Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
179
King Vijayabahu VI
Kingdom of Kotte
1513 AC - 1521 AC

According to the Rajavaliya, after King Veera Parakramabahu VIII, his eldest son Prince Parakramabahu ascended the throne as Dharma Parakramabahu. However, based on current historical research and epigraphic evidence, it is generally accepted that after King Veera Parakramabahu VIII, the ruler who came to power was Prince Vijayabahu.

By examining inscriptions and royal grants belonging to this period, it appears that this king remained continuously on the throne without interruption. He is believed to have ruled until around 1521 CE, after which his death marked a turning point in the kingdom’s political structure.

Following the reign of Vijayabahu VI, the Kingdom of Kotte was divided into three parts. Taking advantage of this fragmentation, the Portuguese increasingly became involved in local politics and governance.


Vijayaba Kollaya

King Vijayabahu VI had four sons. His eldest son, Maha Raigam Bandara, died at a young age. There was also a prince named Devaraja, an adopted son of the king’s second queen, whom the king reportedly favored and intended to make successor.

Upon learning this, the king’s biological sons gathered their forces and camped in the Keleniya region. The king, pretending to reconcile, allegedly planned to imprison them. Eventually, a foreigner named Salman is said to have assassinated the king.

This event is described as one of the earliest instances in Sri Lankan history where a king was killed and succeeded by his sons through internal conflict. A similar earlier example is sometimes cited from the Anuradhapura period, when King Kassapa I killed his father King Dhatusena and ruled Sigiriya after seizing power.


Isura Wickramarachchi
Mahawansa Pradeepikawa

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