The Anuradhapura period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka of 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 ...

from 377 BCE to 1017 CE. The period begins when

Pandukabhaya Pandukabhaya (474 BC – 367 BC) was King of Upatissa Nuwara and the first monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom and 6th over all of the island of Sri Lanka since the arrival of the Vijaya; he reigned from 437 BC to 367 BC. According to many hi ...

, King of Upatissa Nuwara moved the administration to

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 ...

, becoming the kingdom's first monarch. Anuradhapura is heralded as an ancient cosmopolitan citadel with diverse populations.

Overview

Periodization of Sri Lanka history:

Political history

Early Anuradhapura period (377 BCE-463 CE)

(437–367 BCE) King of Upatissa Nuwara and the first monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom and 6th over all of the island of Sri Lanka since the arrival of the Vijaya, he reigned from 437 BC to 367 BCE. According to many historians and philosophers, he is the first truly Sri Lankan king since the Vijayan invasion, and also the king who ended the conflict between the Sinha clan and local community, reorganizing the populace. Elara (205–161 BCE), a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

King with

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 ...

origins, who ruled "Pihiti Rata", i.e., Sri Lanka north of the mahaweli, after killing King Asela. During Elara's time, Kelani Tissa was a sub-king of

Maya Rata The Maya Rata (Principality of), also known as the Kingdom of Dakkinadesa, was a principality or an administrative region of the Sinhalese kingdom. It was located in the Southwestern part of Sri Lanka, bordered the Deduru Oya. Its last capital ...

(south-west) and Kavan Tissa was a regional sub-king of Ruhuna (south-east). Kavan Tissa built

Tissa Maha Vihara Tissa may refer to: ;People *Prince Tissa, Sinhalese regent of the Kingdom of Tambapanni (454 BC–437 BC) *Vitashoka, the brother of Ashoka, called Tissa in the Southern Buddhist tradition * Tissa (prince), viceroy of Vientiane, took part in Lao ...

Dighavapi Tank Deeghawapi (Pali, "long reservoir") is a Buddhist sacred shrine and an archaeological site in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, boasting of historical records dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Water reservoirs, called "tanks", were an important ...

and many shrines in Seruvila. Dutugemunu (161–137 BCE) – Eldest son of King Kavan Tissa, who was a young man 25 years of age, defeated the South Indian Tamil Invader Elara (over 64 years of age) in single combat, described in the Mahavamsa. Dutugemunu is depicted as a Sinhalese "Asoka". The

Ruwanwelisaya The Ruwanweli Maha Seya, also known as the Mahathupa (), is a stupa (a hemispherical structure containing relics) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Two quarts or one Dona of the Buddha's relics are enshrined in the stupa, making it the largest collecti ...

, built by this king is a dagaba of pyramid-like proportions. It was an engineering marvel.

Pulahatta The Five Dravidian were five Tamil Chiefs apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom for 14 years from 103 BC to 88 BC. Background Before the Five Dravidians invaded the island, the Anuradhapura Kingdom was rule ...

(or Pulahatha) deposed by

Bahiya The Five Dravidian were five Tamil Chiefs apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom for 14 years from 103 BC to 88 BC. Background Before the Five Dravidians invaded the island, the Anuradhapura Kingdom was rule ...

, was deposed by Panaya Mara, deposed by

Pilaya Mara The Five Dravidian were five Tamil Chiefs apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom for 14 years from 103 BC to 88 BC. Background Before the Five Dravidians invaded the island, the Anuradhapura Kingdom was rule ...

, murdered by

Dathiya The Six Dravidians were six Tamil rulers apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 436 to 452 CE. They are said to be Buddhist, taking Buddhist epithets such as the 'servant of Buddha' and are known to hav ...

88 BCE – deposed by Valagamba, ending Tamil rule. Valagamba I (89–77) BCE – restored the Dutugamunu dynasty. The Mahavihara

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school ...

– Abhayagiri (pro-

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

) doctrinal disputes arose at this time. The Tripitaka was written in

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

at Aluvihara, Matale. Chora Naga (Mahanaga) (63–51) BCE; poisoned by his consort Anula. Queen Anula (48–44 BCE) – Widow of Chora Naga and Kuda Tissa, was the first Queen of Lanka. She had many lovers who were poisoned by her. She was finally killed by: Kuttakanna Tissa. Vasabha (67–111 CE) – Vallipuram gold plate; he fortified

and built eleven tanks; many edicts. Gajabahu I (114–136) – invaded the Chola kingdom and brought back captives. He recovered the tooth relic of the Buddha.

