PorterStowell75 at 14:49, 25 February 2026

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{{Infobox royalty
| name = Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja
| image =
| succession = [[Tambralinga|King of Tambralinga]]
| reign = 1230–1262
| native_lang1 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| coronation = 1230
| predecessor = [[Sri Dharmasokaraja III]]
| successor = [[Sri Dharmasokaraja V]]
| royal house = Padmavamsa (Lotus) dynasty
| succession1 = [[Jaffna kingdom|King of Jaffna]]
| reign1 = 1255–1262
| coronation1 =
| predecessor1 = [[Kalinga Magha]]
| successor1 = [[Savakanmaindan]]
| spouse =
| issue =
| father =
| mother =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Tambralinga]]
| death_date = 1262
| death_place =
| burial_place =
| religion = [[Buddhism]]
| signature =
}}

[[File:Nakhon Si Thammarat Chedi Phra Baromathat.jpg|150px|thumb|right|''Phrae Boromadhatu'' [[stupa]]]]
'''Chandrabhanu''' ({{Langx|ta|சந்திரபானு}}, {{Langx|th|จันทรภาณุ ศรีธรรมราช}}; reigned from 1255 to 1262) or '''Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja''' or '''Sri Dharmasokaraja IV''', was the King of [[Tambralinga]] Kingdom in present-day [[Thailand]], [[Malaysia]] and the [[Jaffna Kingdom]] in northern [[Sri Lanka]]. A [[Javaka]], he was known to have ruled from during the period of 1230 until 1262.

He was also known for building a well-known [[Buddhist]] [[stupa]] in southern [[Thailand]]. In 1247 he sent an expedition to the island ostensibly to acquire the [[Buddhist]] [[relic]] from the island.<ref name=Coedes>{{Cite book
| last =Cœdès
| first = George
| authorlink = Georges Coedès
| title = The Indianized states of Southeast Asia
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 1968
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iDyJBFTdiwoC
| isbn =9780824803681 }}</ref>{{rp|184–185}} Sinhalese King [[Parakramabahu II]] sent his nephew Prince Veerabahu to handle the unexpected [[Malay invasions of Sri Lanka|Malay invasion]]. He was able to defeat Chandrabhanu.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Nishantha Joeseph |first=Sujeewa |title=Sinhalese Kings |publisher=Jayasinghe Book Publishers |isbn=9789550642328 |pages=63 |language=si}}</ref> But Chandrabhanu's forces, using poison darts, were able to occupy the [[Jaffna kingdom]], the northern part of the island in 1255. Repeated attempts to conquer the rest of the island ensued. In 1258 his forces faced an invasion of the island by the forces of the [[Pandyan Dynasty]] commanded by [[Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I]], and Chandrabhanu submitted to Pandyan rule, bringing the Jaffna kingdom under Pandyan suzerainty. From 1262–1264 Tambralinga forces, using Chola and Pandyan soldiers commanded by Chandrabhanu's son [[Savakanmaindan]] and two [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] princes were defeated by the Pandyans led in the invasion by [[Jatavarman Vira Pandyan I]].

In 1270, Savakanmaindan, kept on the Jaffna throne under Pandyan suzerainty attempted to invade the south of the island once again, and was defeated decisively by the Pandyans under [[Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I]] by the late 1270s. He spent more than 30 years in his attempt to conquer [[Sri Lanka (island)|Sri Lanka]]. He was eventually defeated by the forces of the Pandyan Dynasty from [[Tamil Nadu]] (in present-day [[South India]]) in 1262 and was killed by the brother of the south Indian Emperor [[Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan]].<ref>India's interaction with Southeast Asia,by Govind Chandra Pande p.286</ref>

==Tambralinga==
According to the inscription no.24 found at [[wat]] Hua-wieng (Hua-wieng temple) in [[Chaiya]] near to [[Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom|Nakhon Si Thammaraj]], Chandrabhanu is a ruler of [[Tambralinga]] and was of ''Padmavamsa'' (lotus dynasty).<ref name=Coedes1>{{Cite book | last = Cœdès | first = George | authorlink = Georges Coedès | title = The Indianized states of Southeast Asia | publisher = University of Hawaii Press | year = 1968 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iDyJBFTdiwoC | page = 184 | quote = "belonging to the family of the lotus (padmavamsa)" | isbn =9780824803681 }}</ref> He began to reign in 1230, he had built the ''Phrae Boromadhatu'' a [[buddhist]] [[stupa]] in Nakhon Si Thammaraj to hold the Buddha's [[relic]].<ref>Liyanage, A. ''The Decline of Polonnaruwa and the rise of Dambadeniya, (Colombo, 1968) p.136;'' ''Recuil des Inscriptions du Siam'' II, 26, tr.27.</ref>

