The Polonnaruwa period was a period in the history 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 ...

from 1017, after the

Chola conquest of Anuradhapura The Chola conquest and occupation of Anuradhapura Kingdom was a military invasion of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura by the Chola Empire. It can be seen as an ensuing conflict between Chola and Sinhalese kings after the initial conflict between C ...

and when the center of administration was moved to

Polonnaruwa Poḷonnaruwa, ( si, පොළොන්නරුව, translit=Poḷonnaruva; ta, பொலன்னறுவை, translit=Polaṉṉaṟuvai) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa Dis ...

, to the end of the

Kingdom of Polonnaruwa The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa ( si, පොළොන්නරුව රාජධානිය, Polonnaruwa Rājādhaniya) was the Sinhalese kingdom that expanded across the island of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංක� ...

in 1232. The

was the second major Sinhalese kingdom of Sri Lanka. It lasted from 1055 under

Vijayabahu I Vijayabahu I (born ''Prince Keerthi'') (ruled 1055–1110), also known as Vijayabahu the Great, was a medieval king of Sri Lanka. Born to a royal bloodline, Vijayabahu grew up under Chola occupation. He assumed rulership of the Ruhuna principalit ...

until 1212 under the rule of Lilavati. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa came after the

Anuradhapura Kingdom The Anuradhapura Kingdom ( Sinhala: , translit: Anurādhapura Rājadhāniya, Tamil: ), named for its capital city, was the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka related to the Sinhalese people. Founded by King Pandukabhaya in 437 ...

, which was invaded by

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

forces under

Rajaraja I Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

. It also followed the

Kingdom of Ruhuna The Principality of Ruhuna, also referred to as the Kingdom of Ruhuna, is a region of present-day Southern and Eastern Sri Lanka. It was the center of a flourishing civilisation and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri Lanka. Magama, T ...

, in which the Sinhalese Kings ruled during Chola occupation.

Overview

Periodization of Sri Lanka history:

Political history

Chola conquest (1017–1056)

The Chola conquest began with the invasion in 993 AD, when Raja Raja Chola sent a large Chola army which conquered the

, in the north, and added it to the

Chola Empire The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

. Most of the island was subsequently conquered and incorporated as a province of the vast

Chola empire The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

during the reign of his son Rajendra Chola. Chattopadhyaya, pp 7–9''Indian History with Objective Questions and Historical Maps Twenty-Sixth Edition 2010, South India page 59''

Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (1056–1232)

(1055–1110), recaptured the whole Island and established

as the new capital. King Vijayabahu married a second queen from the

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writin ...

(

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

) Royal Family, and had a son, Vikramabâhu I, and a daughter,

Ratnavali ''Ratnavali'' (Precious Garland) is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha (606–648). It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual ...

. His sister, Mitta, married a Pandya Prince who had three sons. His eldest son, Manabharana, married Ratnavali. Their son was Parākramabāhu I (1153–1186) Grandson of Vijayabahu I, Prince of Sinhalese- Pandyan-

descent, son of Manabharana and Vijayabahu's sister, Mitta. He was a very powerful king who was noted for his engineering,Broheir, R. L. (1937) ''Ancient Irrigation Works in Ceylon''. 3 vols. naval power, art, culture, Sinhala inscriptions, and even a Tamil edict in Uruthota (

Kayts Kayts ( ta, ஊர்காவற்துறை, translit=Ūrkāvaṟtuṟai'','' ), is one of the important villages in Velanai Island which is a small island off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka. There are number of oth ...

). The Chulavamsa was written by Dharmakirthi, updating the Mahavamsa to include Parakramabahu.

References

Polonnaruwa period Ancient Sri Lanka {{SriLanka-stub

Overview

Political history

Chola conquest (1017–1056)

Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (1056–1232)

See also

References