Rakendamisala

Rakendamisala is a historic period in the chronology of ancient Sri Lanka. It is a name given to the tenth and final period of the indigenous Rajarata period, which marked the end of the ancient country's unique Buddhist-historical past. This period is notable for the decline of power and spirituality in Sri Lankan society, as well as the eventual overthrow of the native monarchy and the beginning of new era of foreign invasion.

Historians date the Rakendamisala period from the mid-fourteenth to the early sixteenth century, a time of great change in the island nation. The period is characterized by the decline of the Buddhist sangha, royal infrastructures, and the eventual capitulation of native armies. This led to the absorption of the island into external empires, namely the Jaffna Kingdom and eventually the Kingdom of Kotte.

The name Rakendamisala is derived from the Sinhalese word "rake," meaning cirque or enclosure, and "damasala," meaning last or final. This nomenclature reflects the significance of this period as the culmination of the Buddhist nation of Sri Lanka's fortified past. Throughout the Rakendamisala period, indigenous institutions suffered degradation, sparse city populations dwindled, and eventually foreign interests displaced local ones, heralding a new chapter in the country's history. The period marked an epochal end to the ancient empire that stood as a beacon of Buddhist politics and countryside formation under indigenous rule.