Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple worshiped by Buddhist all around the country. The temple is located closer to the Kala Wewa in Anuradhapura district of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. You can access this temple through Kekirawa – Galewela road and only about 10km away from the Kekirawa temple. According to the historical sources (like Mahavamsa, Deepavamsa, Tupavamsa, and Saddharmalankaraya), the history of the Vijithapura area goes back to the reign of King Vijaya (543–505 BCE). The beginning of the Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya is not clearly identified. However, according to the legends, the history of the temple Read more...

Rankoth Vehera is the largest stupa in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and the 4th largest in Sri Lanka. It is about 33m in height and 170m in diameter. It was built by the King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196). This stupa has constructed with the same design as the Ruwanwelisaya in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. According to a stone inscription found in the vicinity of the stupa, it was initially named as “Ruwanweli Stupa”. However, later it has come to be known as Rankoth Vehera. At each of the fours sides of the stupa, there are ruins of four gateways (“Vahalkada” in Sinhala) Read more...

“Kuttam Pokuna” or “Twin Ponds” is a unique creation of ancient architecture and considered as one of the significant achievements in hydrological engineering in ancient Sri Lanka. The pond is located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.  As the name suggests, there are two ponds in this creation. It has been identified that these ponds were used to collect water for the Abhayagiri Vihara monks to bath. The two ponds are not identical and also one seems to be older than the other. The width of the ponds is the same and it is Read more...

The Lankaramaya Stupa is one of the Eight Sacred places known as “Atamasthana”. The stupa was built during the 1st century B.C. by King Walagamba (89 B.C. – 77 B.C.). It is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. According to chronicales, this place was also known by the names Silasobbakandaka and Galhebakada.  Initially, this stupa was known as Somarama Stupa in commemoration of Queen Soma who saved the life of the king. There are three rows of stone pillars that can be seen around the stupa and it is evident that there had been a house Read more...

Eth Pokuna or Elephant Pond is a huge man-made ancient pond located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura District in North Central Province. It is 52.7 m in width and 159 m in length. The depth of the pond is about 9.5 m. Supplying of water to the pond has been done by underground channels from the Periyakulam Tank. These water-supplying channels are still in working condition even after hundreds of years. The pond is surrounded by a number of ruins belongs to the Abhayagiri Monastery. Therefore this pond also may be built for the use of monks belongs to Read more...

Gal Viharaya (or Rock Monastery), originally named Uttararamaya is located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in North Central Province. It was created during the reign of King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century. The temple is famous due to the four statues of Lord Buddha carved into the face of granite rocks. The four statues included a large statue of seated Buddha, a small statue of seated Buddha, a standing figure of Buddha, and a reclining figure of Buddha. Read more...

Hatadage is an ancient shrine in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was built by the King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196 A.D.). This had been used to place the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. According to historical sources, the shrine has built in sixty hours. The English translation of the Sinhalese word “Hata” is sixty, represent the duration of the construction period and the word “Dage” has the meaning of “relic shrine”. The remaining features of the building for today, evidence that the shrine was originally a two-story building. The shrine is 120 ft in length Read more...

Atadage was constructed by King Vijayabahu I to place the Sacred Tooth Relic in the 11th century. It is located in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name “Atadage” has the meaning of “house of eight relics”.  What remains here today are the foundation and 54 stone pillars. The Tooth Relic has been kept on the upper floor made out of wood on top of these stone pillars.   External Links Journey of the Sacred Tooth Relic In Sri Lanka   Read more...

This beautifully carved ancient statue is located near the Pothgul Vehera in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The identity of this statue is not yet confirmed and some believed it to be the statue of King Parakramabahu the Great (1123–1186). And others believed that it is the statue of great Saint called Pulasthi or Kapila. The statue is about 3.5m  tall and carved into a large rock boulder. Enter your current location in the search box below the map to find the best route to the statue of King Parakramabahu the Great Click here to find a list Read more...

Abhayagiri Stupa is the second-highest stupa in the country and it is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is one also of the Eight Sacred places known as “Atamasthana”. The stupa was built by King Valagamba was also known as Vattagamani Abhaya and Valagambahu in 1st century BC. According to legends, the king has built this stupa to commemorate some incident that happened while he escaping from one fight with Tamil invaders.  According to this legend, a Jain monk called Giri has shouted at the king saying “the great black Sinhalese is fleeing”  while he was passing Read more...

Tivanka Image House is identified as the image house of Jetavanaramaya Monastery built by the King Parakramabahu the Great (1153 – 1186). It is located in the main archaeological site of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name Tivanka (means three bends) is given due to its giant Buddha image is bent at three places, namely shoulder, hip, and knee. The image house is famous due to the paintings on its interior walls. The paintings belong to the 12th century and they depict certain incidents from Jataka Stories and the life of Buddha. Like Thuparamaya and Lankathilaka, this image Read more...

According to the inscriptions found, this pillared structure has identified as the Nissanka Latha Mandapaya. It is located in the place known as Dalada Maluwa in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. This building was constructed by the King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 A.D.). According to an inscription, this is the place where the King Nissankamalla listened to Pirith Chanting (a recitation or chanting of the word of the Lord Buddha). The building is surrounded by a stone railing and the entrance is also protected by a stone doorway. The stone pillars in this building are a unique design. These pillars are Read more...

