Anula (Anulā) was the **Queen of Anuradhapura in ancient Sri Lanka** — reigned 47-42 BCE, **the first female head of state in South Asian recorded history**. **The Sinhalese *Mahavamsa* chronicle records that she successively poisoned four husbands** to maintain power. Eventually overthrown and killed by King Kutakanna Tissa. Despite the chronicle's hostile portrayal, **she remains historically significant as the first reigning queen in South Asia**.
Featured in the *Mahavamsa* (5th c.).
Anula reduces to four — the number of Sri Lankan first queen.