1200 AC - 1202 AC

After three years from Queen Leelawathi’s first ascension, the royal power was seized by a prince named Sahasamalla. He too belonged to the Kalinga lineage, and in a previous instance, he had been the stepbrother of King Nissankamalla who had held the royal seat. Nissankamalla’s mother was Parvati, and some records state that his father was Sri Gopa, while Sahasamalla’s father is also named Sri Gopa. These two are identified as the same person. Sahasamalla’s mother was Lokamahadevi. Accordingly, it appears that this king was the son of another consort of Nissankamalla’s father.
It is said that Prince Sahasamalla came from Kalinga in response to an invitation to take charge of the Lankan throne. The main officials who facilitated this were the ministers Duntati Abona and Budalna, who were administrators of Lanka. The invitation message was delivered by a Kalinga chief named Mallikarjuna. After receiving the invitation, Prince Sahasamalla stayed for two years at a port in Soli country called Kahakoda before coming to this island. In our records, it is referred to as Kahakonda, a naval town in Chola territory. Several South Indian documents mention Gangai Konda Pattana, where “Gangai” refers to the Kalinga dynasty of Eastern Ganga. This region was at times under the power of Kalinga kings, and it appears that Nissankamalla had extended his authority over this region.
During the time of King Parakramabahu I, Sahasamalla had fought alongside a consort who had won battles in southern India, defeating Chola forces with Chuladisara and Chodanavalvar. Subsequently, he gained favor with the Sinhala army. Therefore, due to the Kalinga-Ganga connection in Kahakonda, it was a suitable place for Prince Sahasamalla to stay before taking power in Lanka.
Because of this Kalinga-Ganga connection, the name of the Sinhalese administrative city established in Jaffna was Kankasanthuraya (with “Ganga-name” corresponding to the same). The Aryan term in Tamil was Kankasanthura. The reason he stayed at the Soli port was primarily due to the inability of the ministers mentioned above to resolve the problem caused by treacherous officials seeking their own supremacy. It is clear that for two years, Prince Sahasamalla could not reach Lanka due to a major crisis. This crisis can be understood as having existed during the last two years of Queen Leelawathi’s reign. Accordingly, this conflict must have been an internal dispute between the Kalinga lineage and the Chandra-Surya lineage. The ascension of Queen Leelawathi was not accepted by the Kalinga nobles, and they created opposition. These conflicts escalated until the queen was removed from the throne, opening the way for Prince Sahasamalla to assume the throne.
Regarding this situation, Professor Senerath Paranavitana states that reports about Queen Leelawathi ruling quietly cannot be fully trusted. However, based on the information recorded in the Puliyankulam inscription, his opinion cannot be entirely accepted. The details given in the Polonnaruwa inscription of King Sahasamalla can be considered highly reliable. The two ministers mentioned there acted against Queen Leelawathi and invited Prince Sahasamalla to assume the throne. It can also be argued that, like Nissankamalla, Prince Sahasamalla was presented with a formal declaration of his right to the kingdom.
According to the aforementioned inscription, Prince Sahasamalla was crowned on the full moon day of the third month of the Buddhist year 1173. This is the most certain record regarding the commencement of a king’s reign. However, this date does not fully align with the chronicles. Another inscription of Prince Sahasamalla was found in Kewulgama in the Nuwara Eliya region. It records a grant of land to a royal servant who had acted with partiality. The beneficiary was named Galpiti Butpamulla’s children.
He had received an attack from enemies because he acted with partiality toward the king. Due to this skill, he received royal favor. It is possible that he was wounded either during a conflict that occurred while bringing Prince Sahasamalla to Lanka or during a later dispute after Sahasamalla assumed the throne. In any case, all these details indicate that Prince Sahasamalla could not resolve the internal conflict. He ruled for approximately two years. During this period, none of the acts he carried out are recorded in the chronicles. Although his power spread throughout the island, opposing forces continued to act against him. Therefore, it does not appear that he had the mental disposition or environment suitable for undertaking any significant governance.