Issued under Dharmasoka, whose reign lasted a matter of months in 1208–1209 before he was deposed, this copper massa belongs to one of the most compressed and turbulent sequences of kingship in Polonnaruwa's history. The early 13th century saw the kingdom cycling through rulers in rapid succession as South Indian political pressure and internal succession conflicts destabilized the Sinhalese throne. Dharmasoka was one of several short-reigning kings sandwiched between longer dynasties, making attributable issues from his rule genuinely scarce by simple probability of production time.
Issued under Dharmasoka, whose reign lasted a matter of months in 1208–1209 before he was deposed, this copper massa belongs to one of the most compressed and turbulent sequences of kingship in Polonnaruwa's history. The early 13th century saw the kingdom cycling through rulers in rapid succession as South Indian political pressure and internal succession conflicts destabilized the Sinhalese throne. Dharmasoka was one of several short-reigning kings sandwiched between longer dynasties, making attributable issues from his rule genuinely scarce by simple probability of production time.