Funday Times

A series by Gaveshaka in association with Studio Times
A prominent place for the lion
Polonnaruwa was the medieval capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th century to the end of the first quarter of the 13th century. During the time of the Anuradhapura kingdom, Polonnaruwa was a fortified outpost known as ‘kandavuru-nuwara’ where Sinhalese garrisons were stationed during periods of internal strife between the rivals of Anuradhapura in the north and Mahagama in the south. With the ability to command the Mahaveli river crossings, Polonnaruwa was an important city even in the Anuradhapura period.

While developing a strong economy based on agriculture, the kings of Anuradhapura did not neglect the outlying areas. Not only did they build huge tanks in and around the capital and had a highly developed irrigation system, they developed other areas as well. In the 4th century, the great builder of tanks, King Mahasena constructed the Minneriya tank, not far from Polonnaruwa. Giritale, Kaudulla and Topawewa in and around Polonnaruwa were also built by Anuradhapura kings. Thus by the time Polonnaruwa was established as the capital, it had a flourishing economy.

When the Colas from India attacked Anuradhapura and devastated the city, the Cola ruler Rajaraja I established his rule from Polonnaruwa through a viceroy for nearly eight decades. This is the reason for the Hindu influence and monuments in Polonnaruwa.

In 1055 A.D, Vijayabahu I (1055-1110) re-established the Sinhala kingship and established Polonnaruwa as the capital of a Sinhala kingdom. Buddhism, which had declined during the Cola rule was restored by Vijayabahu. The golden era of the Polonnaruwa period was during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) popularly known as Parakramabahu the Great. Agricultural development reached its peak during his reign when Sri Lanka became the granary of the East.

Polonnaruwa is a well planned city. The city covers an area of about 122 hectares spread out to a distance of five kilometres from north to south and three kilometres from east to west. It contains palaces, monasteries, parks and ponds making it a worthy royal city. Within the city are several groups of carefully planned building complexes. The main city comprises a walled inner fortress and an outer walled city provided with four gateways. The walled citadel has the royal palace complex in an area of ten acres. It is a beautifully laid out complex with terraces, avenues and pathways at different levels.

The majestic royal palaces include those of Parakramabahu and his successor Nissankamalla (1187-1196). Parakramabahu’s palace had 10-foot thick walls, which had carried the weight of at lease six to seven storeys. It is said to have had a thousand rooms with hundreds of pillars of varying shapes, a dancing hall, a banqueting hall and many others.

The lion features prominently in the Polonnaruwa buildings. In Nissankamalla’s State Council Chamber was the Lion Throne on which he sat. It is gaily decorated as the picture shows. A unique feature is the inscriptions on the pillars indicating the seats allocated to each minister.

The Latha-Mandapaya built by Nissankamalla is a poem in stone. It is a unique structure. It is a pavilion with unusual stone pillars of ‘tivanka’ (thrice bent) lotus stalks, seen in the picture. Seated here, the King listened to the chanting of ‘pirith’ by monks.

The city itself and the surrounding plain were watered by the Sea of Parakrama (Parakrama Samudra), a vast reservoir comparable to the sea. Twenty years after Nissankamalla, the South Indian empire-seekers were back again, this time from the Kalinga kingdom. While the wars were going on, the decline of the city began. In the third year of the reign of Parakrama Pandu (1212-1215), Magha from Kalinga came with a large army and conquered the kingdom. The monastic buildings and the ‘chaityas’ were destroyed. The belongings of the people were plundered. The king was tortured. He ruled from Polonnaruwa from 1215- 1236.

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