kingdom · South Asia

Jaffna Kingdom

1215 CE – 1619 CE (approx.) · capital Nallur

The Tamil kingdom of northern Sri Lanka ruled by the Aryacakravarti dynasty from Nallur until the Portuguese conquest in 1619.

Origins

A kingdom in the Jaffna peninsula emerged after Kalinga Magha's invasion of Polonnaruwa around 1215. By the late 13th century it was held by the Aryacakravarti dynasty, which originated as Pandya commanders from the Rameswaram area and established itself at Nallur under the overlordship of the Later Pandyan Empire.

Rule and society

At its height in the 14th century the kingdom controlled the pearl fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar and collected tribute from the Vanni chieftaincies and parts of the Sinhalese west coast. Ibn Battuta visited its king in 1344. The court supported Hindu temples, including Nallur Kandaswamy, and Tamil literature on astrology and medicine.

Decline and legacy

The Kingdom of Kotte occupied Jaffna from about 1450 to 1467. In the 16th century the Portuguese intervened repeatedly, and after Cankili II's resistance they annexed the kingdom in 1619, adding it to Portuguese Ceylon. Jaffna remains the cultural heart of Sri Lankan Tamil society.

Connections (6)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jaffna Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/jaffna-kingdom
MLA
“Jaffna Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/jaffna-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Jaffna Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/jaffna-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jaffna Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/jaffna-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