International Connections

Kalinga Magha (1215–1236) – Kalinga Magha was an invader from Kalinga (East India) who conquered Polonnaruwa and ruled for 21 years. Kalinga Magha's invasion marks a watershed: ending the classical hydraulic kingdoms centered on Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa and initiating a decentralized, mobile capital era..

Kalinga Magha (1215–1236) – Kalinga Magha was an invader from Kalinga (East India) who conquered Polonnaruwa and ruled for 21 years. Chronicles describe his reign as brutal and destructive: monasteries were desecrated, irrigation systems neglected, and the Sinhalese population fled southward. His occupation forced the permanent abandonment of Polonnaruwa as the capital, fragmenting the kingdom into competing regional powers (Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala). Kalinga Magha's invasion marks a watershed: ending the classical hydraulic kingdoms centered on Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa and initiating a decentralized, mobile capital era.