Polonnaruwa Kingdom

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The Polonnaruwa Kingdom was the kingdom from which Sri Lankan kings ruled the island from the 8th Century until 1310 CE.

After ruling the country for over 1200 years from the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Sri Lankan kings decide to move their capital to Polonnaruwa as it was further inland from Anuradhapura and therefore gave them more time to organize defenses in times of foreign invasion. Polonnaruwa had previously been an important settlement in the country as it commanded the crossings of the Mahaweli Ganga towards Anuradhapura.

Some of the notable rulers of Polonnaruwa include Vijayabahu I and Parakramabahu I (Parakramabahu the Great). Most of Polonnaruwa that remains today dates from after the 1150s, as the extensive civil wars that preceded Parakramabahu's accession to the throne devastated the city.

The Polonnaruwa Kingdom was abandoned in the 14th century, and the seat of government for the Sinhalese kings was moved to Yapahuwa. Although many factors contributed to this, the leading cause of the abandonment of Polonnaruwa as the kingdom of Sri lanka was it's susceptibility to invasions from south India.