The Six Dravidians were six
Tamil rulers apparently from the
Pandyan Dynasty
The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...
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 have made several Buddhist donations.
[Sirima Kiribamune, Tamils in Ancient and Medieval Sri Lanka: The Historical Roots of Ethnic Identity in Ethnic Studies Report, vol IV/1, January 1986, pp. 1-23 https://www.thuppahis.com/2021/05/03/tamils-in-ancient-and-medieval-sri-lanka-the-historical-roots-of-ethnic-identity/amp/]
Background
Before the Six Dravidians had invaded the island, the
Anuradhapura Kingdom was ruled by
Mittasena (435-436).
Rulers
Pandu
Pandu was the first of the Six Dravidians. He was a
Pandyan, in
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
, who established foreign rule in Anuradhapura through a Pandyan invasion. He ruled from 436 to 441
Parindu
Parindu, the son of Pandu, was the second of the Six Dravidians. He ruled for less than a year in 441.
Khudda Parinda
Khudda Parinda, the third of the Six Dravidians, reigned from 441 to 447. He was the younger brother of Parindu.
Tiritara
Tiritara was the fourth of the Six Dravidians. He ruled for two months in 447.
Dathiya
Dathiya was the fifth of the Six Dravidians, who ruled for two years from 447 to 450.
Pithiya
Pithiya was the last of the Six Dravidians, who ruled for two years from 450 to 452. He was defeated by
Dhatusena.
See also
*
List of Sri Lankan monarchs
*
History of Sri Lanka
The history of Sri Lanka covers Sri Lanka and the history of the Indian subcontinent and its surrounding regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Prehistoric Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years and possibly even as far back a ...
*
Mahavamsa
References
External links
VIJAYA and the Lankan MonarchsThe Mahavamsa History of Sri LankaThe Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Six Dravidians, The
Lists of monarchs
Sri Lanka history-related lists
Monarchs of Anuradhapura
Tamil monarchs
Usurpers of the Sinhalese throne
5th-century Sinhalese monarchs
Pandyan people