The Polonnaruwa Power Shift: After Anuradhapura's Fall

In 993, the Chola emperor Rajaraja I sacked Anuradhapura, ending over a thousand years of Sinhalese Buddhist kingship. But the story didn't end with the city's fall. This episode explores the century of Chola rule that followed — how Rajaraja and his son Rajendra I administered the island from Polonnaruwa, built Hindu temples, and reshaped local power structures. We follow the Sinhalese resistance in Rohana, the rise of Vijayabahu I, and how he threw off Chola rule in 1070. Along the way, we meet the warrior-poet Kambar, the enigmatic queen Sugala, and see how the Cholas left a permanent mark on Sri Lanka's architecture, language, and identity. It's a tale of conquest, adaptation, and the slow reclamation of a kingdom — one that would set the stage for the island's next great dynasty.

#Polonnaruwa #CholaConquest #RajarajaI #RajendraI #VijayabahuI #SriLankanHistory #Anuradhapura #Rohana #Sugala #Kambar #HinduTemples #SinhalaKingdoms #SouthAsia #MedievalHistory #Buddhism #TamilHistory #History #FexingoHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo (buymeacoffee.com/fexingo)