Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
147
King Chodaganga
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
1196 AC - 1197 AC

After ruling for three months, King Vikramabahu was killed, and the throne was taken by Prince Chodaganga. He was of the Kalinga dynasty. As the Mahavamsa indicates, he was thus a brother-in-law (bhanā/relative by marriage) of King Nissankamalla. Accordingly, he was the son of one of Nissankamalla’s sisters. It appears that rulers of the Ganga lineage of Eastern Kalinga frequently used the name Chodaganga. This makes it clear that he came from Kalinga. Some modern records refer to him as Chodaganga Deva, but in the Pujavaliya, Nikaya Sangraha, and Rajarathnakara, following the Mahavamsa, the name Chodaganga is used.

No actions or deeds performed by this king are recorded in the sources. However, an inscribed stone slab mentioning him was found inside Pedrikkotuwa in Trincomalee. It had been broken into pieces. Of this inscription, only the first verse and the word “kana” currently remain. In it, the king is referred to as Chodaganga Deva. The date of his arrival in Lanka is noted sequentially by the Kattapaya method. In this inscription, Lanka is described as an unconquerable (Ajayyam Lanka) country.

Chodaganga descended from Trincomalee. However, the inscription also contains a view that Chodaganga was not the king, which is detailed later. At that time, the land was referred to as Gokan or Gokarna. The ancient Gokarna Vihara was located on the site where a temple now stands. Chodaganga’s rule over the throne lasted three months.

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