The nature of the foreign invasions during the Anuradhapura period.

Sri Lanka has met with foreign invasions in the Anuradhapura  kingdom which either resulted in the death of the native king or causing the ruler to withdraw from the capital seeking for refuge. However, both had equally disastrous outcomes such as the instability of the kingdom and the ill-fated condition of the Buddha Sasana in the face of foreign occupations. Besides the arrival of Vijaya in Sri Lanka, which cannot be entirely...

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The invasion of Kalinga Magha and the fall of the Polonnaruwa kingdom.

 It is commonplace that the disunity among the natives inevitably makes a state vulnerable, as it keeps them occupied in their internal struggles which has the result of drawing their attention from possible external conquests. A similar event occurred in ancient Sri Lanka, to be more specific, during the Polonnaruwa kingdom. Sri Lanka was marked by the Kalinga Magha invasion in 1215 AD which led to the fall of the Polonnaruwa kingdom...

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Why it remains difficult to determine whether Elara was a pious king or not?

Sri Lanka has undergone foreign invasions even from Anuradhapura period as revealed by historical chronicles such as Mahavamsa. Amongst these, the invasion of Elara (from 205-161 BCE) which took place during the reign of king Asela resulted in subjugating Rajarata and remained so during the reigns of Kawanthissa and Dutugamunu during which periods the sovereignty of Sri Lanka was no longer found. Despite the South Indian origin and...

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