Anuradhapura kingdom
The Kingdom of Anuradhapura, 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.
Buddhism played a major role in the Anuradhapura period, influencing its culture, laws, and methods of governance. The society and the culture were revolutionized when the faith was introduced during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa. This cultural change was further strengthened by the arrival of the tooth relic of the Buddha in Sri Lanka and the patronage extended by her rulers.
During the Anuradhapura era, the country was invaded by South Indians several times. Rulers such as Dutthagamani, Valagamba, and Dhatusena are noted for defeating South Indian invaders and unifying the country. Other rulers such as Sena II are notable for dispatching forces to South India, and gaining several victories such as the sacking of Madurai in 862.
The kingdom was largely based on agriculture, hence the construction of irrigation works was a major achievement of the Anuradhapura kingdom, ensuring water supply in the dry zone and helping the country grow mostly self-sufficient. Several kings, most notably Vasabha and Mahasena, constructed large reservoirs and canals, forming an extensive and sophisticated irrigation network across the Rajarata region during the Anuradhapura period. These monumental works reflect the advanced technical and engineering expertise of the time. The famous paintings and structures at Sigiriya; the monumental stupas such as Ruwanwelisaya and Jetavana; grand edifices like the Lovamahapaya; and numerous religious works, including Buddha statues stand as enduring landmarks that showcase the remarkable sculptural achievements of the Anuradhapura period.
The city of Anuradhapura
According the chronicle Mahavamsa, In 543 BC, prince Vijaya arrived in Sri Lanka, having been banished from his homeland in India. He eventually brought the island under his control and established himself as king. After this, his retinue established villages and colonies throughout the country. One of these was established by Anuradha, a minister of King Vijaya, on the banks of a stream called Kolon and was named Anuradhagama after himself and the Anuradha Nakshatra.In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya, grandson of King Panduvasudeva made it his capital and developed the city. The name was also derived from the city's establishment on the auspicious asterism called Anura. Anuradhapura served as the capital of all the monarchs who ruled during the Anuradhapura Kingdom, with the exception of Kashyapa I, who chose Sigiriya to be his capital. The city is also marked on Ptolemy's world map.
History
According to the Mahavamsa, King Pandukabhaya, the founder and first ruler of Anuradhapura, fixed village boundaries in the country and established an administration system by appointing village headmen. He constructed hermitages, houses for the poor, cemeteries, and irrigation tanks. He brought a large portion of the country under the control of the Anuradhapura kingdom. However, it was not until the reign of Dutthagamani that the whole country was unified under the Anuradhapura kingdom. He defeated 32 rulers in different parts of the country before he defeated the South Indian invader Elara at the battle at Vijithapura, and ascended to the throne. The chronicle Mahavamsa describes his reign with much praise, and devotes 11 chapters out of 37 for his reign. He is described as both a warrior king and a devout Buddhist. After unifying the country, he helped establish Buddhism on a firm and secure base and built several monasteries and shrines including the Ruwanweli Seya and Lovamahapaya.Another notable king of the Anuradhapura kingdom is Valagamba, also known as Vatthagamani Abhaya, who was overthrown by five invaders from South India. He regained his throne after defeating these invaders one by one and unified the country again under his rule. During the times of Vasabha, Mahasena and Dhatusena, the construction of large irrigation tanks and canals was given priority. Vasabha constructed 11 tanks and 12 canals, Mahasen constructed 16 tanks and a large canal, and Dhatusena built 18 tanks. Most of the other kings have also built irrigation tanks throughout Rajarata, the area around Anuradhapura. By the end of the Anuradhapura kingdom, a large and intricate irrigation network was available throughout Rajarata to support the agriculture of the country. Saddha Tissa, Mahaculi Mahatissa, Vasabha, Gajabahu I, Dhatusena, Aggabodhi I and Aggabodhi II were among the rulers who held sway over the entire country after Dutthagamani and Valagamba. Rulers from Kutakanna Tissa to Amandagamani also managed to keep the whole country under the rule of the Anuradhapura kingdom. Other rulers could not maintain their rule over the whole island, and independent regions often existed in Ruhuna and Malayarata for limited periods. During the final years of the Anuradhapura kingdom, rebellions sprang up and the authority of the kings gradually declined. By the time of Mahinda V, the last king of the Anuradhapura kingdom, the power of the king had deteriorated that he could not even properly organize the collection of taxes.
Arrival of Buddhism
One of the most notable events during the Anuradhapura kingdom was the introduction of Buddhism to the country. A strong alliance existed between Devanampiya Tissa and Ashoka of India, who sent a mission of five monks including Arahat Mahinda, and a novice. They encountered Devanampiya Tissa at Mihintale on a Poson poya day. After this meeting, king Devanampiya Tissa embraced Buddhism and the order of monks was established in the country. The king, guided by Arahat Mahinda, took steps to firmly establish Buddhism in the country.Soon afterwards, the bhikkhuni Sanghamitta arrived from India in order to establish the Bhikkhuni sasana in the country. She brought along with her a sapling from the Sri Maha Bodhi, the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. The king sent his cousin, Prince Aritta to Dambakolapatuna to escort the delegation back to Anuradhapura. The bo sapling was then planted at the Mahamevna Gardens in Anuradhapura and bestowed the newly planted Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. on his kingdom. Prince Aritta along with other men was ordained by Arahat Madinda, thus establishing the order of the monks in Sri Lanka. Similarly Lady Anula, a member of the royal family was ordained along with 400 other women. This was the origin of the order of the nuns. Subsequently, Buddhism was established as the main religion of Sri Lanka.