Following his death in Lanka, the throne of [[Tambralinga]] was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Sri Dharmasokaraja V]].<ref name=ori>{{cite web|url=http://dspace.nstru.ac.th:8080/dspace/bitstream/123456789/337/1/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A.pdf|title=พระเจ้าศรีธรรมาโศกราช|trans-title=Sri Thammasokaraj|language=th|author=Chatchai Sukrakarn|accessdate=6 November 2024|date=October 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812062734/http://dspace.nstru.ac.th:8080/dspace/bitstream/123456789/337/1/%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%88%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A.pdf |archive-date=12 August 2024 }}</ref>{{rp|42}}

==First invasion of Sri Lanka==
It was recorded by the [[Mahawamsa]], the historic chronicle of [[Sri Lanka]] to have [[Malay invasions of Sri Lanka|invaded Sri Lanka]] in 1247 in search of Buddha's relict that Sri Lanka already had. According to Sri Lankan sources he was a [[Javaka]] chieftain and a [[Piracy in the Strait of Malacca#History|sea pirate]] from the kingdom of [[Tambralinga]]. Although King Parakramabahu II (1236–70) from the Sinhalese Kingdom of [[Dambadeniya]] was able to defeat him, Chandrabhanu moved north and secured the Tamil throne for himself around 1255. [[Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan]] of the [[Pandyan Empire]] in [[Tamilakkam]] intervened in 1258 and made Chandrabhanu submit to Pandyan rule, annually offering precious jewels and elephants in tribute. A second attempt by Chandrabhanu to invade from the north prompted the south Indian Prince [[Jatavarman Veera Pandyan]], brother of emperor Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan to intervene in 1262–1264. Chandrabhanu was killed in the battle. Veera Pandyan proceeded to plant the Pandyan bull victory flag at [[Koneswaram temple]], Konamalai.<ref name="M">Bennett, Mathew ''The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval warfare'', p.100</ref> Savakanmaindan, son of Chandrabhanu, inherited the northern Tamil throne upon his father's death.

==Chandrabhanu's son==
Chandrabhanu's son [[Savakanmaindan]] submitted to Pandyan rule and was rewarded, he was allowed to retain control of the Jaffna kingdom while Sundara Pandyan remained king of Pandyan. [[Marco Polo]], describing Sundara Pandyan's empire as the richest in the world, visited the Jaffna kingdom upon docking at [[Trincomalee]], and described the locals under king ''Sendemain's'' rule as mostly naked and feeding on rice and meat. The land was abundant with rubies and other precious stones, although by this stage Savakanmaindan had stopped paying tributes to the Pandyans. When Savakamaindan embarked on an invasion of the south, the [[Pandyan Dynasty]] under King [[Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I]] again invaded and defeated his forces in the late 1270s. However, to further the power of Tamil [[hard power]] in the region,<ref>deSilva 67</ref> they eventually installed one of their ministers in charge of the invasion, [[Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan]], an [[Aryacakravarti]] as the King.<ref name=DS91>de Silva, A ''History of Sri Lanka'', p.91-92</ref><ref>Kunarasa, K ''The Jaffna Dynasty'', p.#</ref> In the local [[Tamil language]], all South East Asians are known as ''Javar'' or [[Javanese people|Javanese]]. There are number of place names in the [[Jaffna]] peninsula which pertains to its South East Asian connections. [[Chavakacheri]] means a Javanese settlement. Chavahakottai means a Javanese fort all alluding to Chandrabhanu's brief rule in the north.<ref name=Codrington>{{cite web|author=Codrington, Humphry William |title=Short history of Sri Lanka:Dambadeniya and Gampola Kings (1215-1411)|url=http://lakdiva.org/codrington/chap05.html|publisher=Lakdiva.org|work=
|accessdate=2007-11-25}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book
| last = de Silva | first = K. M. | title = A History of Sri Lanka | publisher = Vijitha Yapa | year= 2005 | location = [[Colombo]]
| isbn = 955-8095-92-3 | page = 782}}
*{{cite book | last = Kunarasa | first = K
| title = The Jaffna Dynasty | publisher = Dynasty of Jaffna King's Historical Society | year= 2003
| location = [[Johor Bahru]] | isbn = 955-8455-00-8 | page = 122}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061117113938/http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=ancientindia&sid=24&count1=6&cid=181 History of Chandrabhanu and the Sailendras]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060717063618/http://www.borobudur.tv/history_1.htm History of Sri Vijaya and Tambralinga]

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|House of Padmavamsa||?||1262}}
{{S-reg}}
{{s-break}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Sri Dharmasokaraja III]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Tambralinga|King of Tambralinga]]|years=1230–1262}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sri Dharmasokaraja V]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Kalinga Magha]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Jaffna Kingdom|King of Jaffna]]|years=1255–1262}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Savakanmaindan]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Rulers of Jaffna Kingdom}}

[[Category:Kings of Jaffna]]
[[Category:13th-century monarchs in Asia]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Tambralinga]]
[[Category:1262 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Thai people of Malay descent]]

Chandrabhanu - Revision history

PorterStowell75 at 14:49, 25 February 2026