Kalinga Magha

Who is Kalinga Magha?

Kalinga Magha, also known as Cinkaiariyan Cekaracacekaran I and Magha the Tyrant, is an invader who is remembered primarily for his aggressive conquest and Hindu fanaticism. He is identified as the founder of the Jaffna kingdom and first king of the Aryacakravarti dynasty. Kalinga Magha was a prince from the Kingdom of Kalinga which was in the Orissa state of modern India. His family was connected to the rulers of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. Kalinga Magha’s relatives of Ramanathapuram administered the famous temple of Rameswaram. He usurped the throne from Parakrama Pandu of Polonnaruwa, in 1215. His reign saw the massive migration of native Sinhalese to the south and west of Sri Lanka, and into the mountainous interior, in a bid to escape his power. Magha was the last ruler to have his seat in the traditional northern seat of native power on the island, known as Rajarata; so comprehensive was his destruction of Sinhalese power in the north that all of the successor kingdoms to Rajarata existed primarily in the south of the island.