Alagakonara

Sinhalese family

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June 18, 2026

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The Alagakonara were a powerful Sinhalese family in Sri Lanka who gained prominence around the 14th century. They established a strong position at Rayigama, near the west coast. The Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta noted one of the Alagakonaras as a sultan named Alkonar in 1344. This family was influential during a period when Sinhalese political authority was shifting southwestward following the decline of central control from Polonnaruwa. The Alagakonara family's influence was part of the broader political landscape of Sri Lanka during the drift to the southwest, a period marked by shifting capitals and external invasions.12

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Sri Lanka
Political changes
Meanwhile, the Alagakonara, a powerful Sinhalese family, attained a strong position at Rayigama, near the west coast; the Muslim traveler Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, who visited Sri Lanka in 1344, referred to one of the Alagakonaras as a sultan named Alkonar. In 1412 the capital was taken by Parakramabahu…
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Meanwhile, the Alagakonara, a powerful Sinhalese family, attained a strong position at Rayigama, near the west coast; the Muslim traveler Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, who visited Sri Lanka in 1344, referred to one of the Alagakonaras as a sultan named Alkonar. In 1412 the capital was taken by Parakramabahu…
Read More