The village of Darugama lay at the confluence of two streams, the
Diyawanna Oya and the Kolonnawa Oya. As Darugama was a naturally secure place, it was not easy for enemies to enter it. Here, in the 13th century, a local chieftain, Nissanka
Alagakkonara, built a
Kotte, or fortress. Alagakkonara is mentioned by
Ibn Batuta as ruling in
Kurunegala, but other sources indicate that he was the Bandara (Guardian) of Raigama Korale (county) in the modern
Kalutara District. Arya Chakravarthy's army was held by Alagakkonara in front of Kotte, while he defeated the enemy's invasion fleet at Panadura to the south-west. Kotte was a
jala durgha (water fortress), in the shape of a triangle, with the Diyawanna Oya and Kolonnawa Oya marshes forming two long sides; along the shorter third (land) side a large
moat (the 'inner moat') was dug. The fortress was nearly in area, fortified with
ramparts of
kabook or
laterite rock, high and in breadth. In 1391, following the conquest of the
Kingdom of Jaffna by Prince
Sapumal (Sembahap Perumal), Kotte was given the epithet 'Sri Jayawardenepura' ('resplendent city of growing victory'). It became the capital of the ancient
Kingdom of Kotte, which it remained until the end of the 16th century. From the ramparts to the magnificent three storied buildings that housed the kings palace, laterite and clay were the main raw material used in its construction. One of the places from which the laterite blocks were mined can be seen even today inside the premises of
Ananda Sasthralaya (a local school). The main features of the capital city were: • The three-storeyed Dalada Maligawa with Buddha's sacred tooth relic in it (Temple of the tooth), • The five-storeyed "Arama" where sixty Buddhist Bhikkus resided, with a Sangha Raja(a high priest)as the chief incumbent, • The king's treasure house, • The 'Kotavehara' at Baddagana, the only Buddhist temple of the city outside the moat and rampart, • The Royal cemetery at Beddagana (Veherakanda memorial), • The 'Angampitiya', the military parade and training ground just inside the inner moat. The
Portuguese arrived on the island in 1505 and were initially welcomed by the king, but they had militaristic and monopolistic intentions and gained control of the city by 1565. Failing to withstand repeated assaults by the forces of the neighbouring
Kingdom of Sitawaka, the city was abandoned by the Portuguese, who made Colombo their new capital. Like similar cities of that era, Sri Jayawardenepura was built with security in mind. A rampart and
moat protected the entire city. Traces of this moat and rampart are still visible today at certain places. Along parts of the rampart, encroachers have now built houses, garages and even toilets. The
urbanisation of Kotte restarted in the 19th century. The archaeological remains were torn up and used as building materials (a process that continues)—some of it even ending up in the Victoria Bridge, across the Kelani River. Sri Lanka formally changed its administrative capital from
Colombo to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte in 1982. While designated as the new capital in 1977 to relieve congestion in Colombo, the official relocation was marked by the inauguration of the new Parliament building in Kotte on 29 April 1982. == Legislature ==