ANCIENT POLONNARUWA CITY

Polonnaruwa was the second major Kingdom of Sri Lanka which is situated in the North Central Province of the country. There were many number of famous kings and queens such as King Maha Wijayabahu, King Maha Parakramabahu, King Nishshanka Malla and Queen Leelawathi. This article is about some best places that we can visit in ancient Polonnaruwa kingdom.

 

Majestic Palace of King Maha Parakramabahu

This is the Majestic Palace which was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu (1153-1186 AD). It is said that it had seven stories and thousand chambers. Nowadays we can only see large brick walls of the palace that are 30 feet in height and around the palace, there are ruins of many buildings.

Kumara Pokuna

Kumara Pokuna is located near the Royal Palace, which was a most essential item of a Royal complex those days, for Royal baths. The pond was situated at a lower level than the palace, to gather water easily. The pond was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu and it is believed that it belongs to kings’ royal park, “Nandana Uyana”. According to “Mahavansa” this was named as “Sila Pokkharani”. This is a very beautiful place to visit.

Ancient Polonnaruwa Dalada Maluwa

Sath Mahal Prasadaya

This awesome brick structure is located in Polonnaruwa Dalada Maluwa. According to some sources, this seven storey structure is a special type of Dageba (Stupa). These types of Dagebas’ can be found in countries like Thailand and Cambodia. There is evidence saying that King Maha Parakramabahu did invade South Eastern Asia and we can believe that this was built due to the international relationships between countries at that time period. Still it is not clear who built this and when.

Vatadage

The Polonnaruwa Vatadage is an ancient structure which was built in the early times of Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. It is believed that this was built during the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu to hold the Relic of the Tooth of the Buddha. And also some say that this was built during the reign of King Nissankamalla to hold the alms bowl used by the Buddha.

Hatadage

Hatadage is an ancient relic shrine which was built in the reign of King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196 AD) and had been used to keep the Relic of the Tooth of the Buddha. This had been built using stone, brick and wood.

Atadage

This was built in the reign of King Maha Wijayabahu (1055-1110 AD) and it was used to keep the Relic of the Tooth of the Buddha at the time.

Stone Book

Stone Book (Gal Potha) is one of the very famous works of King Nissanka Malla which describes about himself, his rule and the suitability for being a king of Sri Lanka. This massive stone work is 26’10” long and 4’7” in breath and it has been brought from Mahiyanganaya area. The text is written in 3 columns and contain over 4300 characters in 72 lines. There are signs of liquidized metal having been poured on to the carved characters to bring out the letters much brighter and clearer.

Thuparama Image House

This marvelous building was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu. Some believe that it was built in the reign of the first King of Polonnaruwa kingdom, Maha Wijayabahu. Thuparama Image House is one of the few buildings where we can see a roof completely made out of bricks.

Nishshanka Latha Mandapaya

This is a unique structure in the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa, which was built in the reign of King Nishshanka Malla. This was used by the king to listen to “Pirith” (Chanting of Buddhist scriptures)

Rankoth Vehera

Rankoth Vehera is the largest stupa which is located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. The stupa was built in the reign of King Nissanka Malla. The Rankoth Vehera has been built according to the tradition of the stupas of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and also bears a close resemblance to Ruwanwelisaya. There is a stone inscription situated close to the stupa which even identifies it by the name "Ruwanweli". 

Alahana Pirivena

Alahana Pirivena is the great monastic complex founded by King Maha Parakramabahu. The name “Alahana Pirivena” has been originated since it has been built over a cremation ground. There are small and large rocky outcrops like the “Gopala Pabbata”, meandering stream, ponds and parks around the monastery. “Badda Seema Pasada”, a large brick building, which is situated in the highest terrace of the monastery area, was the chapter house of the monks residing in the monastery. Lankathilaka Image House is also situated in this area.

Kiri Vehera

This large stupa was built in the reign of the King Maha Parakramabahu, and there is another saying that this was built by one of King Maha Parakramabahu’s queens, named Subadra. Kiri Vehera also situated in the area of Alahana Pirivena.

Gal Wiharaya

This is a marvelous place where we can see four large Buddha Statues hewn out of rock. This was called “Uththararamaya” then. Gal wiharaya was also built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu and there are many interesting stories which have been originated around this area. One of them is that this place was fully covered with soil for its protection when South Indians invaded Polonnaruwa kingdom.

Demala Maha Seya

One of the least visited places, but one which should be visited in Polonnaruwa kingdom is Demela Maha Seya. Some believe that this was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu, using South Indian prisoners who were brought to Sri Lanka by the king after invading South India. And some say that this stupa was built to watch India from Polonnaruwa, however for some reasons, it was not fully completed. The place is now under review by the Archeological Department of Sri Lanka.

Thivanka Image House

This awesome place was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu. The large Buddha statue in the image house has been curved in three places and this is the reason that this place has got the name “Thivanka” which literally means three curves. As many other buildings in the era, this was also made with bricks including the Buddha statue. Lotus Pond is also situated near this site.

Pothgul Vehera

This is located on the banks of Parakrama Samudraya and few miles away from the kingdom. It is thought to be that this was a Buddhist library complex and a place where the Buddhist writings were studied. Pothgul Vehera was also built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu.

Statue of King Parakramabahu/Statue of Pulasthi Rishi

This beautiful stone statue is believed to be the statue of King Maha Parakramabahu. Some believe that this is the statue of Pulasthi Rishi, who was the grandfather of King Rawana. Some say that Pulasthi Rishi was the teacher of kings before the period of King Rawana and his too. However this is one of the best stone sculptures in Polonnaruwa kingdom.

Hindu Temples in Polonnaruwa

There are few Hindu temples in Polonnaruwa kingdom which were made by Chola invaders. These were constructed according to the Pandya architectural style. They were built to worship God Shiva and there are Shiva lingam inside the temples.

Nishshanka Royal Audience Hall

This was built in the era of King Nishshanka Malla and this is one of the most beautiful buildings in the ancient Polonnaruwa city. This is located near the banks of Parakrama Samudraya and there were large stone made lions around the building (One of them still remains). Granite was also used when constructing this building.

Island Garden (Deepa Uyana)

The garden was built in the reigns of both King Maha Parakramabahu and King Nishshanka Malla and it was the most completed and beautiful garden among other gardens made by kings in Polonnruwa. It is believed that there were many buildings for many purposes in the garden. The garden was recently reconstructed and now it is used as a park in modern Polonnaruwa city.

Parakrama Samudraya

One of the largest lakes in Sri Lanka, Parakrama Samudraya was built in the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu. The size of the lake was reduced by the reconstructed program of Mahaveli in the late 70s and this is a place where we can spend a whole day without any disturbance. There are ruins of few Palaces in the middle of the lake. The length of the bund of Parakarama Samudraya is nearly 15 miles and the lake is one of the landmarks of Polonnaruwa.

Article written by Ashain Sudeepa
Posted by Ashain Sudeepa (Admin)