King Buwanekabahu VI [1470-1477 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Jayabahu II [1467–1469 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Buwanekabahu VI [1470-1477 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Panditha Parakramabahu VII [1478–1484 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The rise of King Bhuvanekabāhu VI (r. 1469–1477 CE), also known as King Buwanekabahu VI, born as Prince Sapumāl (also called Sapumāl Kumāraya or Senpahap Perumāl), marked a deeply turbulent phase in the history of the Kōṭṭe Kingdom. Although some later traditions occasionally confuse his regnal numbering, contemporary inscriptions and historical sources clearly identify him as the sixth monarch of that name, who succeeded Jayabāhu II through a violent and contested transition.

Early Life and Royal Adoption

According to the Portuguese historian Diogo do Couto, Sapumāl was the son of a man of royal caste named Panical (or Panikki), who had arrived at the Kōṭṭe court from the “opposite coast,” meaning South India or Malabar, to enter royal service. His mother was a high-born Siṃhala woman. He had a younger biological brother, Prince Ambulugala (also known as Ambulugala Kuḍa Kumāra), who shared his upbringing.

Recognizing their abilities, King Parākramabāhu VI adopted both brothers and raised them in the royal palace as his own sons. They received a princely education, which included instruction in the eighteen traditional sciences, such as martial training, political theory, and literary studies. Sapumāl distinguished himself early as a man of exceptional physical strength and commanding presence, gaining fame as a skilled horseman and an accomplished military leader.

The Conquest of Jaffna

The most significant achievement of Sapumāl’s career was the conquest of the Yāpāpatuna (Jaffna) Kingdom, then ruled by the Ārya Cakravarti, Kanakasūriya. King Parākramabāhu VI, seeking to place the entire island under a single “umbrella of dominion,” entrusted this crucial northern campaign to Sapumāl.

The operation unfolded in two main stages. Initially, Sapumāl conducted a series of raids against northern settlements, capturing prisoners and bringing them to Kōṭṭe as proof of his advances. Subsequently, he led a large fourfold army along the western coast, subduing the Vanni chieftains to secure his supply lines and rear positions. The final attack on the capital, Nallūr, proved decisive. Mounted on a “dark steed,” Sapumāl is described in literary sources as charging the enemy with such ferocity that the streets were “flooded with blood.” The Ārya Cakravarti fled to South India, abandoning his family and realm around 1450 CE. Following this victory, Sapumāl assumed the prestigious Tamiḷ title Ārya-veṭṭiyārum-perumāl, meaning “the Lord who hunted the Āryas.”

Viceroyalty in the North

After the conquest, Parākramabāhu VI appointed Sapumāl as Viceroy of Yāpāpatuna, a post he held for approximately seventeen to twenty-two years. During this period, he established a stable administration at Nallūr and is credited with rebuilding the famous Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil.

Although renowned as a warrior, his governance in the north was marked by religious tolerance. He supported Buddhist shrines for the resident Siṃhala population while also patronizing Hindu institutions. His association with the Nallūr temple survives in contemporary ritual traditions, where he is still invoked under the royal name Śrī Saṅghabodhi Bhuvanekabāhu. His extended tenure in the north enabled him to build an independent military and political power base, largely detached from the authority of the Kōṭṭe court.

The Succession Crisis and Seizure of Power

King Parākramabāhu VI died in 1467 CE after ruling for fifty-five years. As he left no natural male heir, the throne passed to his grandson, Jayabāhu II (also known as Vīra Parākramabāhu VII), the son of Princess Ulakudaya-devī. Sapumāl, still ruling in Yāpāpatuna, rejected the legitimacy of this succession, considering himself the more capable and rightful claimant.

In 1469 CE, he marched south with his veteran forces from Yāpāpatuna to Kōṭṭe. The Sinhalese chronicles state that he killed Jayabāhu II and proclaimed himself king as Bhuvanekabāhu VI. While some Portuguese sources suggest a peaceful death and temporary regency, indigenous records consistently describe a violent usurpation that destroyed the dynastic stability created by his adoptive father.

