King Gajabahu II [1132-1159 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Gajabahu II [1132-1159 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Parakramabahu I [1153-1186 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

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. His period of rule was shaped by prolonged civil war, the division of the island into three rival principalities, widespread disorder, and a landmark diplomatic agreement that ultimately made political unification possible.

Royal Lineage and Early Life

Gajabāhu II was the son of King Vikramabāhu I, himself the son of the great liberator Vijayabāhu I. His mother, Princess Sundarī, was a Kalinga princess of Śrīvijaya descent. Her marriage to Vikramabāhu had been arranged by Vijayabāhu I to secure dynastic continuity.

Gajabāhu’s childhood unfolded amid provincial administration and growing dynastic rivalry. During the reign of his grandfather, Vijayabāhu I, Vikramabāhu was appointed Ādipāda of Rohaṇa, and Gajabāhu spent his formative years at Mahanāgahula, the southern capital from which his father governed the province. After the death of Vijayabāhu I and the coup engineered by Princess Mittā and her sons, Vikramabāhu succeeded in capturing Polonnaruwa, thereby establishing his branch of the family as the dominant authority in the Rajarata.

Accession and Early Challenges

Gajabāhu II came to the throne in 1132 CE following the death of his father. His accession was immediately challenged by his southern cousins, Kittisirimegha of Dakkhinadesa and Sirivallabha of Rohaṇa, who launched a joint military campaign in the hope of exploiting his youth and the instability of succession. Despite this coordinated attack, Gajabāhu demonstrated notable military competence and succeeded in repelling their forces, retaining control of the northern heartland.

Like his father, however, Gajabāhu ruled without formal consecration. The sources suggest that religious authorities or a college of jurists possessed the authority to grant or withhold the rite of abhiseka. Owing to the continuing civil war and possibly his strained relations with the Sangha, Gajabāhu II remained an unconsecrated de facto sovereign, exercising power in practice but lacking ceremonial legitimacy.

Rule Amid Anarchy

Administration during this era was marked by violence and economic exploitation. Both Gajabāhu and his rivals imposed excessive taxation, a practice vividly likened to “squeezing out the whole people as sugar cane in a sugar mill.” Constant frontier warfare prevailed, with commanders burning villages, breaching irrigation tanks, and destroying canal weirs in order to cripple their opponents. As a result, much of the restoration work accomplished under Vijayabāhu I was undone during Gajabāhu’s reign.

Conflict With Parākramabāhu

The central struggle of Gajabāhu II’s rule was his rivalry with Prince Parākramabāhu, the son of Mānābharaṇa, who sought to reunify the island under his own authority. Parākramabāhu initially pursued indirect methods, visiting Polonnaruwa as a guest and using the opportunity to plant spies disguised as snake-charmers and musicians to assess the loyalty of Gajabāhu’s officials. To allay suspicion, he arranged the marriage of his sister Bhaddavatī to Gajabāhu, while secretly retaining her dowry to finance his future campaigns.

Open warfare eventually erupted. Parākramabāhu launched coordinated offensives against the Pearl Banks in the west and the Alisāra (Elahera) district in the east before delivering a decisive strike by advancing through the Khandigāma Pass. His forces broke through the defenses of Polonnaruwa and began plundering the city, while Parākramabāhu himself was encamped at Nālandā.

Unable to endure the plundering any longer, the people of Polonnaruwa sent an appeal to his cousin Mānābharaṇa, who was then at Sorabora. Mānābharaṇa responded swiftly, came to the aid of Gajabāhu, and defeated Parākramabāhu’s army.

However, Mānābharaṇa’s intentions went beyond rescuing Gajabāhu. After gaining control of Polonnaruwa, he imprisoned the king and attempted to bring about his death through starvation and poison. Despite this, Gajabāhu managed to secretly send a message to Parākramabāhu describing his plight and requesting assistance. In response to this appeal, Parākramabāhu launched another campaign against Polonnaruwa, defeated Mānābharaṇa’s forces, and succeeded in freeing Gajabāhu from captivity. Once freed Gajabāhu did not wait to receive Parākramabāhu but quickly fled to Kottiar with the intention of leaving the shores.

The Sangamuwa Viharaya Royal Treaty

With the conflict exhausted and unresolved, the Buddhist Sangha intervened as mediators. They reminded Parākramabāhu that Gajabāhu was elderly and without an heir, and that succession would naturally fall to him in due course. This mediation resulted in a historic settlement between the two rivals.

The agreement was recorded in Madirigiriya Viharaya on a rock that has been lost to time. However, a copy of this agreement is recorded at the Sangamuwa Viharaya in the form of a rock-engraved treaty. Both rulers pledged never to wage war against one another for the remainder of their lives, nominated each other as heirs to their respective realms, and agreed that the enemy of one would be regarded as the enemy of the other. This final clause was clearly aimed at neutralizing the ambitions of Mānābharaṇa.

“Prosperity! We are the two brothers-in-law, Gajabahu and Parakramabahu who come down in unbroken succession in the illustrious Mahasammata lineage and who valued the absolute truth. According to this treaty we shall not wage war against each other till the end of our lives. If any one of us is first to pass away, the other who survives will be in possession of the (Kingdom). If there be any kings who are enemies of either of us, they are enemies of both of us. If we do anything against this agreement, it will be as if we have transgressed the command of the Triple Gem.
We shall (also) never be delivered from hell. May this writing protect the world as long as the Moon and the Stars last. May this union of these two people, whose wealth is used for the benefit of others, be suffused with love.”

Death and Historical Significance

Gajabāhu II spent the final years of his life in relative peace at Kantale (Gaṅgātaṭāka), faithfully observing the terms of the treaty. He died in 1153 CE, after a reign lasting twenty-two years.

His death brought the fractured era to a close. As he left no son or brother to succeed him, and in accordance with the Samgamuwa Viharaya agreement, Parākramabāhu I assumed control of the Rajarata after a brief skirmish with Mānābharaṇa, who had entered Rajarata before him. He then defeated Mānābharaṇa and proceeded to reunite the entire island, inaugurating one of the most powerful and centralized reigns in Sri Lankan history.

Royal Marriages and Dynastic Legacy

References

Geiger, W., & Rickmers, C. M. (1929). Culavamsa: Being The More Recent Part of The Mahavamsa: Vol. Part I–II. Pali Text Society. (Original work published 1815)
Gunasekara, B. (1895). A Contribution to the History of Ceylon: Translated from Pujavaliya. H.C. Cottle.
Gunasekara, B. (1900). The Rajavaliya, a Historical Narrative of Sinhalese Kings Vijaya to Vimala Dharma Suriya II. George J. A. Skeen.
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.
Obeyesekere, D. (1911). History of Ceylon : Outlines of Ceylon History. The Times of Ceylon Colombo.
Sastri, N. (1954). Vijayabâhu I, The Liberator of Lanka. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, IV (new series).
Wijesekera, N. (1990). The Sinhalese. M. D. Gunasena & Co Ltd.

Predecessor		Successor
Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Gajabahu II [1132-1159 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Parakramabahu I [1153-1186 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA