Successors
Vikramabahu had no direct heirs to the throne, and ten years of internal disorganization and disunity followed his death. The Chola empire took advantage of the situation, putting three of the next five princes who assumed the throne to death.
Immediately after Vikramabahu's death, his Senpathi Kitti assumed power. Kitti was deposed after eight days by Mahalanakitti, who bore the title "Chief Secretary" to Vikramabahu, but of whom little is known. He ruled for a further three years but fell in battle with the Chola. He was succeeded by a number of Indian princes as the Sinhalese were willing to follow anyone who would lead them to freedom from the Chola empire. However successive rulers left Ruhuna much worse off than before.
Eventually in 1055, Vijayabahu I was proclaimed king, and following a seventeen-year long campaign he successfully drove the Chola out of Sri Lanka, reuniting the country for the first time in over a century.
Read more about this topic: Vikramabahu Of Ruhuna