Sitavaka

Sitavaka became a major political centre in sixteenth-century Sri Lanka after the kingdom of Kotte was divided in 1521. Mayadunne ruled from this inland centre amid rivalry among Sinhala rulers and growing Portuguese influence on the coast. Roads linked the western lowlands with the island's interior.

Mayadunne's successor Rajasinha I expanded the kingdom and besieged Portuguese-held Colombo in 1587–1588 without taking it. After his death, Sitavaka rapidly weakened; by 1594 Portuguese forces and their ally Dharmapala had gained control of the former kingdom. Accounts differ over the exact year of Rajasinha's death.