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Let’s Read About Our Past - 9

King Vijayaba-hu

by

Kamala Silva

ISBN : 978-955-696-106-5

All rights reserved

© Sumitha Publishers

First Edition, 2015

Published by:

SUMITHA PUBLISHERS

www.sumithabooks.com

e-mail : info@sumithabooks.com

Tel: 0777-809676

Printed by :

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506, Highlevel Road, Nawinna - Maharagama.

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Anuradhapura was the

capital of Sri Lanka for over 1,000 years.

Towards the end of this period, Anuradhapura

was frequently invaded by ‘Pandiya’

and ‘Chola’ invaders from South India.

Chola King Maha Raja Raja

invaded Anuradhapura.

However, it was his son Rajendra Chola who was

able to capture the city in 1017 and take the

last king of Anuradhapura - King Mihindu V

and his queen captive to India.

For the irst time, the island was ruled by a king who lived in a foreign country.

The Chola king moved the capital to Polonnaruwa

and the city was named ‘Jananathapuram’.

The Chola invaders ruled Sri Lanka

for over 50 years.

During this time, Sinhala kings led to the southern part of the country ‘Ruhuna’

to escape from the Chola leaders.

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(C) Sumitha Publishers

Prince Kitti, also known as Keerthi,

was born in Ruhuna in 1039.

He was the eldest of the four children of the

Sinhala King Maha Moggallana and

Queen Lokitha who were living in hiding

in the South.

From a very young age, Kitti was determined

to free the country from the Chola invaders.

With this intention,

he moved to the jungles of Malaya Rata

(the mountain areas of central Sri Lanka)

and gathered an army

to ight the Cholas.

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(C) Sumitha Publishers

His irst aim was to establish leadership in the South.

As there were many claimants

to the throne, Kitti had to face

opposition from some of the

Sinhala leaders of the South.

In 1055, when he was only

sixteen years old,

Kitti won a battle in

Kataragama against the chief

ruler of Ruhuna and

became king.

He was titled ‘King Vijayabahu

the irst’ and was acknowledged

as the rightful king of Lanka.

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