Vira Alakesvara, also known as Vijayabahu VI, was the last
King of Gampola who ruled from 1397 to 1411. He was the last prominent member of the
Alagakkonara
Alagakkonara (, ), also known as Alakeshwara, were a prominent feudal family that provided powerful ministers and military rulers during the medieval period in Sri Lanka. Although some historian say that the family was of Tamil origin originated fr ...
family.
Biography
His father was a minister of the local king
Vikramabahu III of Gampola fortified a marshy region around present day
Colombo region, on the marshes to the south of the
Kelani River
The Kelani River ( si, කැළණි ගඟ) is a river in Sri Lanka. Ranking as the fourth-longest river in the country, it stretches from the Sri Pada Mountain Range to Colombo. It flows through or borders the Sri Lankan districts of Nuwara ...
. His death is established as between 1382 and 1392.
At his father's death, there was disunity in his family with family members fighting each other for power and procession. Kumara Alakesvara, half-brother of king Buwanekabahu V controlled the region from 1386–87 and was followed by Vira Alakesvara from 1387 onwards until 1391, when he was ousted by the rival claimants relative. He came back to power with the help of foreign mercenaries in 1399. He ruled until 1411 when he confronted the visiting Chinese Admiral
Zheng He
Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferre ...
resulting in the
Ming-Kotte War. Zheng captured and took him to China, returning him to the country a year later.
[de Silva, A ''History of Sri Lanka'', p.138]
References
Further reading
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External links
Kings of Gampola, Sri LankaThe new Parliament
{{Monarchs of the House of Siri Sanga Bo
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Monarchs of Gampola
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