Ritigala is a mountain range located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The mountain contains ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery. The history of the monastery dates back to the 1st century BC.   Ritigala Read more...

This building has been identified as the Council Chamber of King Nissankamalla (1187 – 1196 A.D.). An inscription on the lion figure made of the stone itself identifies as the throne of the king. And the inscriptions on the pillars indicate the seating arrangement of the respective ministers and state officials. This Council Chamber is located in the Dipauyana premises in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. You can access it through the Archaeological Museum or by the footpath (Royal Palace Pathway)  which is starting in front of the entrance to the main archaeological site. Read more...

The Jathika Namal Uyana is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province. This can be accessed through Madatugama Pubbogama Andiyagala road and 6.5km away from the Kandy-Jaffna Highway (see the below map for exact location). This is the largest ironwood forest in Sri Lanka and where Asia’s largest rose quartz mountain is located in. The Jathika Namal Uyana had been a sanctuary for Buddhist monks during the era of King Devanampiyatissa. Later it had been used as a prison camp where the punishment was to plant Na trees.   External Links Mother Nature’s wonderful creation Jathika Namal Uyana Sri Read more...

The Moragahakanda Reservoir is the largest reservoir of the Mahaweli project. The Moragahakanda Dam is a high gravity dam with a height of 65 meters. The dam has created the Moragahakanda Reservoir, which has an active storage capacity of 521,000,000 cubic meters and is four times bigger than the gigantic Parakrama Samudraya in Polonnaruwa. The main viewpoint of and the dam can be easily accessed via Naula – Elahara – Pallegama – Hettipola (B312) road which is starting from Naula on Kandy – Jaffna (A009) road. The reservoir mainly belongs to the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province. You can also access this Read more...

Kaudulla National Park was designated as a national park on April 1, 2002. It is located in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province Sri Lanka. The park is spread over 6,900 hectares. You can reach the park by Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Trincomalee highway and it is around 190km away from Colombo. The Minneriya National Park, another park where you will find the Elephants in large numbers are also located close to this park. However, Kaudulla is less crowded compared to Minneriya and therefore some tourists prefer to visit Kaudulla. Kaudulla is another great place to see elephants in their natural Read more...

This image house is located in the Dalada Maluwa premises in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Although it is known as Thuparama Image House, the ancient name or the builder is not known. The image house is categorized as Gedige type as its walls and the roof is completely built with bricks. This is the only monument among those in Polonnaruwa where the roof is well preserved. A large seat thought to be the base of a giant seated Buddha statue can be seen inside the image house. The ornamentation of the exterior walls shows the influence of the Read more...

Sandakada Pahana (or Moonstone) is a semi-circular stone slab usually seen at the bottom of staircases of ancient religious places as well as some ancient royal palaces in Sri Lanka. It is a unique creation of ancient Sinhalese architecture. The Moonstone located in Mahasena’s Palace is the finest and best-preserved Moonstone found in Sri Lanka. This palace is located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Sandakada Pahana (the Moonstone) at Mahasena’s Palace interpretation According to historians, the symbols and their arrangement represents a great religious meaning. The widely accepted interpretation was introduced by Prof. Senarath Read more...

This stupa popularly known as Kiri Vehera is located in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The stupa is also a part of the archaeological site called Alahana Pirivena. The origin of this stupa not exactly traced yet. However, it is speculated that this was done by Queen Subhadra, a consort of  King Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186). This is the second largest stupa in Polonnaruwa. The lime plaster of the dome is better preserved compared to the most of other stupa found in Polonnaruwa. Probably the present name “Kiri Vehera” also derived due to this preserved lime plaster. Read more...

This is another ruin of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, which is identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An inscription found on the upper level of the staircase identifies this building as the Council Chamber (The Raja Sabhawa in Sinhala) of King Parakramabahu the Great who ruled the country for 33 years from 1153 – 1186 A.D.  It is located in front of the Royal Palace of the King. There are two moonstones located at the beginning and the middle of the staircase. Both sides of the staircase are decorated with stone carvings. There are a number of beautifully Read more...

This Siva Devalaya is the oldest Hindu shrine found in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. It was built by king Raja Raja I (985 – 1014 A.D.). According to an inscription found, this place has been dedicated to the consort of the King. Read more...

Samadhi Buddha Statue is a sitting Buddha’s statue and it is considered as one of the best sculpture created during the Anuradhapura era. It is located in Anuradhapura district of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The statue with the height of 7 feet and 3 inches has made with dolomite marble. In this statue, the Buddha is depicted in the position of the Dhyana Mudra, the posture of meditation associated with his first Enlightenment. Some scholars say Samadhi statue belongs to 3rd century BC and others say it belongs to 2nd or 3rd century AD.   External Links Iconographic Feature of the Buddha’s Read more...

The Ruwanwelisaya is a stupa in Anuradhapura District in North Central Province of Sri Lanka, considered a marvel for its architectural qualities and sacred to many Buddhists all over the world. This is one of the Solosmasthana and Atamasthana. This was built by King Dutugemunu in 140 B.C. The stupa is also known as Ruwanweli Maha Seya, Swarnamali Chaitya, Rathnamali Dagaba and Mahathupa. Read more...