The
Jaffna kingdom (1215-1624 CE), also known as
Kingdom of Aryacakravarti, of modern northern
Sri Lanka was a historic monarchy that came into existence around the town of
Jaffna on the
Jaffna peninsula after the invasion of
Magha, who is identified as the founder of the Jaffna kingdom and is said to have been from
Kalinga, in India. Established as a powerful force in the north, north east and west of the island, it eventually became a tribute paying feudatory of the
Pandyan Empire in modern
South India in 1258, gaining independence in 1323 with the fragmentation of the Pandyan control when the last Pandyan ruler of Madurai was defeated and expelled in 1323 by
Malik Kafur, the army general of the Muslim empire
Delhi Sultanate. For a brief period, in the early to mid-14th century, it was an ascendant power in the island of Sri Lanka when all regional kingdoms accepted subordination. However, the kingdom was eventually overpowered by the rival
Kotte Kingdom, around 1450 when it was invaded by
Prince Sapumal under the Kotte Kingdoms directive.