The Principality of Ruhuna ( Sinhala: , ), also referred to as the Kingdom of Ruhuna, is a region of present-day Southern and Eastern

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It was the center of a flourishing civilisation and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri Lanka. Magama,

Tissamaharama Tissamaharama ( , ) is a town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. History It was the capital of the Kingdom of Ruhuna as early as the 3rd century B.C. Few buildings from that period survived. The presence of early Tamils in T ...

and Mahanagakula (now called as

Ambalantota Ambalantota is a coastal town in southern Sri Lanka. It is located in Southern Province in Hambantota District between Matara and Hambantota. The Valave River meets the sea near Ambalantota. The Ambalantota is famous for its ancient ruins of ...

) were established here. The kingdom of Ruhuna was an important state in Sinhalese history as it was known for several rebellions against the superior states in Rajarata. The principality was defeated with its last de facto Queen Sugala been captured and executed by the invading army of

Parakramabahu I Parākramabāhu I (Sinhala language, Sinhala: මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the List of Sinhalese monarchs, king of Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw ...

. Following its annexing by Parakramabahu, the rebellions that arose were suppressed.

Name

Following the arrival of Princess Buddhakachchana, six of her brothers came to Sri Lanka and settled in different parts of the island. One of the brothers, Rohana, settled in the area between Kumbukkan Oya and Deeghawapi. His settlement was named Rohana.

History

Founding

According to the

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

chronicles, Ruhuna was founded around 200 BC by Prince

Mahanaga Mahanaga was an early monarch of Sri Lanka of the Kingdom of Ruhuna in the southern region of the island. He is the founder of the Ruhuna. The Kingdom of Ruhuna was in some periods a client state loyal to the King of Anuradhapura and in some pe ...

, brother to

Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura Tissa, later Devanampiya Tissa (, ), also known as Devanape Tis (, ), was one of the earliest kings of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. According to the traditional chronology, he ruled from 307 BC to 267 BC, b ...

, after a personal dispute. This region played a vital role in building the nation as well in the establishment of

Buddhist culture Buddhist culture is exemplified through Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music and Buddhist cuisine. As Buddhism expanded from the Indian subcontinent it adopted artistic and cultural elements of host countries in other parts of Asia ...

Significance

The kings of

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...

and the

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

kingdom during the reign over a majority of the country, generally fought against the forces of Ruhuna. Notable Ruhunan militants include:

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

, whose armies defeated several Chola generals; and Manabharana II, whose army once conquered Polonnaruwa. The resistances that arose from Ruhuna were generally victorious against the Rajarata kingdom.

Conquest

After

conquered the kingdom of

Rajarata Rajarata ( (); ; meaning "King's country") was one of three historical regions of the island of Sri Lanka for about 1,700 years from the 6th century BCE to the early 13th century CE. Several ancient cities, including Tambapanni, Upatissa Nuwara, A ...

, defeating its king Gajabahu II, he dispatched a force to Ruhuna. The people and army of Ruhuna generally opposed this and established a force against the invaders. While the Ruhunans were able to defeat a prominent general of Parakramabahu's army named Rakkha, they were defeated and their queen was executed.

Area

The area identified with Ruhuna in ancient times is mainly the Southern Province, a large part of the

Uva Province The Uva Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,500 km2 and a population of 1,266,463, making it the 2nd least populated province. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by the East ...

and small parts of

Sabaragamuwa The Sabaragamuwa Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. Ratnapura is the capital of the province. History The provinces of Sri Lanka were created by the British in the 19th century, but did not have any legal status until 198 ...

and Eastern Provinces.

Princes of Ruhuna

References

{{Coord missing, Sri Lanka History of Southern Province, Sri Lanka History of Uva Province History of Sabaragamuwa Province History of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka Sinhalese royalty Anuradhapura period Polonnaruwa period Former countries in Sri Lankan history