King Parakramabahu VI [1412-1467 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu V [1372-1408 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Parakramabahu VI [1412-1467 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Jayabahu II [1467–1469 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The reign of King Parakramabahu VI (r. 1412–1467 CE) marks the final phase of a unified Sinhalese monarchy and a culmination in the island’s political and cultural history. Rising from a period of severe instability and foreign intervention, Parakramabahu VI became the first monarch in centuries, and the last in history, to bring the whole of Sri Lanka under a single umbrella of dominion.

Royal Lineage and Early Context

Parakramabahu VI belonged to the Savuḷu dynasty, a royal house that replaced the direct Dambadeniya line during the fourteenth century. Modern scholarship, particularly the work of S. Paranavitana, suggests that the Savuḷu family originated from Kalinga or Jāvaka (Malay) stock, with the family name itself derived from Jāvaka.

Contemporary literary sources such as the Pärakumbāsirita and the Vrttaratnākara-pañcikā identify his mother as Sunetrā Devi, a princess of royal lineage, and his father as a high dignitary named Jayamahalena (or Jayamāla-mahipati) of the Lambakaṇṇa clan. He was the grandson of King Parakramabahu V, who ruled from Dädigama.

Traditions preserved in the Rājāvaliya state that during the so-called Chinese stratagem, when the ruler was captured by Chinese forces, Sunetrā Devi fled with her infant son to escape Alakeśvara’s hostility. They found protection under Vīdāgama Mahā Thera, a leading religious and political personality, and the prince was raised in secrecy in the Kegalle region.

The Chinese Role and Rise to Power

The way to the throne was ultimately opened by the Chinese Ming expeditions led by Admiral Cheng Ho. Around 1409 or 1411 CE, provoked by the hostility of Vīra Alakeśvara (sometimes identified as Vijayabahu VI), Cheng Ho launched a military operation, captured Vīra Alakeśvara, and transported him as a prisoner to China.

According to Chinese sources, Emperor Yung Lo instructed the Sinhalese captives to select a virtuous man from among their kin to govern the island. Their choice fell upon a prince named Yeh-pa-nai-na, identified with Parakramabahu VI, who returned as a vassal ruler under Ming patronage. He first assumed power at Raigama around 1412 CE. After three years spent consolidating authority and overcoming rival claimants, he transferred his capital to Jayavardhanapura Kotte and was formally consecrated in 1415 CE.

Establishment of Jayavardhanapura Kotte

Although the fortress of Kotte had originally been constructed by Niśśaṅka Alagakkonāra during the reign of Vikramabahu III as a defensive stronghold against northern threats, Parakramabahu VI transformed it into a splendid royal capital. The city followed the model of a classic defensive metropolis, surrounded by marshlands, moats, and strong stone ramparts. Within these defenses he built an elegant palace and established Kotte as the permanent political center of the island.

The Conquest of Jaffna: Prince Sapumal’s Victory

The most significant military achievement of the reign was the conquest of the Jaffna Kingdom around 1450 CE. At that time Jaffna, ruled by the Ārya Cakravarti dynasty as a dependency of the Vijayanagara Empire, had long maintained its independence. Parakramabahu VI entrusted this campaign to his adopted son, Prince Sapumal, also known as Sempahap Perumāl.

Sapumal led two expeditions. The first was a successful raid, while the second involved a full-scale assault on Yāpāpatuna (Jaffna). The city was captured, the Ārya Cakravarti defeated, and the royal family taken captive to Kotte. Sapumal ruled Jaffna as viceroy for seventeen years, creating one of the rare historical moments when the entire island acknowledged a single umbrella of dominion.

Religious and Literary Contributions

The political stability of the Kotte Kingdom ushered in a golden age of Sinhalese culture. Parākramabāhu VI devoted considerable effort to preventing further decline in the religious sphere, which had suffered from neglect and disruption during the troubled years preceding his reign. His resolve in this matter is evident from the Mahā Saman Devālaya Sannasa of Ratnapura, which records that the king convened an assembly with his provincial rulers and ministers to discuss practical measures for restoring and maintaining monasteries and dēvālayas that had fallen into disrepair.

It appears that the first practical step in the king’s religious policy was the construction of monastic residences in his capital. The Rājāvaliya states that he ordered the building of several monasteries for the Saṅgha within the royal city.

