Jaffna kingdom

For other uses, see Jaffna (disambiguation).

Kingdom of Jaffna
  • யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு (Tamil)
  • Yālppāṇa arasu
  • යාපනය රාජධානිය (Sinhala)
  • Yāpanaya rājadhāniya
1215–1619
Flag of Jaffna kingdom
A reconstruction of the Jaffna kingdom flag (Nandi Kodi) based on archaeological and literary evidence.[1]
  Jaffna kingdom at its greatest extent (circa 1350)
  Jaffna kingdom in 1619
CapitalNallur
Common languagesTamil
Religion
Hinduism (Shaivism)
GovernmentMonarchy
Aryacakravarti 
• 1215–1255[2][3][4][5]
Kulankayan Cinkai Ariyan a.k.a. Kalinga Magha
• 1277–1284
Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan
• 1617–1619
Cankili II
Historical eraTransitional period
• Kalinga Magha's invasion of Sri Lanka led to the fall of the Polonnaruwa kingdom.[2][3][4][5]
1215
• Pandyas installed Aryacakravarti
1277
• Independence from Pandya dynasty
1323
1450
• Aryacakravarti dynasty restored
1467
1619
CurrencySetu coins
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
Chola dynasty
Pandya dynasty
Portuguese Ceylon

The Jaffna kingdom (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, Sinhala: යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally thought to have been established after the invasion of Kalinga Magha from Kalinga in India.[2][3][4][5] Established as a powerful force in the north, northeast and west of the island, it eventually became a tribute-paying feudatory of the Pandyan Empire in modern South India in 1258, gaining independence[2][6] when the last Pandyan ruler of Madurai was defeated and expelled in 1323 by Malik Kafur, the army general of the Delhi Sultanate.[7] For a brief period in the early to mid-14th century it was an ascendant power in the island of Sri Lanka, to which all regional kingdoms accepted subordination. However, the kingdom was overpowered by the rival Kotte kingdom around 1450 when it was invaded by Prince Sapumal under the orders of Parakramabahu VI.[6][2][3][4][5]

It gained independence from kingdom of Kotte control in 1467,[8] and its subsequent rulers directed their energies towards consolidating its economic potential by maximising revenue from pearls, elephant exports and land revenue.[9][10] It was less feudal than most of the other regional kingdoms on the island of Sri Lanka of the period.[10] During this period, important local Tamil literature was produced and Hindu temples were built, including an academy for language advancement.[11][12][13] The Sinhalese Nampota dated in its present form to the 14th or 15th century CE suggests that the whole of the Jaffna kingdom, including parts of the modern Trincomalee District, was recognised as a Tamil region by the name Demala-pattanama (Tamil city).[14] In this work, a number of villages that are now situated in the Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee districts are mentioned as places in Demala-pattanama.[15]

The arrival of the Portuguese on the island of Sri Lanka in 1505, and its strategic location in the Palk Strait connecting all interior Sinhalese kingdoms to South India, created political problems. Many of its kings confronted and ultimately made peace with the Portuguese. In 1617, Cankili II, a usurper to the throne, confronted the Portuguese but was defeated, thus bringing the kingdom's independent existence to an end in 1619.[16][17] Although rebels like Migapulle Arachchi—with the help of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom—tried to recover the kingdom, they were eventually defeated.[18][19] Nallur, a suburb of modern Jaffna town, was its capital.

  1. ^ Mudaliyar C, Rasanayagam (1993). Ancient Jaffna: being a research into the history of Jaffna from very early times to the Portuguese period. New Delhi Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120602106.
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference DS91 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Nadarajan, V. History of Ceylon Tamils, p. 72
  4. ^ a b c d Indrapala, K. Early Tamil Settlements in Ceylon, p. 16
  5. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Cod74 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ The History of Sri Lanka by Patrick Peebles, p. 31
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference PP34 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference PB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference TA29 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference g63 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kunarasap73 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference G64-65 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Indrapala, K – The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity: The Tamils in Sri Lanka C. 300 BCE to C. 1200 CE. Colombo: Vijitha Yapa.
  15. ^ "Nampota". Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference a58 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Gnanaprakasar, S. A critical history of Jaffna, pp. 153–172
  18. ^ An historical relation of the island Ceylon, Volume 1, by Robert Knox and JHO Paulusz, pp. 19–47.
  19. ^ An historical relation of the island Ceylon, Volume 1, by Robert Knox and JHO Paulusz, p. 43.