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Reign of Vijayabahu in Sri Lanka

Type Event Region South Asia Time 1121–1130

In the 1120s Sri Lanka entered a consolidation phase of the Polonnaruwa era after Vijayabahu I unified the island, with his son Vikramabahu I continu…

Timeline

  1. 1121–1124Polonnaruwa · Sri LankaVijayabahu I had died around 1110, but his policies—uniting Sinhalese and Tamil regions, moving the capital to Polonnaruwa, and restoring Theravada Buddhist order—still profoundly shaped island kingship in the 1120s. Vikramabahu I continued his father's institutional legacy and consolidated royal control over the southern rice-growing districts.
  2. 1124–1128Northern Province (south of the Jaffna Peninsula) · Sri LankaAs the Chola Empire declined, its influence on the Tamil communities of northern Sri Lanka weakened but did not disappear. The island king maintained a military presence and local administration in the north, balancing the power of Tamil chiefs and avoiding a repeat of Chola-style direct occupation.
  3. 1128–1130Polonnaruwa Buddhist architectural complex · Sri LankaMonastery repairs, canon editing, and large reservoir projects begun in Vijayabahu's era continued through the 1120s. As the core of political legitimacy and cultural identity, the sangha formed a firm alliance with the royal house, making Polonnaruwa a symbol of the peak of medieval Sri Lankan civilization.

Sources