No. 63. — 1910.] AGE OF SRI PARAKRAMA BAHU VI. 
19 
the next five centuries lived in the afterglow of their classic 
tradition, and modelled their thoughts and language, both 
poetry and prose, on the productions of the fifteenth century. 
It would appear that the choice of Sri Parakrama Bahu to 
the throne was ratified by the Emperor of China , who claimed 
the overlordship of the Island after the capture of the late 
monarch. According to Chinese records the election of this 
ruler was confirmed by an edict from Nankin.^ The monarch 
realized that at this crisis it would not be politic to repudiate 
the suzerainty of China , which at most was shadowy , and bring 
on a repetition of the evils which an open flouting of Chinese 
authority had brought about in the preceding reign. He 
bided his time till he reorganized the kingdom and consoli- 
dated his power to throw ofi^ the allegiance to the Dragon 
throne. The suzerainty involved a yearly tribute,^ which 
was first paid to the envoys who brought the ratification from 
China. The second time they came after an interval of five 
years. Next they came circa 1459,^ but at this period the 
Sinhalese monarch was at the zenith of his power. The Lord 
of " the three-fold Sinhala " and the overlord of South Indian 
cities would acknowledge no master, and the Chinese junks 
sailed away without the tribute. This was the last time that 
the imperial Chinese galleys swept our seas, but they were 
soon to be replaced by the keels of a power far more formidable 
than the Manchu Tartars. 
To soothe the national sentiment which had been outraged 
by the previous royal alliances with the alien Girivansa^ 
which brought on the Alakesvara dominion, Sri Parakrama 
Bahu married a princess from the village of Kiravella* in 
Beligal korale, described as a daughter of the Lord of the Uda- 
pas-rata, ' ' Five highland districts " (Kandy) , and a descendant 
of the Sakya prince Anuruddha.^ At the instance of Vida- 
gama Maha Sami, he installed his younger brother Mayadunne 
1 Tennent's " Ceylon," vol. I., p. 624. 
2 Tennent's "Ceylon, ' loc, cit., p. 625. 
^ Probably the Sk. equivalent of the Tamil royal dynasty of Mai a ii nan, 
which had its seat at Conjeveram. Attanagaluvansa (Sinhalese), p. 1. 
* Rdjdvaliya, p. 68 ; Valentyn. 
5 Mahdva^stty ch. IX., p. 37. 
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