Polonnaruwa City

  Polonnaruwa in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka is historically significant as it is the second kingdom of Ceylon. By the end of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, the country was invaded by the Cholas due to the administrative decline of its rulers. The Cholas seized power and made Polonnaruwa their administrative centre. The Chola rulers ruled Ceylon for about seventy years and Prince Keerthi of Ruhuna fought against it.

Prince Keerthi defeated the Cholas and became king in 1055 AD under the name of Vijayabahu. King Vijayabahu, a very special ruler, made the country economically self-sufficient. King Parakramabahu I, who reigned in 1153 AD, developed Polonnaruwa. King Parakramabahu built the Parakrama Samudra which provides continuous water for agriculture. Due to this, the reign of King Parakramabahu became a golden age of agriculture. King Parakramabahu worked to develop the country economically as well as religiously. King Keerthi Sri Nissankamalla  came to power after King Parakramabahu continued the activities of King Parakramabahu.

After King Nissankamalla, a capable ruler did not become the king of Polonnaruwa. The kingdom of Polonnaruwa declined in a very short period of time as a result of the rise of various individuals to power. Kalinga Magha invaded Polonnaruwa taking advantage of the irregularities in the state administration. He captured the kingdom of  and plundered the kingdom of Polonnaruwa as well as the city of Anuradhapura. After that, the kingdom of Polonnaruwa became a raw grave. After that, the kingdom of Polonnaruwa became a depopulated area for centuries. Centuries later, during British rule, the ruins of the kingdom of Polonnaruwa were discovered by the English rulers. 

I would like to bring you information about some of the historical sites in the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

01.Pothgul Vehera

This Potgul temple is believed to have been a library in the past. This temple complex was built by King Parakramabahu the Great with a very formal plan. This temple is built entirely of bricks

02.Palace of Parakramabahu

 The palace of King Parakramabahu reveals a lot of information about the architecture of the Polonnaruwa period.It is not an exaggeration to say in the chronicles that the palace was built on seven floors and one thousand floors. The ruins of the Parakramabahu Palace explain what an ancient royal palace looked like. This is the only building that has great remains to gain some insight into an ancient royal palace in Ceylon. This palace was formerly known as Vaijantha Palace. According to sources, this palace is an extremely luxurious palace.

 03.Rankoth Vehera.

 This Rankoth Vehera was built by King Nissankamalla. Rankoth Vehera is 54 meters high and 165 meters in circumference. This temple of archeological value reveals a lot of information about the construction technology of the ancient dagoba.

 

04. Bead Temple.

 This temple was built by Queen Rupavathi of King Parakramabahu . Legend has it that this temple was called the Bead Temple because of its beaded shape.

05. Sathmahal Prasadaya

This is a very rare type of dagoba. This is known as a Sathmahal Prasadaya as it consists of seven floors. Stupas like this can be seen in abundance in Thailand.

 06. Watadageya.

 The Vatadage is an architecturally superior as well as a rare and beautiful creation. This valuable structure was built by King Nissankamalla.

 07.Hetadageya.

 This was built by King Nissankamalla to house the Tooth Relic. It is believed that in the past the palace consisted of two floors.  Exquisite stone carvings can be seen at this historic site.

08.Atadageya.

 The protection of the Tooth Relic was the primary responsibility of the ruler of the country. That is why the kings built the Temple of the Tooth near their palace and performed rituals. This Atadage was completed by King Vijayabahu the Great for the Tooth Relic

09.Uththaramaya.

This temple, now known as Gal Viharaya, was formerly known as Uttararamaya. This magnificent creation was made by King Parakramabahu the Great. A single black stone Samadhi Buddha statue, a standing statue and a reclining Buddha statue can be seen in this temple premises.