The Battle of Vijithapura was a decisive battle fought in the campaign carried out by Sri Lankan king Dutthagamani against the invading South Indian king Ellalan. The battle is documented in detail in the ancient chronicles of the country. However, they only provide the viewpoint of Dutthagamani and his army, and details are scarce on Elara's side.
After launching a campaign to regain the country from Elara, Dutthagamani captured a number of his strongholds before coming to the fortified city of Vijithapura. A four-month siege ensued, followed by a large assault where Dutthagamani's champions and royal elephant played a major part. The chronicles focus a lot on these ten champions, and vividly describe some unusual "tests" that Dutthagamani carried out to find out their skills.
The battle ended in victory for Dutthagamani's forces and considerably weakened Elara's army, ultimately leading to his defeat and death. The exact location of Vijithapura is unknown, though historians have made some speculations on this. The battle is still regarded by Sri Lankans as a legendary event in the country's history, and has even been compared with victories of the Sri Lanka Army during the country's civil war.
Records
Dutthagamani's campaign against Elara is given in detail in the ancient chronicles of Sri Lanka; Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa, Rajavaliya and Thupavamsa. All of them describe the battle in detail, and apply a high importance to it. Dutthagamani is a hero in these chronicles, and his campaign is depicted as a "holy war" aimed at restoring Buddhism in the country. Therefore, these accounts are favourably biased to him, and the description of the Battle of Vijithapura, along with the rest of the campaign, is a mix of fact and legend. However, historians agree that the basic facts from these chronicles are accurate. The one sided accounts given in the chronicles mean that there is very little information to be obtained on Elara and his armies. According to Orientalist Wilhelm Geiger, who translated the Mahavamsa, the problem is "not what is said but what is left unsaid".
Background
At the time of the battle, Ellalan was the king of Anuradhapura. He was a Chola prince from South India, who had defeated the Sinhalese ruler Asela in an invasion. Although an invader, Elara is described as a just ruler who had even patronized Buddhism. Most of the country came under this Tamil king's rule, while his rival Kavan Tissa, a Sinhalese king from Ruhunu in the south of the country, organized a resistance against him. Kavan Tissa's son, Dutthagamani, ascended to the throne after the death of his father.
Soon after he became the king in Ruhuna, Dutthagamani launched a campaign against Elara with the intention of "restoring and glorifying Buddhism" in the country. After setting out from Magama and crossing the Mahaweli river, Dutthagamani captured a number of forts and cities that were under Elara, and killed several of his generals. The ancient chronicles refer to all of the chieftains or generals defeated by Dutthagamani as Demalas (Tamils). However, it is unlikely that all of them were indeed Tamils, and it is possible that one of them—whose name is given as Dighabaya—may even have been a stepbrother of Dutthagamani himself who had later joined Elara.
Vijithapura
After these victories, Dutthagamani's army marched on to the "great fortress of Vijithapura". Dutthagamani followed a road between Sigiriya and Minneriya to take his army there; a road that had been used by Pandukabhaya, a previous ruler, in his military campaigns as well.
The city of Vijithapura, which the Mahavamsa refers to as Vijitha Nagara, had been founded nearly three hundred years ago by the brother in law of king Panduvasudeva. By the time of the battle, it had become a well-fortified stronghold of Elara. It is said to have been surrounded by three moats and a wall with a height of 18 cubits. The wall had four wrought iron gates on the north, south, east and west. The Rajavaliya describes Vijithapura as a fortress second only to Anuradhapura.
The control of Vijithapura was essential to both sides. The loss of the stronghold would be a largely demoralizing factor for Elara's forces and would significantly reduce their capability to resist Duthhagamani's advance. For Dutthagamani's forces, the capture of the city would mean that they could easily move on to Anuradhapura.