name. While his was king, Upatissa established the new capital Upatissagāma, in which the kingdom was moved to from the Kingdom of Tambapanni. When Vijaya's letter arrived Sumitta had already succeeded his father as king of his country, and so he sent his son Panduvasdeva to rule Upatissa Nuwara. Upatissagāma was seven or eight miles further north of Tambapanni. It was named after the regent king Upatissa, who was the prime minister of Vijaya. Anuradhapura In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya (437–367 BC) made Anuradhapura his capital and developed it into a prosperous city. Anuradhapura (Anurapura) was named after the minister who first established the village and after a grandfather of Pandukabhaya who lived there. The name was also derived from the city's establishment on the auspicious asterism called Anura. Anuradhapura was the capital of all the monarchs who ruled from the dynasty. The consecration ceremonies and rituals associated with kingship began during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa, under the influence of Ashoka of India. The whole country was brought under the rule of a single monarch by Dutthagamani for the first time. Before this, it had several principalities independent of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. The king of Anuradhapura was seen as the supreme ruler throughout the island, even at times when he did not have absolute control over it. Several invasions have been made against the Anuradhapura Kingdom, all of which were launched from South India. The first invasion recorded in the history of the country is during the reign of Suratissa (247–237 BC), where he was overthrown by two horse dealers from South India named Sena and Guththika. After ruling the country for 22 years, they were defeated by Asela (215–205 BC), who was in turn overthrown by another invasion led by a Chola prince named Ellalan (205–161 BC). Elara ruled for 44 years before being defeated by Dutthagamani. The country was invaded again in 103 BC by five Dravidian chiefs, who ruled until 89 BC when they were defeated by Valagamba. Genealogy The House of Vijaya claimed a close relationship to the Shakya dynasty, family of the Gautama Buddha. Timeline See also Sinhapura Shakya Notes References Bibliography External links Genealogy of the House of Vijaya 6th-century BC establishments in Sri Lanka 1st-century disestablishments in Sri Lanka