Kalingas , after the death of king Nissankamalla,
who belonged to their clan, brought several
Kalinga members such as, king Nissankamalla’s
nephew (his sister’s son) Chodanga, his brother
Sahasamalla, his wife Kalyanawathi to power.
The Pandyans brought queen Leelawathi, the
wife of king Parakramabahu I, to power thrice.
Thus, the struggle between the Pandyans and
the Kalingas was a reason for the decline of the
Polonnaruwa kingdom.
- Economic Deterioration
Since weak rulers came to power after the death of
King Nissankamalla and as they could not build
a political stability, it seems that the tanks and
anicuts were not maintained properly. As there
were political disorder at this time, provincial
ruling too may have been paralyzed. This led to
a decline in agriculture and trade. This led to a
complete economic paralysis.
- Invasion of Kalinga Magha
The immediate reason that affected the decline
of the Polonnaruwa kingdom was the invasion
of Kalinga Magha. When Magha invaded this
country with a huge army in 1215, Sri Lankans
could not face them due to the disordered
political situation that prevailed in the country.
As a result of that, the city of Polonnaruwa and a
number of areas in Rajarata went under Magha’s
army. When we consider the destruction,
and the outcomes of the invasion of Magha, it
made a great influence not only on the capital
of Polonnaruwa, but also on the Rajarata
civilization, which had a history of not less than
one thousand and five hundred years.
This is a part from Mahawamsa, which describes
the destruction caused by Magha: “People were
tied, tortured and made them beggars by looting
their wealth; statues were broken down, temples
were robbed; devotees were attacked; children
were beaten (..by the invaders).” Thus, due to the
destructive activities of the enemies, there was
no security for the lives and properties of the
Rajarata people.Its result was that the oppressed monks and
the people migrated to Ruhuna, Malaya Rata
(upcountry) or Maya rata for protection.
Therefore, many areas in Rajarata were devoid
of people. Some parts freed from the central
ruling became rural areas. The religious places
such as, Ruwanweli Seya, Abhayagiriya, and
Jethawanaramaya, which were worshipped daily,
were gradually went into wilderness. Many
populated cities in Anuradhapura became ruins.The reasons for the decline of the ancient cities :- Invasions of the enemies
- Downfall of the central ruling
- Lack of security
- Paralysis of the trade and transport affairs
- Migration of people to other areas
7.4 The Second Urbanization
When the prosperous cities existing in the dry
zone declined, several cities, especially outside
the dry zone, emerged in the South-eastern areas
in no time. The emergence of these cities is a result
of another process of urbanization. Operating
several ruling centres due to decentralization
of political power, growth of new harbours,
reflecting a new intelligence awakening due to the
rebirth of literature provide a sufficient base to
introduce this process as a second urbanization.
Another important trend that should be taken
into consideration regarding the advancement
of urbanization during this time is setting up
of new trade relations network and widening of
commercial activities with that.When we compare the cities originated in the
second urbanization process with the great
cities that existed in the previous era, the main
feature that could be seen is that the plans of