Mahasena Mahasena or Mahāsena may refer to: *Mahasena, a name for Murugan, Hindu god of war *Mahasena of Anuradhapura, a historical king of Sri Lanka who ruled from 275 to 301 CE. *Mahasena, a legendary king of the Kataragama region in Sri Lanka said to hav ...

(274–301) – The

(Maha Vihara) was persecuted and

surfaced. Later the King returned to the Maha Vihara. Pandu (429) – first of seven Pandiyan rulers, ending with Pithya, 455;

Dhatusena Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who ruled from 455 to 473 AD. He was the first king of the Moriyan dynasty. In some records, he is also identified as Dasenkeli. Dhatusena reunited the country under his rule after twenty six years, defeating the ...

(459–477), his uncle, Mahanama wrote the Mahavamsa, he built "Kalaweva". His son

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, ...

(477–495), built the famous

Sigiriya Sigiriya or Sinhagiri (''Lion Rock'' si, සීගිරිය, ta, சிகிரியா/சிங்ககிரி, pronounced see-gi-ri-yə) is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla ...

rock palace. Some 700 rock graffiti give a glimpse of ancient Sinhala.

Arrival of Buddhism and the sacred tooth relic

Devanampiya Tissa (250–210 BCE), a Sinhalese King of the Maurya clan. His links with Emperor Asoka led to the introduction of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

by Mahinda (son of Asoka) in 247 BCE.

Sangamitta Saṅghamittā (Saṅghamitrā in Sanskrit, nun's name Ayapali; 282 BC – 203 BC) was the eldest daughter of Emperor Ashoka (304 BC – 232 BC) and his first wife, Devi. Together with her brother Mahinda, she entered an order of Buddhist mo ...

, (sister of Mahinda) brought a

Bodhi The English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi''), means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellec ...

sapling via Jambukola (Sambiliturei).

's son Saamanera Sumana also accompanied them to spread

, following the

Third Buddhist Council The Third Buddhist council was convened in about 250 BCE at Asokarama in Pataliputra, under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka. The traditional reason for convening the Third Buddhist Council is reported to have been to rid the Sangha of corruption ...

, upon the recommendation of

Moggaliputta-Tissa Moggaliputtatissa (ca. 327–247 BCE), was a Buddhist monk and scholar who was born in Pataliputra, Magadha (now Patna, India) and lived in the 3rd century BCE. He is associated with the Third Buddhist council, the emperor Ashoka and the B ...

(Ashoka's spiritual teacher). They were also accompanied by a lay disciple Bhankuka, who was a maternal grandson of Mahinda's aunt. There is no evidence in the history of King Ashoka about his having had a son by the name of Mahinda (or by any other name) or a daughter by the name of Sangamitta (or by any other name). This king's reign was crucial to

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

, and for Sri Lanka.

Middle Anuradhapura period (463-691)

Late Anuradhapura period (691-1017)

Lambakanna

Manavanna (684–718) – seized the throne with

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

help. Manavamma introduced Pallava patronage for three centuries. By the 9th century, with the Pandyan ascendancy in southern India, Anuradhapura was sacked. However, the Sinhalese invaded Pandya using a rival prince, and

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...

itself was sacked. Mahinda V (982–1029) – was the last Sinhalese monarch of Anuradhapura. He fled to Ruhuna, where, in 1017, the Chola took him to prison and he died in India.

Demise

In 993, the Chola Emperor

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 ...

invaded Sri Lanka, forcing the then Sri Lankan ruler Mahinda V to flee to the southern part of the country. The Mahavamsa describes the rule of Mahinda V as weak, and the country was suffering from poverty by this time. It further mentions that his army rose against him due to lack of wages. Taking advantage of this situation, Rajendra I son of Rajaraja I, launched a large invasion in 1017. Mahinda V was captured and taken to India, and the Cholas sacked the city of Anuradhapura. They moved the capital 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 ...

and subsequent Sri Lankan rulers who came into power after the Chola reign continued to use Polonnaruwa as the capital, thus ending the Anuradhapura Kingdom.

Demographics

Arrival of Tamils

Potsherds with early Tamil writing from the 5th century BCE have been found from the north in

Poonakari Poonakary ( ta, பூநகரி, translit=Pūnakari; si, පූනෙරිය, translit=Pūneriya),is a tamil village strategically important village in the northern province of Sri Lanka situated just below the Jaffna Peninsula. A fort w ...

