Person

Parakramabahu I

1123–1186 · 12th century · Also known as Parakramabahu the Great

Parakramabahu I was king of Sri Lanka from 1153 to 1186, ruling from Polonnaruwa. After a long civil war he reunited the island, reformed and unified the Buddhist sangha, and built great irrigation works, including the Parakrama Samudra, and monuments such as the Gal Vihara. He also sent military expeditions to southern India and to Burma. He is regarded as one of the greatest Sinhalese kings.

Parakramabahu I
Image: Graham Racher from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Polonnaruwa Kingdom

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Parakramabahu I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/parakramabahu-i
MLA
“Parakramabahu I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/parakramabahu-i. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Parakramabahu I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/parakramabahu-i.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Parakramabahu I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/parakramabahu-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