International Connections

Vijayabahu I is the heroic liberator who expelled Chola occupation and established Polonnaruwa as the new capital. His 55-year reign focused on restoration: rebuilding monasteries destroyed during occupation, re-ordaining the Sangha (bringing monks from Burma to revive ordination lineages), and constructing new irrigation works around Polonnaruwa.

Vijayabahu I is the heroic liberator who expelled Chola occupation and established Polonnaruwa as the new capital. After decades of guerrilla resistance based in Ruhuna, he unified the island and drove out foreign forces. His 55-year reign focused on restoration: rebuilding monasteries destroyed during occupation, re-ordaining the Sangha (bringing monks from Burma to revive ordination lineages), and constructing new irrigation works around Polonnaruwa. His reign symbolizes Sinhalese resilience and the adaptive relocation of state power to a more defensible inland capital.