King Jayabahu I [1110-1111 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Vijayabahu I [1055-1110 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Jayabahu I [1110-1111 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

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. Although his period as a consecrated monarch was short and dominated by civil conflict, his life was closely bound to both the liberation of Sri Lanka from Cola rule and the subsequent internal disintegration of the unified polity created by his elder brother, Vijayabahu I.

Early Life and Royal Background

Jayabāhu was born to Prince Moggallāna and Princess Lokitā. His lineage was notable on both sides: his father was a grandson of Mahinda V, the last ruler of Anuradhapura, while his mother descended from the Dathopatissa (r. 659-667 CE) line. He was the youngest of three brothers, the others being the celebrated Kitti (later crowned Vijayabahu I) and Virabahu.

His childhood unfolded amid the Chola occupation of Rajarata; Jayabahu grew up as a refugee in the mountainous wilderness of Ruhuna. Together with his family, he survived in concealment under the protection of the loyal chieftain Lord Budal of Sittarubim. During these years of hardship, they frequently lived on jungle herbs and roots, while Budal shielded them from enemies who were prowling about. This prolonged exposure to danger, deprivation, and guerrilla survival shaped the formative years of the princes who would later play central roles in the island’s liberation.

Role Under Vijayabahu I

Before his own accession, Jayabahu functioned as an important member of the administration established by Vijayabahu I during the protracted war of independence and the rebuilding that followed. After the reconquest of the north in 1070 CE, Vijayabahu appointed him Adipada of Ruhuna, granting him princely authority over the southern province. Later, following the death of their brother Vīrabahu, Jayabāhu was elevated to the rank of Uparaja, or sub-king and heir apparent. Under Sinhalese customary law, which favored brothers of the reigning king over his sons, this appointment made Jayabahu the legitimate successor to the throne.

Consecration and Breach of Custom

When Vijayabahu I died in 1110/1111 CE, Jayabāhu’s accession, though lawful in principle, was a decisive departure from established practice. A confederacy emerged, consisting of his younger sister Princess Mittā, her three sons Mānābharaṇa, Kittisirimegha, and Sirivallabha, influential court dignitaries, and the chief monks of the ascetic orders. This group arranged Jayabāhu’s consecration at Polonnaruwa while deliberately excluding Prince Vikramabāhu, the son of Vijayabahu I, who was the then Adipada of Ruhuna. More significantly, they appointed Mittā’s eldest son, Mānābharaṇa, as Uparaja (heir apparent). This act, as the chronicles note, “quitted the path of former custom,” since the office of Uparaja—and the right of succession—should properly have belonged to Vikramabāhu.

Nominal Kingship and Civil War

The sources portray Jayabāhu’s reign as largely symbolic, describing him in effect as a “puppet king” dominated by Mittā and Mānābharaṇa. The central objective of this faction was the elimination of Vikramabāhu and the consolidation of power within Mittā’s branch of the royal family. Soon after the consecration, Jayabahu and his nephews seized the royal regalia and treasury and advanced into Ruhuna in an attempt to capture

Vikramabāhu. Contrary to their expectations, Vikramabāhu proved to be a formidable commander. In engagements at places such as Kosgoda, Dambagalla, Galabädda and other places in the Monarāgala area, his smaller force repeatedly defeated the royal army. He then counterattacked, driving the opposing forces westward and eventually occupying Polonnaruwa itself.

Forced out of the capital, Jayabahu I retreated south. He spent the remainder of his nominal reign living with his nephew Kittisirimegha at Mānāvuļu (Mahanagahula) in southern Ruhuna. The kingdom thus fractured once more: Vikramabāhu ruled the Rajarata from Polonnaruwa, while Jayabāhu remained in the south as a figurehead, with his nephews dividing Maya-rata and Ruhuna among themselves.

Important Work and Legacy

Because Jayabāhu’s actual reign was defined by internal strife and he was quickly ousted from the capital, the sources do not credit him with any major new development works or religious foundations during his time as king. Instead, the era of his rule is described as a time of anarchy and decay.

Death and Chronological Implications

Jayabahu I died in Ruhuna while the state of disorder continued. Although the precise duration of his nominal reign remains uncertain, it is generally accepted that he exercised effective authority for no more than one or two years, between 1110 and 1111 CE.

A notable chronological peculiarity is associated with his reign. Some inscriptions are dated as late as his thirty-eighth regnal year. The sources clarify that because his successors, Vikramabāhu II and Gajabāhu II, were never formally consecrated, official records continued to reckon time according to Jayabāhu’s regnal years. This practice persisted until the accession of the next fully consecrated monarch, Parākramabāhu the Great, several decades later.

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).

Predecessor		Successor
Vijayabahu I [1055-1110 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Jayabahu I [1110-1111 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA