The Sinhala kingdom ceased to exist by 1815,following the British takeover. While the Sinhala kingdom is claimed to have existed from 543 BCE to 1815 CE, other political entities claimed to have co-existed in Sri Lanka spanning certain partial periods, including theJaffna kingdom (which existed 1215–1624 CE),[5]Vanni chieftaincies (which existed from the 12th century to 1803 CE) and thePortuguese andDutch colonies (which existed 1597–1658 CE and 1640–1796 respectively).[6] During these partial periods of time, these political entities were not part of the Sinhala kingdom, exceptJaffna and theVanni chieftaincies following theinvasion by Parakramabahu VI, until his death.[b] Records byFaxian thero[clarification needed] and the Mahavamsa suggests it may have extended toMaldives and parts of India as well.[7][4]
