Beginning of the Kotte Kingdom
The Kingdom of Sri JayawardanapuraKotte has etched an unforgettable legacy of power, architecture, classical literature and Sri Lankan spirit. This era came to be known as the Golden Age of Classical Sinhalese Literature.
The Kingdom of Kotte was established in the fourteenth century. King Parakramabahu V who ascended the throne of the then Gampola Kingdom was dethroned by King Vikramabahu the 3rdwho ruled thePeradeniya region. With the ascension to the throne by Vickramabahu the 3rd, Senevirath who served as the Chief Minister of King Buwanekabahu the 4th and the dethroned king Parakramabahu the 4thof the Gampola Kingdom was removed from the post and was replaced by NissankaAlagakkonara or NissankaAlakeshwara, the ruler of the Raigam region who was known as Prabhuraja. He fortified Kotte Kingdom as a battle encampment in the 14th century.Alakeshwara who was from the Vanik dynasty (caste of merchants) wielded enormous power as the ruler of Raigama and was extremely wealthy. He secretly harboured the thoughtsof grabbing powerand with that objective in mind; he married the sister of King Vijayabahu the 3rd.
During that period, the northern-based Jaffna kingdom was ruled by Tamil King Arya Chakaravarthi . His rule was not confined to Jaffna alone and he was in charge of the Colombo, Chillaw, Negambo and Panadura ports.He was able wield such enormous power because he was well supported by some of the Sinhala kings. When Parakramabahu the 5th was dethroned by Vickremabahu the 3rd and grabbed power, he was ably assisted by Arya Chakravarthi and his clan. As a token of gratitude, Arya Chakravarthiwas vested with powers to collect taxes and tributes from areas such as Matale, Dumbara and Siduruwana.
Infuriated by the growing influence of Arya Chakravarthi, Alakeshwara was mulling over the means of crushing the military power of him. One day, while on his way from Gampola to his native Raigama he crossed an area south to the Kelani River known as Mahadaragama or Darugama. Surrounded by water bodies, the KolonnaOya and Diyawanna Oya and swamps from three sides, it was a naturally fortified area that was well nigh impossible to access. Alakeshwara immediately knew that this was the ideal place to build a fortress. He may also have been prompted by its close proximity to Colombo, the thriving economic hub which was just six miles from Darugama.As Colombo too was under the sphere of influence of Arya Chakravarti, this close proximity to Colombo was to be exploited by Alakeshwara to under the power of Arya Chakravarti. Further, merchant vessels of Arya Chakravarti regularly sailed to ports in Colombo, Chillaw, Negambo and Panadura. Alakeshwara wanted to mount sea attacks on these vessels for which he planned to build a strong naval power. The waterways surrounding Darugama served as an invaluable asset for this purpose.
Having thus understood the strategic importance of Darugama or Kotte or Sri Jayawardanapura which means the land that brings victory, Alakeshwara selected it as the site for the construction of a fortress to annihilate Arya Chakravarti.
After division over the throne and the subsequent invasions of the colonisers, the supremacy of the Kotte Kingdom faded amidst the emergence of the Kingdoms of Sitawaka and Kandy. However, the legacy of this realm echoes on quietly.
