19 Facts About Prince Vijaya

Prince Vijaya is said to have came to Sri Lanka with seven hundred followers after being banished from Sinhapura.

Prince Vijaya joined a caravan headed for Magadha, which was attacked by Sinha in a forest in the Lala region.

Prince Vijaya kept Suppadevi in captivity in a cave, and they had two children: a son named Sinhabahu and a daughter named Sinhasivali.

Prince Vijaya Singha was their eldest son, followed by his twin Sumitta.

Those who think that Prince Vijaya set out from the west coast of India identify present-day Sopara as the location of Supparaka.

Prince Vijaya tied a protective thread on the hands of his followers.

Prince Vijaya went to Kuveni's place, looking for his men; he overpowered her, and forced her to free them.

Prince Vijaya brought food and goods from the ships of the traders she had devoured for Vijaya and his followers, and Vijaya took her as his consort.

Prince Vijaya established a kingdom which was named Tambapanni, because the men's hands were coloured by the area's red soil.

Prince Vijaya's followers decided to crown him king, but for this he needed a maiden of a noble house as queen.

Prince Vijaya's ministers sent emissaries with gifts to the city of Madhura, which was ruled by a Pandya king.

Prince Vijaya then asked Kuveni, his Yakkhini consort, to leave the community because his citizens feared supernatural beings like her.

Prince Vijaya offered her money, asking her to leave their two children behind, but Kuveni brought the children along to the Yakkha city of Lankapura.

Prince Vijaya asked her children to remain behind as she entered the city, where other Yakkhas saw her as a traitor; suspected of spying, she was killed by a Yakkha.

Prince Vijaya bestowed gifts on his ministers and his father-in-law; he abandoned his evil ways, and ruled Lanka in peace and justice.

Prince Vijaya sent a letter to Sumitta, but died before receiving a reply.

Prince Vijaya's queen was a daughter of the king of Madda.

When Prince Vijaya's messengers arrived, Sumitta asked one of his sons to go to Lanka because he was too old; Panduvasdeva, his youngest son, volunteered.

In Sri Lanka, the legend of Prince Vijaya is political rhetoric used to explain the origin and genetics of the Sinhalese; it is often treated as an account of historical events.