Ellalan, also referred to as Elara the Pious, and by the honorific epithet Manu Needhi Cholan, was a member of the Tamil Chola dynasty in Southern India, who upon capturing the throne became king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 205 BCE to 161 BCE.
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, but the modified chronology adopted by modern scholars such as Wilhelm Geiger assigns his reign to 247 BC to 207 BC. His reign was notable for the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka under the aegis of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great. The primary source for his reign is the Mahavamsa, which in turn is based on the more ancient Dipavamsa.
Queen Anula of Anuradhapura was the first queen regnant in Sri Lankan history. Anula initially rose to power as a consort of King Chore Naga, son of King Valagambahu of Anuradhapura. However, in her five-year reign, she poisoned her way through at least four other husbands and consorts, causing her to govern Rajarata on her own eventually. Queen Anula of Anuradhapura differs from another famous figure in Sri Lankan history, also named Anula. She is a different figure as she is King Devanampiyatissa's sister-in-law, the first woman in Sri Lanka to be ordained as a bikkhuni. The primary source for Anula's reign is the Mahavamsa, chapters 34 and 35.
Mutasiva was ruler of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. He ruled from 367 BC to 307 BC. He had ten sons, some of whom were his successors such Devanampiya Tissa, Uttiya, Mahasiva, Suratissa and Asela. Mutasiva was the son of King Pandukabhaya.
The Anuradhapura kingdom, named for its capital city, was the second established kingdom of ancient Sri Lanka. According to the Mahāvaṃsa, it was founded by King Pandukabhaya in 437 BC, whose authority extended throughout the country.
Uttiya was an early monarch of Sri Lanka of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura from 267 BC to 257 BC. As Devanampiya Tissa had no son, his brother Uttiya succeeded to the throne.
Valagamba, also known as the Great Black Lion, Wattagamani Abhaya and Valagambahu, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Five months after becoming king, he was overthrown by a rebellion and an invasion from South India, but regained the throne by defeating the invaders fourteen years later. He is also known for the construction of the Abhayagiri Dagaba & Aluthepola Ganekanda Raja Maha Vihara.
The Anuradhapura period was a period in the history of Sri Lanka of the Anuradhapura Kingdom from 377 BCE to 1017 CE. The period begins when Pandukabhaya, King of Upatissa Nuwara moved the administration to Anuradhapura, becoming the kingdom's first monarch. Anuradhapura is heralded as an ancient cosmopolitan citadel with diverse populations.
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.
Mahakuli Mahatissa, also known as Maha Cula Maha Tissa, was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC. He ruled from 76 BC to 62 BC, succeeding his uncle, Valagamba, as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by his cousin Chora Naga.
Kuda Tissa was a king of Anuradhapura, the first established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka. He ruled in the 1st century BC, between 50 BC to 47 BC. He succeeded his uncle Chora Naga as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by Siva I after being poisoned by his own mother.
Siva I was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC, who ruled in the year 47 BC. He succeeded Kuda Tissa as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by Vatuka.
Niliya was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC, whose reign lasted the year 47 BC. He succeeded Darubhatika Tissa as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by Anula.
Kanirajanu Tissa was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century, whose short reign lasted from 30 to 33. He succeeded his brother Amandagamani Abhaya as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by his nephew Chulabhaya. Mahavamsa mentions King Kanirajanu Tissa as an evil king who killed his brother King Amandagamini and ascended the throne.
Ilanaga, also known as Elunna, was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century, whose reign lasted from 38 to 44. He overthrew and succeeded his aunt Sivali as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by his son Chandamukha.
Chandamukha Siva was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century, whose reign lasted from 44 to 52. He succeeded his father Ilanaga as King of Anuradhapura.
Siri Sangha Bodhi I, also known as Siri Sanghabodhi, was a monarch of Anuradhapura in the 3rd century, whose reign lasted from 252 to 254. He succeeded Sangha Tissa I as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by Gothabhaya.
The Sinhalese monarchy has its origins in the settlement of North Indian Indo-Aryan immigrants to the island of Sri Lanka. The Landing of Vijay as described in the traditional chronicles of the island, the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa and Culavamsa, and later chronicles, recount the date of the establishment of the first Sinhala Kingdom in 543 BC when Prince Vijaya, an Indian Prince, and 700 of his followers are claimed to have landed on the island of Sri Lanka and established the Kingdom of Tambapanni. In Sinhalese mythology, Prince Vijaya and followers are told to be the progenitors of the Sinhalese people. However according to the story in the Divyavadana, the immigrants were probably not led by a scion of a royal house in India, as told in the romantic legend, but rather may have been groups of adventurous and pioneering merchants exploring new lands.
The Pre-Anuradhapura period of Sri Lankan history begins with the gradual onset of historical records in the final centuries of the prehistoric period and ending in 437 BC. According to the Mahavamsa, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are the Yakshas and northern Naga tribes. Sinhalese history traditionally starts in 543 BC at the arrival of Prince Vijaya, a semi-legendary king who was banished from the Indian subcontinent with his 700 followers and is recorded in the Mahavamsa chronicle. This period was succeeded by the Anuradhapura period.
