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.