Reign and Internal Conflict

The reign of Bhuvanekabāhu VI was dominated by internal unrest. His seizure of power provoked the Siṃhala-peraliya, a widespread rebellion led by figures such as Siri Vardhana Paṭirāja and Kurugama Himi. The revolt spread across the region between the Kalu-gaṅgā river and the Walawē-gaṅgā river. To restore order, the king relied heavily on his younger brother, Ambulugala Rājā (later King Vīra Parākramabāhu VIII), who led troops from the Four Korales to suppress the insurgency. Although the rebels were eventually pardoned, the unity of the island weakened, and both the Uḍaraṭa (Kandyan) Kingdom under Sēnāsammata Vikramabāhu and the Yāpāpatuna Kingdom moved increasingly toward independence.

Despite political turmoil, the king remained a committed patron of Buddhism. One of his most important religious acts was the reception of a mission of twenty-two Burmese bhikkhus sent by King Dhammaceti in 1476 CE. These monks were warmly received and ordained, enabling them to transmit Laṅkā’s monastic traditions back to Burma. He also commissioned an elaborate reliquary casket for the Sacred Tooth Relic.

In literature, his reign sustained the cultural momentum of the Kōṭṭe renaissance. The Kōkila Sandēśaya had been composed earlier to bless Sapumāl during his rule in Yāpāpatuna. Under his kingship, scholars such as Vīdāgama Maitreya produced enduring works, including the Buduguṇa-alaṅkāraya and the Lōvædasaṅgrahaya, which remains a foundational text in Siṃhala ethical literature.

Death and Succession

King Bhuvanekabāhu VI died around 1477 CE after ruling for approximately seven or eight years. His death triggered yet another succession struggle. He intended his son, Paṇḍita Parākramabāhu VII (described in the Rājāvaliya as his adopted son), to succeed him.

However, his younger brother, Prince Ambulugala, challenged this arrangement. Ambulugala advanced on Kōṭṭe, defeated loyalist forces at Inkenda-gala, and assassinated Paṇḍita Parākramabāhu VII inside the palace at midnight. He then crowned himself as Vīra Parākramabāhu VIII. The death of Bhuvanekabāhu VI thus ended a short but violent attempt to preserve the political unity of Laṅkā, leaving the island increasingly fragmented on the eve of European arrival.

Ancient Manuscripts Detailing the Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

Sovereigns of Sri Lanka are chronicled in several ancient manuscripts. These texts not only record the lineages of kings but also the significant events and developments of their reigns. Some of the most significant ancient sources are:

Dipavamsa: compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, and the earliest known historical chronicle
Mahavamsa: Initially compiled by Mahanama Thero in the 5th or 6th century CE, this chronicle was later expanded upon by other authors who added additional chapters. Covers events up until the reign of King Mahasena of Anuradhapura
Culavamsa: Starts where the Mahavamsa stops and records the history of Sri Lankan rulers from the 4th century to 1815. Mahavamsa and Culavamsa are often seen as one extended chronicle, commonly referred to simply as the Mahavamsa.
Pujavaliya: Written by a monk in or around 1266 during the reign of King Panditha Parakrama Bahu of Dambadeniya Kingdom
Rajavaliya: A 17th-century historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, covering the history of the island from its beginnings up to the accession of King Vimaladharmasurya II in 1687.

References

Codrington, H. W. (1933). The Gampola period of Ceylon history. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 32(86), 260–309.
Geiger, W., & Rickmers, C. M. (1929). Culavamsa: Being The More Recent Part Of The Mahavamsa: Vol. Part II–II. Pali Text Society. (Original work published 1815)
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
Ilangasinha, H. B. M. (1992). Buddhism in Medieval Sri Lanka (1st ed.). Sri Satguru Publications.
Nicholas, C. W., & Paranavitana, S. (1961). A Concise History of Ceylon: From the Earliest Times to the Arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. University of Ceylon.
Paranavitana, S. (1961). The Arya Kingdom in North Ceylon. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 7(2), 174–224.
Rasanayagam, C. (1926). Ancient Jaffna: A research into the history of Jaffna from every early period to the Portuguese period. Asian Educational Services.
Somaratna, G. P. V. (1969). Political history of the Kingdom of Kötte (c. A.D. 1400-1521) [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of London.

Predecessor		Successor
Jayabahu II [1467–1469 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Buwanekabahu VI [1470-1477 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Panditha Parakramabahu VII [1478–1484 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA