The Contemporary Social Situation Revealed Through the Information Presented About the Reigns of The Kalinga Dynasty During the Polonnaru Kingdom Period

When examining the political history of Sri Lanka, the genealogical factor comes to the fore in the power struggle that occurs with statehood and the growth of the state. It can be clearly identified that the genealogical factor was not the only factor in obtaining state power, but it was one of the most important factors. Since there has been a tradition of hereditary succession of the state since early times, dynasties such as Maurya, Lambakarna, and Manavamma have competed for the state inheritance during the Anuradhapura Kingdom Period. During the Polonnaru Kingdom Period, this struggle between the Pandya and Kalinga dynasties emerged, and it can be recognized that the various activities of both parties affected the shaping of the country's history in various ways. As the problem of this research, what the contemporary society was like, as revealed by the information revealed about the times of the Kalinga dynasty rulers during the Polonnaruwa period? The non-field method was used this research and according to the qualitative research method, the library research method was used to collect data by using primary and secondary sources, analyze the data and draw conclusions. As a result of the marriage relationships of King 1 Vijayabahu, the Kalinga dynasty, which was a foreign dynasty, is associated with the statehood of Sri Lanka, and later on, it is seen that it acquires state power. When examining the information revealed through literary and archaeological sources related to the reigns of the rulers of Kalinga dynasty, many facts about various aspects of contemporary society are revealed, and it seems that a lot of information about the social situation is also revealed. It is clear that aspects such as social stratification, various castes, and craft grades, as well as the interrelationship between castes, are revealed.