Duṭṭhagāmaṇī

Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for first uniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Elara, a Tamil king from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Anuradhapura kingdom in 205 BC. Duṭṭhagāmaṇī also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of the Rajarata kingdom across the island of Sri Lanka.

Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbols of Sinhalese historical power, Duṭṭhagāmaṇī's story is swathed in myth and legend.

the name is a pejorative nickname his father Kavantissa is said to have coined after the prince mocked him for inaction—hence Duṭṭha-Gāmaṇī = “Gamini-the-Rebellious.” He'd stated that "If his father were a man he would not speak thus" and sent him a piece of women's jewellery. The resulting fury of the king caused many of his friends to flee to Malaya region.

In the south-eastern Ruhuna kingdom a gāmaṇī was a war-leader drawn from the rural nobility, so the word doubled as a masculine given name—Gāmaṇī ≈ “young chieftain.” from “village headman, local chieftain.”( gāma “village")