, Jaffna to the south in Tissamaharama. They bore several inscriptions, including a clan name—vela, a name related to velir from

ancient Tamil country Tamiḻakam ( Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil ...

Epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

evidence shows people identifying themselves as Damelas or Damedas (the Indo-Aryan

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

word for Tamil people) in

, the capital city of Rajarata the middle kingdom, and other areas of Sri Lanka as early as the 2nd century BCE. Excavations in the area of Tissamaharama in southern Sri Lanka have unearthed locally issued coins, produced between the 2nd century BC and the 2nd century CE, some of which carry local Tamil personal names written in early Tamil characters, which suggest that Tamils were present and actively involved in trade along the southern coast of Sri Lanka by the late classical period. Other ancient inscriptions from the period reference a Tamil merchant, the Tamil householder residing in Ilubharata and a Tamil sailor named Karava. Two of the five ancient inscriptions referring to the Damedas (Tamils) are in Periya Pullyakulam in the Vavuniya District, one is in Seruvavila district in

Trincomalee District Trincomalee District ( ta, திருக்கோணமலை மாவட்டம் ''Tirukōṇamalai Māvaṭṭam;'' si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''Trikuṇāmalaya distrikkaya'') is one ...

, one is in Kuduvil in Amparai District and one is in

. Mention is made in literary sources of Tamil rulers bringing horses to the island in water craft in the second century BCE, most likely arriving at Kudiramalai. Historical records establish that Tamil kingdoms in modern India were closely involved in the island's affairs from about the 2nd century BCE.

Technology

The irrigation works in ancient

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 ...

dated from about 300 BC during the reign of King

and under continuous development for the next thousand years, were one of the most complex irrigation systems of the ancient world. In addition to underground

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

s, the Sinhalese were the first to build completely artificial reservoirs and dams to store water. The system was extensively restored and further extended during the reign of King Parākramabāhu.

Monarchs

The House of Vijaya,

The Five Dravidians The Five Dravidian were five Tamil Chiefs apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom for 14 years from 103 BC to 88 BC. Background Before the Five Dravidians invaded the island, the Anuradhapura Kingdom was rule ...

House of Lambakanna I Lambakarna Dynasty, si, ලම්භකර්ණ වංශය (alternatively spelt as Lambakanna) was a powerful clan that ruled Sri Lanka. Many Sri Lankan kings, beginning with King Vasabha, and up until the formation of Kingdom of Kandy, belong ...

The Six Dravidians The Six Dravidians were six Tamil rulers apparently from the Pandyan Dynasty who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 436 to 452 CE. They are said to be Buddhist, taking Buddhist epithets such as the 'servant of Buddha' and are known to hav ...

House of Moriya A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and the House of Lambakanna II produced 122 monarchs who ruled during this period.

Timeline

Events

* 377 BCE: The

is founded by

In popular culture

* The God King, 1974 English and Sinhala historical film * Aba, 2008 Sinhalese historical film * Mahindagamanaya, 2011 Sinhalese historical film *

Aloko Udapadi ''Aloko Udapadi'' (; ; ) is a 2017 Sinhala epic historical film based on the story of King Valagamba of Anuradhapura (89 – 77 BCE). It was co-directed by Chathra Weeraman and Baratha Hettiarachchi produced by Thusitha Wijayasena for Art Mov ...

, 2012 Sinhalese historical film * Siri Daladagamanaya, 2014 Sinhalese historical film *

Maharaja Gemunu ''Maharaja Gemunu (King Gemunu)'' ( si, මහරජ ගැමුණු) is a 2015 Sri Lankan Sinhala epic film directed by Jayantha Chandrasiri and produced by Gunapala Rathnasekara for Sipvin Films. It stars Uddika Premarathna and Jackson ...

, 2015 Sinhalese historical film * Mahaviru Pandu, 2020 Sinhalese drama by Hiru TV * Asirimath Dalandagamanaya, 2022 Sinhalese drama by Hiru TV

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *von Schroeder, Ulrich. 1990. ''Buddhist Sculptures of Sri Lanka''. 752 pages with 1610 illustrations. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd. *von Schroeder, Ulrich. 1992. ''The Golden Age of Sculpture in Sri Lanka''. atalogue of the exhibition held at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D. C., 1 November 1992 – 26 September 1993 160 pages with 64 illustrations. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd. * * * * * * * * * * * *