SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In this study an attempt is made to examine the developments in the history of Ceylon from the death of Parakramabahu I to the end of the reign of Parakramabahu II covering a period of roughly a century (c.1180 to 1270 A.D.). The unity and general prosperity which the country enjoyed under Parakramabahu I gave way to dissension and disintegration soon after his death. The forces of disintegration moved on until about four decades after Parakramabahu's death Dambadeniya emerged as a new centre of activity and of resistance to foreign invaders with the foundation of a royal residence there. The difficult problems concerning the disintegration of the Polonnaruva Kingdom so soon after reaching its culmination under Parakramabahu I, and the subsequent rise of Dambadeniya to importance under parakramabahu II form the subject of this study. In chapter I the introduction sets out some of these problems and then pro-cedes with the discussion of the sources. Apart from the Pali Chronicles, other literary works, written both in Sinhalese and Pali, will be examined with a view to estimating their historical value. After this analysis of the sources, chapter II deals with the developments which followed the death of Parakramabahu I after giving a brief outline of his reign. Here the process of the disintegration of the Polonnaruva Kingdom has been examined with an attempt to determine the possible causes. Chapter III deals with the examination of the circumstances that led to the foundation of a royal residence in Dambadeniya. This chapter discusses the role of Vijayabahu III, the founder of Dambadeniya, together with that of other local rulers in parts of Rohana and Mayarattha. The next chapter states some of the difficulties which arise from the principal sources dealing with Parakramahahu II and examines his early life. A major part of this chapter is devoted to an examination of the policies of Magha, who had invaded and occupied Rajarattha. Among foreign invaders Magha is unique in some respects, and for that reason his rule has been examined in detail. The initial stages of Parakramabahu's struggle with Magha are also examined in the same chapter. Magha was not the only foreign invader with whom Parakramabahu had to deal. His kingdom was invaded twice by the Pandyas - events not dealt with in the Pali Chronicle but brought to light by South Indian inscriptions. Ceylon was also invaded by Candrabhanu of the kingdom of Tambralinga in the Malay Peninsula. This is the first known instance of an invasion of Ceylon by a ruler from South East Asia. These events are important for the understanding of the course of the history of Ceylon in this period, and will therefore be considered in detail in chapter V. The last chapter is devoted to an examination of Parakramabahu' s restoration of the ancient cities of Rajaratttha and to a consideration of the extent of and rule and the importance of his reign in the history of Ceylon. The conclusion brings out the principal results of this study.