanka. According to Sinhalese folklore Prince Vijaya is the ...
.
Polonnaruwa Kingdom
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Lilavati of Polonnaruwa (1197–1200, 1209–1210, 1211–1212)
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Kalyanavati of Polonnaruwa (1202 – 1208)
Others
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Dona Catherina of Kandy
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Sugala of Ruhuna
See also
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List of Sinhalese monarchs
The Sinhalese monarch -- anachronistically referred to as the Kings of Sri Lanka—featured the heads of state of the Sinhala Kingdoms, in what is today Sri Lanka.
The Sinhalese monarchy originates in the settlement of North Indian Indo-A ...
References
External links
Lakdiva, List of sovereigns of LankaThe Mahavamsa History of Sri Lanka
{{Sinhalese Monarchy
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
*
Lists of women by occupation