The Drift of Kingdoms in Post-medieval Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Sinhalese monarchy records its origins with the settling down of North- Indian Aryan immigrants on the island of Sri Lanka. According to records, the first Sinhalese kingdom was established by King Vijaya in the valley of Malvatu Oya. Later, the settlement grew and further developed into a kingdom during the reign of King Duttagamini transforming the Rajarata kingdom after King Pandukabhaya into a centre of administration. This study is aimed at identifying the decline of the ancient kingdoms in Rajarata- mainly the disintegration during the post-Polonnaruwa period. The researchers delve into the rationality of the views on various aspects of this decline as well as remarks by scholars. Several causes such as climatic change, collapse of the old order, the decline of agriculture due to infertility of soil, the ravages of malaria, threats from foreign invasions, the disintegration of the elaborate administrative and social fabric which sustained the complicated irrigation system, and the attractions offered by the Wet Zone as against the Dry Zones have been postulated by various scholars. This paper critically analyses the validity of those.