Prince Vijaya was a legendary king of
Sri Lanka, mentioned in the
Pali chronicles, including
Mahavamsa. He is the first recorded King of Sri Lanka. His reign is traditionally dated to 543–505 BCE. According to the legends, he and several hundred of his followers came to Lanka after being expelled from an Indian kingdom. In Lanka, they displaced the island's original inhabitants (
Yakkhas), established a kingdom and became ancestors of the modern
Sinhalese people.