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Kotte Kingdom

Kingdom of Kotte
කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය
Sri Lanka
1412–1597


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Capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Languages Sinhalese
Religion Theravada Buddhism
Government Monarchy
Kingdom of Kotte
 •  1412–1467 Parakramabahu VI of Kotte
 •  1508–1528 Parakramabahu IX of Kotte
 •  1551–1597 Dharmapala of Kotte (Last)
History
 •  Unification of all Sri Lanka 1412
 •  Disestablished 1597
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Kingdom of Raigama
Portuguese Ceylon
Kingdom of Sitawaka


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The Kingdom of Kotte, centered on Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (located just outside present-day Colombo), was a kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century.

The term Kotte is said to have derived from the Malayalam word "Kōttei" which means fortress.The word Kotte was introduced by Nissankamalla Alagakkonara, who was the founder of the fortress. They were believed to be from the city of Vanchi, identified with Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu. The Alagakkonara family have also been identified to be of Malayali ancestry.

Founded as a fortress by Minister Alakesvara (1370–1385) of the Alagakkonara clan of the Kingdom of Gampola during the reign of Vikramabahu III of Gampola to checkmate invasions from South India on the western coast, Parakramabahu VI later made Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte his capital city in 1412. It was well protected by the large swamp which surrounded the area.

Parakramabahu VI first became the king of Raigama in 1412, then in 1415 he made Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte his capital. The King upgraded the existing citadel and built a new royal palace. Parakramabahu VI waited until ties between the Vijayanagara Empire and Jaffna kingdom were severed. First he captured the Vanni and made its leaders loyal to him. Prince Sapumal was the commander of the Kotte army at the time.


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