Vijithapura ( si, විජිතපුර, translit=Vijitapura; ta, விஜித நகரம், translit=Vijita Nakaram), also known as Vijitha Nagara or Vijithagama, was a fortress–city in ancient Sri Lanka. When

Vijaya Vijaya may refer to: Places * Vijaya (Champa), a city-state and former capital of the historic Champa in what is now Vietnam * Vijayawada, a city in Andhra Pradesh, India People * Prince Vijaya of Sri Lanka (fl. 543–505 BC), earliest recorde ...

, the first recorded ruler of the country arrived from India, he brought a large retinue of his followers with him. These followers spread throughout the country, and established settlements. One of his chief followers named Vijitha founded the establishment which was then known as Vijitha Nagara (city of Vijitha) or Vijithagama (village of Vijitha). The city is believed to have been founded during the reign of king Panduvasudeva, the third recorded 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 ...

, who was the brother in law of the chieftain Vijitha. The city is mentioned again in the chronicles Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa,

Rajavaliya Rajavaliya (line of kings) is an ancient chronicle of Sri Lanka. It contains the history of King Vijaya to King Vimaladharmasuriya ΙΙ. It is the only chronicle which contains continuous history of Sri Lanka written in Sinhalese language. Altho ...

and Thupavamsa nearly 300 years later during the reign of king

Dutthagamani Dutugamunu the Great (, , also spelled as ''Dutthagamani''), also known as Dutthagamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was the greatest king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for reuniting the whole island ...

. The city is then a highly fortified stronghold of

Ellalan Ellalan ( ta, எல்லாளன், translit=Ellāḷaṉ; si, එළාර, translit=Eḷāra) was a member of the Tamil Chola dynasty, also known as "Manu Needhi Cholan", who upon capturing the throne became king of the Anuradhapura King ...

, against whom Dutthagamani had launched a military campaign. The Thupavamsa mentions that it was defended by three moats and a high wall. The wall had four gates made of wrought iron on the north, south, east and west. The ''Rajavaliya'' describes Vijithapura as a fortress second only to the then capital city 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 ...

. Dutthagamani's army laid siege on the city for four months before finally capturing it through simultaneous attacks on all four gates. After this, there is no more mention of Vijithapura in the ancient chronicles. However, historians believe that the city may have been an important trade center during the early stages of the

Anuradhapura Kingdom The Anuradhapura Kingdom (Sinhala language, Sinhala: , translit: Anurādhapura Rājadhāniya, Tamil language, Tamil: ), named for Anuradhapura, its capital city, was the first established monarchy, kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka related to the ...

, connecting several trade routes. The exact location of the city is uncertain. However, a modern village with the same name exists near the ancient

Kalawewa Kala Wewa ( Sinhala:කලා වැව) built by the King Datusena in 460 A.D, is a twin reservoir complex (Kala Wewa & Balalu Wewa) which has a capacity of 123 million cubic meters. This reservoir complex has facilitated with a stone made spil ...

reservoir, which may be the location of ancient Vijithapura. There is an ancient temple here as well as a granite stone that locals believe to have been used by Dutthagamani's soldiers to sharpen their swords before their battle. Other historians and archaeologists believe that the location is close to Kaduruwela near

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 ...

, where the ruins of an ancient fortress have been found.

References

{{Forts in Sri Lanka Anuradhapura period Forts in Sri Lanka Former capitals of Sri Lanka Pre Anuradhapura period