The Kingdom of Anuradhapura

History of Anuradhapura city

In the ancient Time, The country was divided in to three sections, such as Ruhunu, Pihiti, Maya. Anuradhapura Kingdom was the first ancient Capital  of Sri Lanka. It was Home to 127 Kings and Queens. it was created by King Pandukabhaya. After the minister of  Anuradha it was know as Anuradha Grama and latter it became Anuradhapura. The first king of the Anuradhapura was King Pandukabhaya and last king was King Mihidhu v. 

In the ancient Time Kingdom was largely based on Agriculture and the construction of Irrigation was a major acumen of the Anuradhapura Kingdom and on the other hand one of the most notable events during the Anuradhapura Kingdom was introduction of Buddhism to the country.

According to the our History, Thera Mahinda came to Sri Lanka from India on full Moon Poya day of the Month of Poson and met King Dewanampiyathissa and the People  and preached the Doctrine after that the Monk gave instruction to built the Thuparamaya. it was the first Pagoda in Sri Lanka.

After all of these incident the Theri Sangamiththa has been brought the Sacred bo-tree to th Sri Lanka in the Third Century BC. It was most significant incident in that Era.  it is most venerated placed in 3rd Century BC.  The right Win Branch of the original Sacred Bo-tree in India was brought to Sri Lanka by Theri Sangamiththa. who was the Daughter of Emperor Darmashoka who rein in India in that period.

This is the Right win Branch of the original Sacred Bo-tree which is in India. while Lord Buddha was Meditating in His final Time, He was siting under the original Bo-tree.

In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya appointed as the king and made it as his capital and developed it into a prosperous city. The name Anuradhapura was aderived from the city's establishment on the auspicious asterism called Anura. with the exception of king Kashyapa who has chosen Sigiriya to be his capital, Anuradhapura was the capital of all the kings who ruled the country during in the Anuradhapura Kingdom.

King Pandukabhaya, the founder and the first ruler of Anuradhapura Kingdom, fixed villages boundaries in the country and established an administration system by appointing village headmen. He constructed hermitages, houses for the poor, cemeteries, and irrigation tanks. He brought a large portion of the country under the control of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. However, it was not until the reign of Dutthagamani (161–137 BC) that the whole country was unified under the Anuradhapura Kingdom. He defeated 32 rulers in different parts of the country before he killed Elara, the South Indian ruler who was occupying Anuradhapura, and ascended to the crown. The chronicle Mahavamsa describes his reign with much praise, and devotes 11 chapters out of 37 for his reign. He is described as both a warrior king and a devout Buddhist. After unifying the country, he helped establish Buddhism on a firm and secure base, and built several monasteries and shrines including the Ruwanweli Seya, a marvelous architecture in the world and Lovamahapaya, a seven stage building which made with the planning of the kingdom of Goddess Barani.

Beside him, another important king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom is king Valagamba, also known as Vatthagamani Abhaya, who was overthrown by five invaders from South India. He regained his throne after defeating these invaders one by one and unified the country again under his rule. Saddha Tissa , Mahaculi Mahatissa , Vasabha, Gajabahu I, Dhatusena , Aggabodhi I  and Aggabodhi II were the rulers who ruled the entire country after Dutthagamani and Valagamba.

Rulers from Kutakanna Tissa (44–22 BC) to Amandagamani (29–19 BC) also managed to keep the whole country under the rule of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. Other rulers could not maintain their rule over the whole island, and independent regions often existed in Ruhuna and Malayarata (hill country) for limited periods. During the final years of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, rebellions sprang up and the authority of the kings gradually declined. By the time of Mahinda V (982–1017), the last king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, the rule of the king had become so weak that he could not even properly organize the collection of taxes.

During the times of Vasabha, Mahasena (274–301) and Dhatusena, the construction of large irrigation tanks and canals was given priority. Vasabha constructed 11 tanks and 12 canals, Mahasen constructed 16 tanks and a large canal, and Dhatusena built 18 tanks. Most of the other kings have also built irrigation tanks throughout Rajarata, the area around Anuradhapura. By the end of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, a large and intricate irrigation network was available throughout Rajarata to support the agriculture of the country.