A usurper from Kāliṅga who came to Sri Lanka with a band of Kerala warriors in about 1215 A.C., deposed the reigning king, Parakkamabāhu II, blinded him, and occupied the throne at Pulatthipura. Being a bigoted Hindu, he destroyed the Buddhist religious buildings and burnt their books. He persecuted the people in various ways and distributed their land among his warriors. He ruled for twenty-one years, and seems to have been succeeded at Pulatthipura by Jayabāhu (q.v.) (Cv.lxxx.58 ff). During part of his reign, Vijayabāhu III (q.v.) ruled over a portion of Sri Lanka. Cv.lxxxi.10 ff.