Polonnaruwa was the medieval capital of Sri Lanka. In
its prime, the city was protected by 6km (3.5miles) of
strong encircling walls. Strategically it commanded all
the crossing over the Mahaweli River, guarding the increasingly
powerful southern Province, Ruhuna. In AD 993 the Cholas
looted and burnt Anuradhapura and used Polonnaruwa as
their military base for 77years, resulting in an interesting
blend of south Indian Hindu culture and Sinhalese Buddhist
art and architecture.
Around the Tank
"Not even a drop of water from the rain must flow
into the ocean without being made useful to man",
declared the Grand Monarch parakrambbahu when he constructed
the Parakrama Samudra which covers
an area of 2,430 hectares (6,000acres). This monumental
feat of engineering had 11 channels leading water off
in different directions to feed a network of irrigation
canals and minor tanks. The government run rest
house is right on the shoreline of the tank, the
rooms opening onto a veranda with beautiful views.
Close to the rest house is the Archaeological
Museum. it may not look impressive but it is interesting
for its superb chola bronzes and other artefacts. On apromontory
by the lake is the Dipuyyana
(the Island Garden) which was Parakramabahu's royal retreat.
The chronicle compares its splendour to the Versailles
palace of Louis XIV. The surrounding water must have kept
the gardens wonderfully cool through out the year.
Among the pleasures to be enjoyed in the gardens were
the baths, a collection of circular and square pools which
were fed by underground pipes from the tank. Parakramabahu's
instrusive successor built the windowlwss stone Mausoleum
next door, now an uninspiring sight due to neglect, although
some of its red, white and blue painted plaster is still
intact. Even less remains of a wooden columned Audience
Hall that was built beside it. However, one of
Nissanka malla's buildings is of great importance, though
not for its architectural merit. The columns of his royal
Council Chamber were inscribed
with the positions to be occupied by the King's Council,
following a strict protocol, giving us a picture of the
political scene at the time.
There is an island pavilion in the lake where brick couches
provide rest and views across the vast expanse of water.
On a peninsula projecting from the northern shore is the
Summer Palace of Parakramabahu,
which has become home to a variety of birds.
A detour south along the bund to see the Pothgul
Vihara (southern Monastery) is worthwhile particularly
if you like puzzles. Here you will find four small dagobas
surrounding a circular brick building on the central platform.
The acoustics of this enigmatic building are excellent,
even without the corbelled roof that it would have had
when it was built. This has led to a suggestion that it
was a lecture theatre where the tents of Buddhism were
read aloud. A little further north there is further evidence
to back up this theory.
The Statue of Parakramabahu / Agastaya
is a huge 12th - century rock sclpture of great quality.
A bare foot figure, clad only in a sarong, steps forward
out of the wall of rock from which he was carved. His
broad face, with its beard and walrus moustache has a
look of seriousness softened by spirituality, as he holds
a sacred manuscript from which he appears to be reading
aloud. It seems certain that he is a religious teacher,
which would coincide nicely with the theories about the
function of the Pothgul Vihara.
The Subject of the Statue is a matter of debate: a Saivite
rishi named Agastaya is the most probable candidate but
it has also been suggested it is a representation of the
city's great hero, parakrambbahu and is a memorial to
him. Whoever it represents this 3.5 metre(11.5ft) figure
is a masterpiece.
