Sinhalese kingdom retreats to Dambadeniya

1217

Under pressure from Tamil invasions and internal strife, the Sinhalese kings of Sri Lanka abandoned Polonnaruwa and moved their capital to the hilltop fortress of Dambadeniya. The Tooth Relic of the Buddha traveled with them, ensuring the new capital's legitimacy even as the old irrigation civilization declined. The great reservoirs and canals that had sustained the northern dry zone were left to silt and jungle.