The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c29.s5.28

v3.c29.s5.28

The Lambakaṇṇa prince, although he had been elected to the throne, could not venture within reach of Parakkama-Bāhu Āpā, but he established himself at Rayigama, and was at war with the Āpā until 1414, when he ascended the throne at Kōṭṭe as Parakkama-Bāhu VI. These vicissitudes of the early years of his reign explain discrepancies between the various authorities as to the date of his accession. He reigned for nearly fifty-seven years from his election as king in A.D. 1409 until his death in A.D. 1466. His long reign, during which Toṭagamuve Çrī Rāhula Thera and his learned colleagues and pupils flourished, was a period of great literary activity and brilliancy. Çrī Rāhula, who was the abbot of Vijaya-Bāhu Pariveṇa, and belonged to the Uttaramūlanikāya, was the greatest scholar of the age, and was patronised and encouraged by the king, himself the author of a metrical vocabulary of Elu words, entitled *Ruvanmal-nighaṇṭu*. Çrī Rāhula's devotion to the royal family is exhibited in many affectionate references to members of it in his writings. He was an accomplished linguist, being master of six languages, and was also a poet of the first rank.