Vijayabahu the Great: The Lion of Lanka Who Defeated the Chola Empire
Posted on April 19th, 2026
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In the 11th century, Sri Lanka fell under the shadow of the mighty Chola Empire. For seventy-seven years, the island endured foreign rule, its sacred relics hidden, its temples in ruins, and its kings dethroned. But from the jungles of Ruhuna rose a teenage prince — Kitti, later crowned Vijayabahu the Great. Through seventeen years of relentless struggle, he united his people, outwitted the Cholas in battle, and launched a three-pronged assault that ended Chola power in Lanka forever. This is the epic story of the Lion of Lanka — the only ruler in the world to completely defeat and expel the Chola Empire. ⏳
Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:38 Island in Chains 1:38 The Prince in the Wilderness 3:20 Years of Fire and Steel 4:31 The Final Campaign 5:26 Rebuilding a Nation 6:32 Legacy of the Lion 📚
References • Geiger, Wilhelm (ed. & tr.). Cūḷavaṃsa: Being the More Recent Part of the Mahāvaṃsa, Part I. Translated by C. Mabel Rickmers. Asian Educational Services, 1998 (reprint). •
Paranavitana, Senarat. Panākaduva Copper-Plate Charter of Vijayabāhu I. Epigraphia Zeylanica, Vol. V, Part I (Archaeological Survey of Ceylon, 1955), pp. 1–27. •
Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. “Vijayabāhu I, The Liberator of Laṅkā”. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1955), p. 66 (citing Paranavitana, ASC Report 1949, para. 158).