Heritage of Lanka
From the chronicle kings of Anuradhapura to the last king of Kandy: an archive of two and a half millennia, with every claim marked as legend, chronicle or documented fact, and every date traced to its source.
Kingdoms
Ten royal centres, in rough order of time. Dates are approximate; early dates follow the chronicles and are traditional.
Kings
Choose a reign. Each profile carries an evidence label: Legend Chronicle Documented — documented means supported by inscriptions or surviving remains.
Queens & royal women
Women appear in the chronicles as rulers, regents, mothers and founders of dynasties. The record is thinner than for kings, and stories about some are legend.
Wars & resistance
Architecture
Select a monument.
Life at court and in the village
What we know of dress and daily life comes from three kinds of evidence: the frescoes at Sigiriya, stone sculpture such as the figures at Polonnaruwa, and descriptions in the chronicles and inscriptions. Together they show elaborate jewellery, ornate headdresses and layered cloth at court.
Reconstructions of everyday clothing for farmers or soldiers are interpretive. This archive does not publish portraits of early kings: none made in their lifetimes survive, and any likeness would be invention.
The economy rested on rice grown with tank irrigation, supported by a system of reservoirs and channels engineered over many centuries, which is why irrigation recurs in royal biographies.
Learn
Five questions for students. Each answer is explained from the sources used in this archive.
Search results
Type in the search bar above to look across kings, queens, kingdoms, battles and monuments.