Arrival of the sacred tooth relic
During the reign of Kithsirimevan, Sudatta, the sub king of Kalinga, and Hemamala brought the tooth relic of the Buddha to Sri Lanka because of unrest in their country. Kithsirimevan carried it in procession and placed the relic in a mansion named Datadhatughara. He ordered this procession to be held annually which is still taking place in the country. The tooth relic of the Buddha soon became one of the most sacred objects in the country and a symbol of kingship. The person who was in possession of the tooth relic was identified to be the rightful ruler of the country. Therefore, it was often enshrined within the royal palace itself.Invasions
Several invasions have been made against the Anuradhapura kingdom, all of which were launched from South India. The first invasion recorded in the history of the country is during the reign of Suratissa, where he was overthrown by two horse dealers from South India named Sena and Guththika. After ruling the country for 22 years, they were defeated by Asela, who was in turn overthrown by another invasion led by a Chola prince named Elara. Elara ruled for 44 years before being defeated by Dutthagamani However, the Mahavamsa records that these kings from the mainland ruled the country fairly and lawfully.File:王会图 Sri Lanka.jpg|thumb|Ambassador from Sri Lanka to China, Wanghuitu, circa 650 CE
The country was invaded again in 103 BC by Five Dravidian chiefs, Pulahatta, Bahiya, Panya Mara, Pilaya Mara and Dathika, who ruled until 89 BC when they were defeated by Valagamba. Another invasion occurred in 433, and the country fell under the control of six rulers from South India. These were Pandu, Parinda, Khudda Parinda, Tiritara, Dathiya and Pithiya, who was defeated by Dhathusena who regained power in 459. More invasions and raids from South India occurred during the reigns of Sena I and Udaya III. The final invasion during the Anuradhapura kingdom, which ended the kingdom and left the country under the rule of the Cholas, took place during the reign of Mahinda V.
However, none of these invaders could extend their rule to Ruhuna, the southern part of the country, and Sri Lankan rulers and their heirs always organized their armies from this area and managed to regain their throne. Throughout the history of Sri Lanka, Ruhuna served as a base for resistance movements.
Fall of Anuradhapura
, distracted by a revolt of his own Indian mercenary troops, fled to the south-eastern province of Rohana. The Mahavamsa describes the rule of Mahinda V as weak, and the country was suffering from poverty by this time. It further mentions that his army rose against him due to lack of wages. Taking advantage of this internal strife Chola Emperor Rajaraja I invaded Anuradhapura sometime in 993 AD and conquered the northern part of the country and incorporated it into his kingdom as a province named "Mummudi-sola-mandalam" after himself. Rajendra Chola I son of Rajaraja I, launched a large invasion in 1017. The Culavamsa says that the capital at Anuradhapura was "utterly destroyed in every way by the Chola army. The capital was at Polonnaruwa which was renamed "Jananathamangalam".A partial consolidation of Chola power in Rajarata had succeeded the initial season of plunder. With the intention to transform Chola encampments into more permanent military enclaves, Saivite temples were constructed in Polonnaruva and in the emporium of Mahatittha. Taxation was also instituted, especially on merchants and artisans by the Cholas. In 1014 Rajaraja I died and was succeeded by his son the Rajendra Chola I, perhaps the most aggressive king of his line. Chola raids were launched southward from Rajarata into Rohana. By his fifth year, Rajendra claimed to have completely conquered the island. The whole of Anuradhapura including the south-eastern province of Rohana was incorporated into the Chola Empire. As per the Sinhalese chronicle Mahavamsa, the conquest of Anuradhapura was completed in the 36th year of the reign of the Sinhalese monarch Mahinda V, i.e. about 1017–18. But the south of the island, which lacked large and prosperous settlements to tempt long-term Chola occupation, was never really consolidated by the Chola. Thus, under Rajendra, Chola expansion in Ceylon began to reach a point of diminishing returns. According to the Culavamsa and Karandai plates, Rajendra Chola led a large army into Anuradhapura and captured Mahinda's crown, queen, daughter, a vast amount of wealth and the king himself whom he took as a prisoner to India, where he eventually died in exile in 1029.
The Chola conquest had one permanent result in that the capital of Anuradhapura was destroyed by the Cholas. Polonnaruwa, a military outpost of the Sinhalese kingdom, was renamed Jananathamangalam, after a title assumed by Rajaraja I, and became the new centre of administration for the Cholas. This was because earlier Tamil invaders had only aimed at overlordship of Rajarata in the north, but the Cholas were bent on control of the whole island. There is practically no trace of Chola rule in Anuradhapura. When Sinhalese sovereignty was restored under Vijayabahu I, he crowned himself at Anuradhapura but continued to have his capital at Polonnaruwa for it being more central and made the task of controlling the turbulent province of Rohana much easier.