Kingdom of Gampola | Ancient Ganga Siri Pura
The Kingdom of Gampola (Sinhala: ගම්පොල රාජධානිය/ යුගය; Tamil: கம்பளை இராசதானி) was the fourth kingdom in Sri Lanka that flourished on the island from the 14th to the 15th century (from 1341 A.D. to 1412 A.D.). It was known as " Ganga Siri Pura " due to its environmental association with the Mahaweli Ganga River ( De Silva, 1990 ). History The Sinhalese Kingdom which was first established in Anuradhapura in the 3rd century B.C. moved to Polonnaruwa in the 11th century A.D. and then to Dambadeniya in the 13th century A.D. Buvanekabahu IV (1341-1351 A.D.), the son of King Vijayabahu V (1335-1341 A.D.) of Dambadeniya ascended to the throne after his father and shifted the capital from Kurunegala to Gampola giving birth to the fourth kingdom of the country, the Kingdom of Gampola. The exact reason for the transition of the Sinhalese Kingdom from Dambadeniya to Gampola is unknown even though it was commonly considered as for defence (De Silva, 1990). The last king of Gampola was King Bu…
