Nissankamalla’s advocacy of Kalinga lineage to become a Sinhala King

Nissanka Malla, also known as Kirti Nissanka and Kalinga Lokesvara was a king of Sri Lanka who ruled the country from 1187 to 1196. He is known for his architectural constructions such as the Nissanka Lata Mandapaya, Hatadage and Rankot Vihara, as well as for the refurbishment of old temples and irrigation tanks. 

According to 'Rajavaliya,' Nissanka Malla ,from Sinhapura in Kalinga, came to Sri Lanka under the invitation of  King Parakramabahu the Great. This he did because there was a relationship between Parakramabahu and Nissankamalla. When Nissankamalla was brought to the country, he was first appointed a leader and then promoted to the post of 'Yuvaraja.'

There had been disputes after the death of King Parakramabahu, due to forwarding different claims to the throne. Both Pandya and Kalinga dynasties claimed a right to the throne and serious disputes arose. King Nissankamalla had taken trouble to point out that his dynasty – the Kalinga dynasty – had the right to kingship. He even installed inscriptions to prove this fact. His belief was that the rightful owners of kingship in Sri Lanka, were the kings belonging to the Kalinga dynasty.

A rock inscription made by Nissanka Malla at Dambulla mentions that he is of the Kalinga Dynasty and a descendant from the race of King Vijaya. Another inscription at Ruwanwelisaya describes him as being a member of a royal family of Kalinga born at Sinhapura. The inscription there reads;

...having come from the royal line of the Ikshvaku family having become like a forehead mark to the royal family of Kalinga emperors born at Sinhapura...

By claiming to be descended from Vijaya, the first king of Sri Lanka, Nissanka Malla justified his right to the throne. He secured his position further by declaring that the ruler of Sri Lanka should adhere to Buddhism. His rock inscription at Galpotha describes this, saying that "non-Buddhists should not be placed in power in Sri Lanka to which the Kalinga dynasty was the rightful heir".

King Nissankamalla's inscriptions refer the right ascendancy to the throne. It refers to a period 17 centuries before, when the 'Sinhala-Rajya' began. That is a reference to King Vijaya. According to this reference - "I who claim heredity to the line of King Vijaya of Sinhapura in Kalinga, am the only one, who is fit to be the king of Sri Lanka.”