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.
