Dutugamunu (Sinhala: දුටුගැමුණු Duṭugämuṇu), also known as Dutthagamani duṭṭhagāmaṇī and Gāmaṇī Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was a Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for defeating and overthrowing Elara, the usurping Tamil prince from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Kingdom of Rajarata in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of his native Rajarata region across the island of Sri Lanka.

Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbols of Sinhalese historical power, Dutugemunu's story is swathed in myth and legend. However, many aspects of the accounts of his life have been verified by contemporary inscriptions, and the basic account of his life is generally accepted as accurate.

Dutugemunu's given name was Gamini (Sinhala:ගාමිණි) or Gamani (Sinhala:ගාමණි) as the first name, a traditional Buddhist name still popular in Sri Lanka today and the second name as Abhaya (Sinhala:අභය) which means fearless. The Mahavamsa describes how as a youth he mocked his father Kavantissa (Sinhala:කාවන්තිස්ස), king of Ruhuna (Sinhala:රුහුණ), for refusing to wage war against the powerful invading Elara (Sinhala:එළාර), the Solee (Sinhala:සොළී)king of Anuradhapura (Sinhala:අනුරාධපුර) who usurped the throne by killing the native kings. The prince stated that 'If [his] father were a man he would not speak thus' and sent him a piece of women's jewellery. The resulting fury of the king caused many of his friends to flee to Malaya region and the prince himself being dubbed Dutthagamani, meaning "disobedient". After his death, he was referred to as Dharma Gamini ("righteous Gamini"), but it is as Duttha Gamini or Dutugemunu that he is known to posterity.

...
Wikipedia