Dutugamunu the Great, also known as Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for first uniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Elara, a Tamil trader from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Anuradhapura kingdom in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of the Rajarata kingdom across the island of Sri Lanka.
Prince Vijaya was a legendary king of Tambapanni, based in modern day Sri Lanka. His reign was first mentioned in Mahāvaṃsa. He is said to have came to Sri Lanka with seven hundred followers after being banished from Sinhapura. However, there is no archaeological evidence of this.
Parākramabāhu I, or Parakramabahu the Great, was the king of Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw the expansion and beautification of his capital, constructed extensive irrigation systems, reorganised the country's army, reformed Buddhist practices, encouraged the arts and undertook military campaigns in South India and Burma. The adage, "Not even a drop of water that comes from the rain must flow into the ocean without being made useful to man" is one of his most famous utterances."
Aba is a 2008 Sinhalese film directed by Jackson Anthony and co-produced by Justin Belagamage and Rajindra Jayasinghe for Chandrakini Creations. The title is derived from Pandu Aba, another name for the title character. Anthony’s son, Sajitha Anthony, portrays Pandukabhaya. The film also features Malini Fonseka, Ravindra Randeniya, Sriyantha Mendis, Sabeetha Perera and many other popular actors.
Prince Panduvasudeva was King of Upatissa Nuwara from 504 BC to 474 BC. He was the first monarch of the Kingdom of Upatissa Nuwara and succeeded Upatissa, who reigned as regent. Panduvasudeva had ten sons, including Abhaya and Tissa and one daughter, Unmada Chitra. He was a nephew of Prince Vijaya.
Tissa was king of Upatissa Nuwara from 454 BC to 437 BC. He succeeded his older brother Abhaya after his deposition. Tissa was appointed the regent by his eight younger brothers but would only be consecrated king after he had finally defeated his nephew Pandukabhaya. However, he was deposed by Pandukabhaya.
Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who reigned 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 of anarchy, defeating the six Dravidians that were ruling the country at that time. Dhatusena built large reservoirs and canals to augment the agriculture in the country.
The irrigation works in ancient Sri Lanka were some of the most complex irrigation systems of the ancient world. The earliest examples of irrigation works in Sri Lanka date from about 430 BCE, during the reign of King Pandukabhaya, and were under continuous development for the next thousand years. In addition to constructing underground canals, the Sinhalese were the first to build completely artificial reservoirs to store water, referred to as tanks. The system was extensively restored and further extended during the reign of King Parākramabāhu.
The Anuradhapura kingdom, named for its capital city, was the second established kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka related to the Sinhalese people. According to the Mahāvaṃsa, it was founded by King Pandukabhaya in 437 BC, whose authority extended throughout the country.
Viharamahadevi (Sinhala:විහාරමහාදේවි) was the mother of King Dutugamunu, Saddhatissa and the Queen consort of King Kavantissa. Some scholars suggest that her original name was 'śavera', which possibly means goddess of the night.
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.
Abhaya Wewa, historically Abhayavapi or Bassawakkulama reservoir, is a reservoir in Sri Lanka, built by King Pandukabhaya who ruled in Anuradhapura from 437 BC to 367 BC, after constructing the city.
Rajarata 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, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, were established as capitals within the area by successive rulers. Rajarata was under the direct administration of the King. Two other areas, Mayarata and Ruhunurata, were ruled by the king's brothers "Mapa" and "Epa". The Magha invasion in the 13th century brought about the end of the Rajarata kingdom.
Amandagamani Abhaya, also referred as Aḍagamunu, was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century, whose reign lasted from 21 A.D to 30 A.D. He succeeded his father Mahadathika Mahanaga as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by his brother Kanirajanu Tissa. He is recorded in historical chronicles as a great patron of Buddhism.
The House of Vijaya was the first recorded Sinhalese royal dynasty that ruled over the island, Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lankan historical literature Prince Vijaya is the traditional first king of Sri Lanka, founding the Kingdom of Tambapanni and the dynasty subsequently founding the Kingdom of Upatissa Nuwara and finally the Anuradhapura Kingdom.
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.
Thonigala Rock Inscriptions are two Elu-language inscriptions engraved on a rock situated in Anamaduwa of Sri Lanka, written in Brahmi alphabet. Each inscription is about 100 feet long and each letter is about one feet in height and engraved about one inch deep in to the rock. Also it is said to be the largest rock inscription found in Sri Lanka.
Panduwasnuwara is an ancient capital, situated in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. It is said to be the controlling centre known as Parakramapura of Dakkhinadesa in the 12th century, when it was ruled by Parakramabahu. The remaining ruins of the ancient kingdom still can be seen at Kotampitiya area which lies along Wariyapola-Chilaw main road about 19 km (12 mi) away from Wariyapola town. Panduvasnuwara is located at a distance of 3 km from Hettipola and 18 km from Kuliyapitiya.
Chitra Dhanawalavithana [Sinhala]), popularly as Chitra Wakishta, was an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. Wakishta is best known for her role Somi Nona in Kopi Kade teledrama and she had a career that spanned more than six decades.
Peragaswatte Liyana Acharige Somapala, popularly known as P. L. A. Somapala was a Sri Lankan singer, musician and playback singer in Sri Lankan cinema. One of the earliest pillars in Sinhala classical songs, Somapala made several contributions to early Sinhala cinema as a playback singer and music director along with his wife Chithra Somapala.
