King Parakramabahu III [1287-1293 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu I [1272-1284 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Parakramabahu III [1287-1293 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Buwanekabahu II [1293–1302 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

As the son of King Vijayabāhu IV (known as “Bosat” Vijayabāhu) and the grandson of the illustrious scholar-king Parākramabāhu II, King Parākramabāhu III (r. 1287–1293 CE) was born into the Dambadeniya dynasty, a lineage that traced its ancestry to the prestigious Solar and Moon dynasties and the sacred Sirisanghabodhi line.

His reign is most famously defined by his diplomatic recovery of the Sacred Tooth Relic from South India, which had been lost during a period of near-anarchy following the death of his uncle, King Bhuvanekabāhu I.

Royal Lineage and Early Context

Upon the death of his uncle in 1284 CE, the kingdom fell into a state of interregnum, a period without a recognized legitimate ruler. Taking advantage of this vacuum, the Pāṇḍyan king Kulaśekhara dispatched a powerful army led by a Tamil general named Arya Cakravarti. Arya Cakravarti successfully stormed the fortress of Yapahuwa, plundering its riches and—most catastrophically—seizing the Sacred Tooth Relic, which was then carried away to the Pāṇḍu country.

Rise to Power: The Diplomatic Recovery

Recognizing that the Tooth Relic was the essential palladium of the Sinhalese kings—believed to confer the legitimate right to sovereignty—Parākramabāhu III realized that the kingdom could not be reunified without its return. In 1287 CE, Parākramabāhu III journeyed in person to the Pāṇḍu country to meet with King Kulaśekhara.

Through “pleasant conversation” and “friendly negotiation,” he managed to incline the Pāṇḍyan monarch favorably toward him. Historical sources suggest that Parākramabāhu III effectively accepted a position as a feudatory or tributary of the Pāṇḍyan Empire in exchange for the relic’s restoration. Successfully receiving the Tooth Relic from Kulaśekhara’s hands, he returned to Lanka and was consecrated as king. In a move intended to signify a return to the golden age of his ancestors, he chose to reign from Pulatthinagara (Polonnaruwa), making him the last Sinhalese monarch to hold court in the ancient capital.

Reign and Contributions to Buddhism

Parākramabāhu III’s reign, though relatively brief at approximately six years, was focused on the restoration of traditional religious and political order. He installed the Tooth Relic in its ancient relic temple at Polonnaruwa, which had originally been utilized by his father and grandfather, and resumed the ceremonial traditions associated with the palladium of kingship.

Rivalry and the Fall of the King

The downfall of Parākramabāhu III was precipitated by a violent dynastic struggle with his cousin, Bhuvanekabāhu II (the son of Bhuvanekabāhu I), who held power at Hatthigiripura (Kurunegala). The kingdom became divided between these two claimants, with Parākramabāhu III representing the senior line and Bhuvanekabāhu II seeking to assert his claim based on his father’s tenure at Yapahuwa.

The tension escalated when Parākramabāhu III, suspecting his cousin of plotting a coup, allegedly commissioned a barber to blind Bhuvanekabāhu II—a traditional medieval practice used to disqualify a rival from kingship. The plot miscarried, and the enraged Bhuvanekabāhu II assembled a strong army and marched against Polonnaruwa. In the ensuing conflict around 1293 CE, Parākramabāhu III was defeated by his cousin’s forces.

Following his victory, Bhuvanekabāhu II seized the Sacred Tooth Relic and carried it away from Polonnaruwa to his own capital at Kurunegala. This event marked the final abandonment of Polonnaruwa as the seat of the Sinhalese monarchy. The sources do not provide exhaustive details regarding the ultimate fate of Parākramabāhu III, but his defeat effectively ended his reign and signaled the continued southward drift of the Sinhalese political center into the wet zone.

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

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. (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.
Rasanayagam, C. (1926). Ancient Jaffna, Being a Research Into the History of Jaffna, From Very Early Times to the Portuguese Period. Everymans Publishers Ltd.

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu I [1272-1284 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Parakramabahu III [1287-1293 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Buwanekabahu II [1293–1302 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA