PARAKRAMABAHU II

                When Magha was ruling over Rajarata, many of the Sinhalese chiefs in other parts of the island ruled by themselves like separate little kings. They did this by going to live in rock fortresses so that they could be safe from the Tamils. One of these chiefs, Vijayabahu III, (1232 - 1234), lived at Dambadeniya. He drove the Tamils out of Mayarata and became the chief ruler of the Sinhalese.

                after his death, his son, Parakramabahu II (1236 - 1271) ruled for thirty-five years. He was a very well-educated man and the people called him "the all-knowing pandit". He wrote the Kavsilumina, which is the story of the Kusajataka in poetry.

                Like most of the Sinhalese kings, he wanted to drive the Tamils out of Ceylon. So he fought against them. He could not drive them out of Jaffna, but he was able to take back Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva.

                Parakramabahu II was a very good Buddhist. In all parts of the island he re-built the Buddhist buildings which had been destroyed by the Tamils. This meant a great deal of work bestroyed by the Tamils. This meant a great deal of work because the Tamils had broken down buidings everywhere. Many Buddhist bhikkus had gone away during the time of cruel King Magha, and now Parakramabahu II asked them to come back again. He did not allow the bad bhikkus to remain in the Sangha.

                All the time he was trying to do these things, he was being attacked by foreign armies. It is said that the Pandya kings came twice to Ceylon and made the people give them everything they wanted.

                The worst attack, however, was made by Chandrabhanu, the king of Tambralinga, a place in the Malay Peninsula, near the bay of Bandon. Chandrabhanu was a buddhist and he heard that there was a wonderful image of the Buddha in Ceylon. He wanted to have it for himself and as he knew that the Sinhalese would never give it to him, he sent an army to fight for it and take it. Parakramabahu II would not allow him to do it and Chandrabhanu went away to South India. He got an army to come again to Ceylon from there and this time he asked for the tooth and the bowl of the Buddha. The Sinhalese would not give them to him and Chandrabhanu marched as far as Yapahuva. Here the Sinhalese army fought against him and defeated him.

END

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