King Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE]

Predecessor		Successor
Jayabahu I [1110-1111 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Gajabahu II [1132-1159 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

King Vikramabāhu I, also known as Vikkamabāhu or Vikumbā, ruled the Rajarata from his capital at Polonnaruwa between 1111 and 1132 CE. As the son of Vijayabāhu I (1055-1110 CE), his reign marked a decisive shift from the unified stability established by his father to an era characterized by fragmentation, civil war, and tension with the Buddhist Sangha. He is notable as an unconsecrated ruler who never underwent the formal rite of kingship (abhiseka), largely because of political conspiracies within his own family.

Royal Lineage and Early Career

Vikramabāhu was born to Vijayabāhu I and the Kalinga princess Tilokasundarī, whom the king had taken as his second mahesī in order to secure dynastic continuity. During his father’s lifetime, Vikramabāhu was raised to the rank of Adipada. Recognizing his son’s abilities and wishing to safeguard his position, Vijayabāhu I entrusted him with the governance of Ruhuna, where he established his administrative center at Mahanagahula (Mānāvuļu).

The Succession Crisis

The death of Vijayabāhu I in 1110 CE immediately plunged the kingdom into a ruthless struggle for power. Although Vikramabāhu was the king’s son, a powerful alliance led by his aunt Princess Mittā, the sister of Vijayabāhu, and her three sons—Mānābharaṇa, Kittisirimegha, and Sirivallabha—moved to exclude him. They secretly consecrated Jayabāhu I, who was then Uparaja, and, in a clear violation of established custom, appointed Mittā’s eldest son Mānābharaṇa as the new Uparaja. By this act, Vikramabāhu was effectively removed from the line of succession.

When news of his father’s death and the coup at Polonnaruwa reached Vikramabāhu in Ruhuna, he advanced northward with a small but highly disciplined force. The armies of Jayabāhu and the three brothers moved south to intercept him, yet Vikramabāhu demonstrated clear military superiority. In successive encounters at Kosgoda, Dambagalla, and Galabädda, his outnumbered troops defeated the royal forces. He then reversed the situation entirely, driving his rivals westward and capturing Polonnaruwa, thereby assuming control of the capital.

Nature of His Rule

Although Vikramabāhu established himself as ruler of the Rajarata, he never exercised authority over the whole island. The kingdom fractured into three competing principalities. Vikramabāhu governed the northern region, Pihitirata, from Polonnaruwa, while his cousins Mānābharaṇa, Kittisirimegha, and Sirivallabha divided control of Maya-rata and Ruhuna among themselves.

Foreign Threats and Military Success

Early in his reign, Vikramabāhu was confronted by an external danger that temporarily eclipsed the civil conflict. A warrior prince named Viradeva, described as the lord of Ariyadesa and sovereign of Palandipa, landed in the north with a formidable force. Vikramabāhu initially suffered a serious defeat near Mannar and was forced to abandon Polonnaruwa. In a later engagement near the Mahaweli River, however, he employed strategy rather than strength, drawing Viradeva’s troops into swampy terrain where they were annihilated and their leader slain. This victory firmly secured Vikramabāhu’s control of the Rajarata for the remainder of his life.

Internal Disorder and Governance

The chronicles portray Vikramabāhu’s reign as one marked by violence and economic oppression. He and his southern rivals imposed crushing taxation on the population, “squeezing the people like sugarcane in a mill,” in order to finance their incessant warfare. During this period, the deterioration of the hydraulic system accelerated, as irrigation works were neglected and agricultural stability gave way to military priorities.

Hostility Toward the Buddhist Sangha

One of the most distinctive features of Vikramabāhu I’s reign was his antagonism toward the Buddhist Order. His resentment appears to have stemmed from the role played by senior monks in the conspiracy that denied him legitimate succession. He expelled monks from the principal viharas of Polonnaruwa and converted these sacred institutions into barracks for foreign mercenaries, including Keralas and Tamils. Temple lands were confiscated to maintain his military followers, and shrines were stripped of gold, pearls, and precious stones to fund his campaigns.

In response to this persecution, the monks of the ascetic sects and the eight chief viharas secretly removed the Tooth Relic and the Alms-bowl Relic from Polonnaruwa and carried them to the safety of Ruhuna. The loss of these sacred palladia represented a blow to Vikramabāhu’s legitimacy, since possession of the Tooth Relic was regarded as essential to the rightful exercise of sovereignty.

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
Jayabahu I [1110-1111 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Vikramabahu I [1111-1132 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-	Gajabahu II [1132-1159 CE] -House of Vijayabahu-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA