KOTTEE

Kotte Kingdom's downfall began with an event in 1521 which became known as the "Wijayaba Kollaya". The Kotte king Vijayabahu VI's three sons mutinied and killed their father dividing the kingdom among themselves. This gave rise to three minor kingdoms, Kotte, Sitawaka and Principality of Raigama. The divided Kingdom of Sitawaka became more powerful with local popular support and Kotte Kingdom had to rely on Portuguese for help. The king of Kotte after Wijayabe Kollaya, Buvenekabahu VII, got assistance from the Portuguese in order to defeat his brother, Mayadunne. He also allowed his daughter's son, Prince Dharmapala, to be baptized as a Catholic by the Portuguese. After Buvenekabahu had named Dharmapala as his heir, he was shot - supposedly by accident - by a Portuguese soldier.

In 1565 capital of Kotte was abandoned by Dharmapala of Kotte due to frequent attacks from the Kingdom of Sitawaka led by Mayadunne and his son Rajasinghe I; he was taken into Colombo under Portuguese protection. Most of the areas of Kotte Kingdom were annexed to the Kingdom of Sitawaka however after the downfall of Sitawaka in 1594, these areas were re-annexed to the Kotte kingdom. In 1597 Dharmapala gifted the Kotte Kingdom to the Portuguese throne and Kotte era was officially ended.

The

KINGDOM OF KANDY

Kingdom of Kandy was an independent monarchy of the island of Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries, allying at various times with the Jaffna Kingdom, the Madurai Nayak Dynasty^[1] of South India, Sitawaka, the Portuguese and the Dutch to ensure its survival. From the 1590s, it was the sole independent native polity on the island of Sri Lanka, and through a combination of hit-and-run tactics and diplomacy kept European colonial forces at bay, before finally succumbing to final, British colonial rule in 1818. The kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectorate following the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817.Over the years, the Kingdom of Kandy has been known by many names. These include:

• Kanda Uda Pasrata
• The Senkadagala Kingdom
• The Kanda Udarata
• The Mahanuwara Kingdom
• Sri Wardhanapura
• Sinhalé
• Thun Sinhalaya or Tri Sinhala

RITIGALA

RITIGALA

At 766 m (2513 feet) above sea level, and 600 m above the surrounding plains, Ritigala is the highest mountain in northern Sri Lanka. The modern name Ritigala is derived from the ancient name Ariṭṭha Pabbata (Dreadful Mountain), mentioned in the Mahavamsa.

Its elevation is higher than the other main tourist attractions of the north central plains, namely Sigiriya, Dambulla and Mihintale. The significance of this topographical feature lies in the abrupt sheerness of the massif, its wooded slopes and wet microclimate at the summit. During the North East monsoon (December to February), Ritigala experiences the highest rainfall (125 cm) of entire dry zone.

The wet micro climate at Ritigala is a singular occurrence in the north central plains, the ancient Sri Lanka’s “Wewe Bandi Rata” meaning “the land of rainwater reservoirs” in Sinhalese.

          Legends abound on Ritigala. One of mysterious aspect is the belief of powerful medicinal herbs found near the crest. A herb called “Sansevi” is believed to have the power of conferring long life and curing all human pain. According to legend, all vegetation on Ritigala is protected by Yakkas, the guardian spirits of the mountain. The venerable Prof. Walpola Sri Rahula Maha Thera (1907–1997), a Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, a Buddhist monk scholar, in his “History of Buddhism in Ceylon, says "the term “Yaksa” denotes superhuman beings worthy of respect. It is possible that it was applied, by an extension of meaning, also to some pre-Buddhistic tribe of human beings, aboriginal to Ceylon".

The legend has it that Prince Pandukhabaya (3rd century BC) was assisted by Yakkas during his battles against his eight uncles at the foot of Ritigala. Another legend refers to a duel of two giants, most possibly Yakkas, named Soma and Jayasena. Soma being killed in the duel, Jayasena became a legend

NATURAL DISASTERS

GRADE 7

YAPAHUWA 

GRADE 7

DAMBADENIYA KINGDOM

Indian invasions in the early 13th century briefly dislodged Polonnaruwa as the royal capital and brought the royal palaces to a century-long hiatus in the north-west of the island. Vijayabahu III (1232-36) fought these invaders and retreated to build his palace on the summit of Dambadeniya, which was solidly fortified and secured by a moat, marsh and sturdy ramparts. His son, Parakramabahu II, later became king and ruled until 1270, successfully winning a momentous battle against the Indian King Kalinga who wanted to wrest control of the tooth relic. It was during Parakramabahu’s time that Dambadeniya, 30km south-west of Kurunegala, reached the height of its glory, and where the tooth relic was safeguarded.

Though excavations have not been extensive at Dambadeniya, the visitor can see remains of the palace, the temple of the tooth and six ponds (perhaps bathing pools), and climb the the rock to get excellent views. The Vijayasundaramaya, a restored 18th century temple a little walk from the main palace complex, contains Buddha images and wall paintings.

Yapahuwa Kingdom - 1273-1326

King Buwanekabahu (younger son of king Panditha Parakramabahu) chooses Yapahuwa as the capital due to security issues. This was needed because his brother Vijayabahu was dethroned and there was a threat from Chandrabanu from Java too. He conveyed tooth relic from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa. He built Yapahuwa fortress on a rock which is very similar to Sigiriya.

Kurunegala was a safe area for a kingdom because of the Ethugala rock. The belief is that the ruins in Panduwasnuwara are of Kurunegala era. However there are some evidence saying that Panduwasnuwara was formerly constructed by king "Panduwasdew"(who was throned after Vijaya). The city has been reconstructed in the Kurunegala era. Some pictures of Panduwasnuwara are shown below.

GRADE 6

Gotaimbera

According to the Mahãvamsa (chapter 23, verse 49-54), Gotaimbara, the seventh and youngest son of Mahanaga, was born in the village of Nitthulavitthika in the Giri region. Once, his brothers cleared the jungle for cultivation, but left a smaller area for Gota, who was short and lazy, to clear. Gota got angry with his brothers and cleared the whole jungle by uprooting some giant Imbara trees using his hands. Because of this incident, his family named him Gota of Imbara, which became Gotaimbara, and he was sent to the king of Lanka for royal service

.Dagonna has been an area of Gotaimbera, one of the ten giants (ministers) of King Dutugamunu. Thus it gains a reputation in the history of the country. Devanandaramaya and the adjoining Devalaya, which is devoted to Gotaimbera, is said to be one of the places where Gotaimbera used to live, attending to agricultural activities. When he joined King Dutugamunu’s army, he made a vow that when King Dutugamunu won the war, he would build a Buddhist temple. Later, fulfilling his vow, he constructed the Devanandaramaya temple, which means satisfaction of gods. According to folklore, Gotaimbera's native village is Godigamuwa, in the western province of Sri Lanka, at Divulapitiya electorate. But he lived in Dagonna, his mother's and wife's (Aepaa Devi's) native place.