Among his major religious initiatives were the construction of a magnificent three-storyed Temple of the Tooth near his palace at Kotte, decorated with golden spires and granite pillars, and the establishment of the Sunetrādevī Pirivena and monastery at Pepiliyāna in honor of his mother, endowed with extensive lands for its upkeep. He also sponsored the restoration of ancient monuments in Anurādhapura, including the Ruvanvälisāya, and undertook repairs at the Mahiyangana Cetiya and the Kelaniya Vihāra.

The king himself was a scholar and composed the lexicon Ruvanmäla. His reign marked the high point of Sandēsa poetry, with celebrated poets such as Toṭagamuve Śrī Rāhula producing works like the Kāvyasekharaya and the Selalihini Sandēśaya. Other literary masterpieces of the period include the Guttiḷa Kāvyaya by Vattavē Thera and the Buduguṇa-alaṅkāraya by Vīdāgama Maitreya.

Issue of King Parākramabāhu VI

King Parākramabāhu VI had two biological daughters and three prominent adopted sons. Notably, he had no natural male heir, a circumstance that ultimately led to the selection of his grandson as his successor.

Biological Children

Parākramabāhu VI had at least two daughters who are celebrated in contemporary Siṃhala literature.

Princess Ulakudaya-devī (Lokanāthā) was the most renowned of his children. The king arranged her marriage to a Tamiḷ prince named Nannūrutunayyar. After this union, she adopted the Tamiḷ form of her name, Ulakudaya-devī. She became the mother of the king’s grandson and chosen successor, Jayabāhu II.

Princess Candravatī is described as the king’s elder daughter. Literary works such as the Parevi-sandeśaya were composed as devotional appeals to the gods, seeking a suitable husband for her who could provide a worthy successor to the throne.

Adopted Children

The king also raised three individuals as his sons, all of whom later played important roles in politics, religion, and warfare.

Prince Sapumāl (later known as King Bhuvanekabāhu VI) is frequently referred to as the king’s son in contemporary Siṃhala poetry, although Portuguese chroniclers such as De Couto clarify that he was in fact adopted. His biological father was a member of the royal caste from South India named Panical (or Panikki). Sapumāl became a celebrated general and was responsible for the conquest of the Yāpāpatuna (Jaffna) Kingdom.

Prince Ambulugala (later known as King Parākramabāhu VIII) was the younger brother of Sapumāl and was likewise brought up in the palace as an adopted son. He was later entrusted with suppressing rebellions in the central highlands, known as Uḍarata.

Prince Jayabāhu (later Thotagamuve Śrī Rāhula Thera), born in 1408, was closely connected to the royal family through his mother, Princess Sīlawathī (or Sīlawathie), who was the elder sister of Queen Kīrawelle Kumārī, the chief consort of Parākramabāhu VI. His mother died when he was still an infant, and his father, Prince Wikramabāhu, entered the monastic order soon afterward. As a result, the king and queen assumed responsibility for the child and raised him within the Koṭṭe palace as an adopted or foster son.

End of the Reign and Succession

King Parakramabahu VI died in 1467 CE after a reign lasting fifty-five years. His passing created a deep power vacuum, as he was the only ruler since the Polonnaruwa era capable of preserving national unity through personal authority. He was initially succeeded by his grandson, Jayabahu II.

The succession, however, soon turned violent. Prince Sapumal marched from Jaffna to Kotte, killed Jayabahu II, and seized the throne as Bhuvanekabahu VI. This internal conflict shattered the fragile unity of the kingdom. During the reign of Bhuvanekabahu VI, Jaffna regained independence under Pararājasekaran, while the Kandyan Kingdom asserted autonomy under Senasammata Vikramabahu. By the time the Portuguese arrived in 1505 CE, the unified empire created by Parakramabahu VI had fragmented into three rival kingdoms, bringing the last great phase of Sinhalese political centralization to an end.

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.
Mendis, O. (1998). The story of the Sri Lankans. Sridevi Publication.
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.
Perera, E. W. (1910). The age of Srí Parákrama Báhu VI. (1412-1467). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 22(63), 6–45.
Sirisena, W. M. (1971). Was Parākramabāhu VI of Ceylon a Jāvaka? The Ceylon Journal of the Humanities, 2(1), 1–13.
Somaratna, G. P. V. (1969). Political history of the Kingdom of Kötte (c. A.D. 1400-1521) [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of London.
Wijesekera, N. (1990). The Sinhalese. M. D. Gunasena & Co Ltd.

Predecessor		Successor
Buwanekabahu V [1372-1408 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Parakramabahu VI [1412-1467 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Jayabahu II [1467–1469 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA