• Lankāpura

1. Lankāpura. See Lankānagara.

2. Lankāpura Dandanātha. A general of Parakkamabāhu I. He was probably (Cv.lxx.218; Cv.Trs.305, n.5) the son of the Lankādhinātha Kitti. We first hear of him as having parried the attack of Gajabāhu's forces, at the pass of Khandigāma. He was later sent in command of the expedition against Kulasekhara, to help the Pandu king, Parakkama of Madhurā. He landed at the Pandu port of Taladilla and occupied Rāmissara. From there he advanced to Kundukāla. The prisoners whom he sent to Ceylon were used to help in the restoration of the Ratanavāluka cetiya. At Kundukāla, Lankāpura built the fortress of Parakkamapura. He defeated Kulasekhara and his numerous allies in several battles, and won over some of his allies, such as Ilankiyarāyara, Mālavarāyara and Colagangara, by gifts and honours, and captured, among other places, the fortress of Semponmāri. He was assisted by Lankāpura Deva and Lankāgiri Sora, the general Gokanna, the Kesadhātus Loka and Kitti, and an officer named Jagadvijaya. He then captured Mundikkāra and several other fortresses and occupied Rājinā. He subdued the Cola and Pandu countries, and is said to have issued coins bearing the name of Parakkamabāhu I., while he restored the Pandu kingdom to Vīrapandu. The village of Pandu vijaya was founded by the king to, commemorate the victory of Lankāpura. The account of Lankāpura's exploits is found in Cv.lxxvi.76ff.; lxxvii.1ff.

It is curious that no mention is made in the Ceylon Chronicles of Lankāpura's return to Ceylon, nor of any honours bestowed on him by the king. South Indian inscriptions relate that Lankāpura was defeated, and that his head, with those of his officers, was nailed to the gates of Madhurā. Codrington, op. cit., 62, 74; also Smith, Early History of India, p.340.

3. Lankāpura. The name seems to have been used also as a title and was conferred on Kadakkuda (Cv.lxxii.39), Rakkha (Cv.lxxv.70), and Deva (Cv.lxxv.130).