The reign of King Parākramabāhu II (r. 1236–1270 CE) marks a vital phase of political recovery after the devastation caused by Kalinga Māgha and the attacks by the army of Candrabhānu. He succeeded in reuniting Sri Lanka under a single ruler and restoring the Buddhist religious order.

Amid the collapse of centralized authority in Polonnaruwa, King Vijayabāhu III (1232-1236 CE) emerged as the restorer of Sinhalese sovereignty. By establishing a new capital at Dambadeniya, he laid the foundations for the survival of both the Sinhalese state and Buddhism.

Kalinga Magha stands out as one of the most destructive figures in the history of ancient Sri Lanka, with his invasion in 1215 CE marking the definitive end of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom and the final collapse of the hydraulic civilization of the Rajarata.

The reign of King Parākrama Pāṇḍu (also known as Parakkamapaṇḍu II or Parākrama Pāṇḍi) constitutes the final chapter of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. Ruling from 1212 to 1215 CE, he ascended the throne as a foreign conqueror whose attempts to restore order were ultimately extinguished by Kāḷiṅga Māgha, marking the end of the ancient Rajarata civilization.

The reign of King Lokeśvara (also known as Lokissara or Lokeshwara) in 1210–1211 CE represents a brief yet violent episode in the terminal decline of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. His nine-month rule unfolded during the political “twilight” of the Rajarata civilization, an era marked by rapid royal turnover and the dominance of military “kingmakers.”

One of the most violent and short-lived kings of the late Polonnaruwa era was King Anīkaṅga Mahadīpāda (also known as Äniyanga or Eniyanga) in 1209 CE. He came to power by bloodshed and reigned only 17 days being assassinated by his own general, Vikkantacamūnakka.

King Dharmashoka ruled Sri Lanka for just one year from 1208 CE as an infant monarch during the collapse of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. Installed by General Āyasmanta, he was later killed by his own father Anīkaṅga amid a violent struggle for power.

Queen Kalyāṇavatī, who ruled from 1202 to 1208 CE (some epigraphical sources indicate that her authority extended until 1210 CE), was the chief queen of King Niśśaṅka Malla (r. 1187-1196 CE). Her period on the throne was shaped by the influence of military kingmakers, most notably the powerful General Āyasmanta.

The reign of King Sahassa Malla (r. 1200–1202 CE), also known as Sahasa Malla, was short-lived, lasting only two years during a phase of acute political disintegration marked by the so-called “Tamil Anarchy” and the ascendancy of military kingmakers.

Queen Leelavathi (also known as Lílávatí) remains one of the most intriguing figures in the history of Sri Lanka, having ascended the throne of Polonnaruwa on three separate occasions occurring between 1197–1200 CE, 1209–1210 CE, and 1211–1212 CE

During the chaotic twilight of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom, King Choda Ganga ruled for just nine months (1196–1197 CE), rising through assassination and court intrigue in a capital dominated by mercenaries, rival Kalinga princes, and relentless struggles for royal legitimacy.

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King Vīrabāhu I, also known simply as Vīrabāhu, was a ruler of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom who reigned briefly in 1196 CE. His rule is remembered as the shortest of the Kalinga dynasty, lasting no more than a single night or day.

King Niśśanka Malla (also known as Nissanka Malla, Niśśankamalla, or Kittiniśśanka), who reigned from 1187 to 1196 CE, stands out as one of the most enigmatic yet materially visible rulers in the history of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. \his known for the exceptional number of inscriptions he left behind.

King Vijayabāhu II, widely known as Paṇḍita Vijayabāhu (r. 1186–1187 CE), was a ruler of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom whose short reign marked the opening of a complex and ultimately tragic phase in Sri Lanka’s medieval history. He ascended the throne after the death of his renowned uncle, Parākramabāhu I,.

King Parākramabāhu I, also known as Parākramabāhu the Great (r. 1153–1186 CE), stands as one of the most illustrious monarchs in the history of Sri Lanka. He was the son of Prince Mānābharaṇa, the ruler of Dakkhinadesa, and Queen Ratanāvalī, the daughter of King Vijayabāhu I (r. 1055-1110 CE).

King Gajabāhu II (r. 1132–1153 CE) was a leading ruler of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom whose reign formed the last, troubled phase between the disintegration that followed the rule of his father, Vikramabāhu I, and the complete reunification of Sri Lanka under Parākramabāhu the Great.

King Vikramabāhu I, also known as Vikkamabāhu or Vikumbā, ruled the Rajarata from his capital at Polonnaruwa between 1111 and 1132 CE. His reign marked a shift from the unified stability established by his father to an era characterized by fragmentation, civil war, and acute tension with the Buddhist Sangha.

King Jayabahu I, who reigned nominally from 1110 to 1111 CE, marks a critical and unsettled transitional phase in the history of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. His life was closely bound to both the liberation of Sri Lanka and the subsequent internal disintegration of the country.