Kingdom of Kotte facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingdom of Kotte කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය Sri Lanka
1412–1597
Flag
Kingdom of Kotte (1505)
The Kingdom of Kotte in 1467 AD at its greatest extent, the time of Parakramabahu VI's death
Capital	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Common languages	Sinhalese, Tamil
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Government	Monarchy
Kingdom of Kotte
• 1412–1467	Parakramabahu VI of Kotte
• 1472-1480	Bhuvanaikabahu VI of Kotte
• 1484-1518	Parakramabahu VIII of Kotte
History
• Unification of all Sri Lanka	1412
• Disestablished	1597
Succeeded by Portuguese Ceylon Kingdom of Sitawaka

Map of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (1557 -1565)

The Kingdom of Kotte (Sinhala: කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය Kottay Rajadhaniya) was an important kingdom in Sri Lanka. It was located around the city of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. This kingdom was very powerful during the 15th century.

History of Kotte

Rise of the Kingdom

The Kingdom of Kotte began in 1412. A powerful leader named Parakramabahu VI of Kotte became king of a place called Raigama. A few years later, in 1415, he decided to make Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte his main city, or capital.

King Parakramabahu VI improved the city's defenses. He also built a grand new royal palace for himself. He was a smart ruler who waited for the right moment to expand his power.

Expanding the Kingdom

King Parakramabahu VI wanted to make his kingdom stronger. He waited until the Vijayanagara Empire and the Jaffna Kingdom were no longer close allies. Then, he took control of the Vanni region. He made the local leaders of Vanni loyal to him.

A skilled military leader named Sapumal Kumaraya was in charge of the Kotte army at this time. The Kotte kingdom was quite diverse. The Tamil language was even used in the king's court.

Images for kids

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  Political map of Sri Lanka following the "Spoiling of Vijayabahu"

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  A flag of the Catholic Karava Sinhalese who became Catholics during Kotte era

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  Kelani Viharaya