Image title: Council Chamber (ground plan)

English text:

An inscription found on the stone slab at the upper level of the flight of steps of the building identifies the building as Raja Vaishyabhujanga Mandapa, the council chamber of King Parakramabahu the Great (1153- 1186 A. D.). it has three consecutive tiers faced with decorated stone tablets. The roof supported on stone pillars of the upper most tier probably had wooden members and covered with clay tiles. The investigations have revealed that the present form of the building may have been a result of a renovation, probably during the Dambadeniya period (13th century A.D.).

Ground plan:
a. Stone Slab indicating the name of the building as "Raja Vaishayabhujanga Mandapa"

Sinhalese text (not proofread):

මෙම ගොඩනැඟිල්ලේ පියගැටපෙඟෙ ඉහල අන්තයේ දොරටුව අනීයය ඇති ගල්ලෑල්ල මත කොටා ඇති ලිපියකට අනුව මෙය රාජ වෛශත ගුජංග මණ්ඩපය නම් වූ මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජු (ක්‍රි. ව. 1153 1186) විසින් ඉදිකළ රාජ සභා ගොඩනැගිල්ල ලෙස හඳුනාගෙන ඇත. කැටයම් සහිත ගලින් නිම කරන ලද මාලක තුනෙන් ඉහලම මාලකය මත ගල් ටැම් නංවා ඉදිකර ඇති මේ අලංකාර ගොඩනැගිල්ල දැව පරාල යොදා උළු සෙවිල්ලූ පියස් සකින් යුක්තව තිබෙන්නට ඇත. එහෙත් දැනට පෙනෙන මෙම ගොඩනැගිල්ල පරාක්‍ර මබාහු රජුට පසු කලෙක කරන ලද ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණයක් බැටීමේ ස්ථානයේ කළ පර්යේෂණ වලින් ඉගවුරු වී ඇත. ඇතැම් විට මෙය සිදුවන්නට ඇත්තේ දඹදෙණි යුගයේ (ක්‍රි. ව. 13 වන සියටසේ ) විය යුතුය.

බිම් සැලසුම
"රාජ වෙන ශූරංග මණ්ඩපය" බවට තව සඳහන් ගල් පුවරුව

Transcription (not proofread):

mema goḍanæṅgillē piyagæṭapeṅge ihala antayē doraṭuva anīyaya æti gallǣlla mata koṭā æti lipiyakaṭa anuva meya rāja va‍ĩśata gujaṅga maṇḍapaya nam vū mahā parākramabāhu raju (kri. va. 1153 1186) visin idikaḷa rāja sabhā goḍanægilla lesa handunāgena æta. kæṭayam sahita galin nima karana lada mālaka tunen ihalama mālakaya mata gal ṭæm naṅvā idikara æti mē alaṅkāra goḍanægilla dæva parāla yodā uḷu sevillū piyas sakin yuktava tibennaṭa æta. ehet dænaṭa penena mema goḍanægilla parākra mabāhu rajuṭa pasu kaleka karana lada pratisaṅskaraṇayak bæṭīmē sthānayē kaḷa paryēṣaṇa valin igavuru vī æta. ætæm viṭa meya siduvannaṭa ættē daḅadeṇi yugayē (kri. va. 13 vana siyaṭasē ) viya yutuya.

bim sælasuma
"rāja vena śūraṅga maṇḍapaya" bavaṭa tava sandahan gal puvaruva

Transcription (not proofread):

mema godanangille piyagatapenge ihala antaye doratuva aniyaya ati gallǣlla mata kota ati lipiyakata anuva meya raja va‍ĩshata gujanga mandapaya nam vu maha parakramabahu raju (kri. va. 1153 1186) visin idikala raja sabha godanagilla lesa handunagena ata. katayam sahita galin nima karana lada malaka tunen ihalama malakaya mata gal tam nanva idikara ati me alankara godanagilla dava parala yoda ulu sevillu piyas sakin yuktava tibennata ata. ehet danata penena mema godanagilla parakra mabahu rajuta pasu kaleka karana lada pratisanskaranayak batime sthanaye kala paryeshana valin igavuru vi ata. atam vita meya siduvannata atte daḅadeni yugaye (kri. va. 13 vana siyatase ) viya yutuya.

bim salasuma
"raja vena shuranga mandapaya" bavata tava sandahan gal puvaruva

Translation of Sinhalese text (automated translation):

According to an inscription inscribed on the stone slab near the entrance to the top of the steps of this building, this is identified as the palace building built by King Maha Parakramabahu (1153 1186 AD) called Raja Vaishatha Gujanga Mandapam. This beautiful building, which is built with stone tam on the topmost of the three malays made of carved stone, may have had a piyas covered with tiles using wooden rafters. But this building that is visible now is a result of research done at the site of a renovation done sometime after King Parakra Mabahu. Perhaps this must have happened in the Dambadeni era (13th century AD).

Tamil text (not proofread):

இக்கட்டிடத்தின் படிக்கட்டுக்களின் கடைசி மேல் மூலையில் கதவுக்கு முன்னுள்ள கற்சுவரில் செதுக்கப்பட்டுளிள கல் வெட் டின் படி மசாடராக்கிரமாகுவால் கட்டப்பட்ட (கி.பி. 1153-1186) "ராஜ வைசா புஜங்க' என்னும் அரச சபை மண்டபம் என இது அடையாளங்காணப்பட்டுள்ளது. சித்திர வேலைப் பாடுகளுள்ள கற்களாற் செய்யப்பட்டு ஓடுகளால் வேயப்பட் G0201 இருந்திருக்கக்கூடும். இருப்பினும் இன்று காணப்படும் இக்கட்டிடம் பராக் கிரமபாகுவிற்கும் பிற்பட் காலத்தில் பதுப்பிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கலாம் என்று இங்கு செய்யப்பட்ட ஆய்வுகளில் நிரூபிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சில வேளைகளில் தம்பதேனியா யுகத்தில் கி.பி. 13ம் தூற்றாண்டில்) நடந்திருக்கலாம்.

அரச மாளிகை
ராஜ வைஸ்யா ப.ஜங் எனக் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ள கற் பலகை

Transcription (not proofread):

ikkaṭṭiṭattiṉ paṭikkaṭṭukkaḷiṉ kaṭaici mēl mūlaiyil katavukku muṉṉuḷḷa kaṟcuvaril cetukkappaṭṭuḷiḷa kal veṭ ṭiṉ paṭi macāṭarākkiramākuvāl kaṭṭappaṭṭa (ki.pi. 1153-1186) "rāja vaicā pujaṅka' eṉṉum araca capai maṇṭapam eṉa itu aṭaiyāḷaṅkāṇappaṭṭuḷḷatu. cittira vēlaip pāṭukaḷuḷḷa kaṟkaḷāṟ ceyyappaṭṭu ōṭukaḷāl vēyappaṭ G0201 iruntirukkakkūṭum. iruppiṉum iṉṟu kāṇappaṭum ikkaṭṭiṭam parāk kiramapākuviṟkum piṟpaṭ kālattil patuppikkappaṭṭirukkalām eṉṟu iṅku ceyyappaṭṭa āyvukaḷil nirūpikkappaṭṭuḷḷatu. cila vēḷaikaḷil tampatēṉiyā yukattil ki.pi. 13m tūṟṟāṇṭil) naṭantirukkalām.

araca māḷikai
rāja vaisyā pa.jaṅ eṉak kuṟippiṭappaṭṭuḷḷa kaṟ palakai

Transcription (not proofread):

ikkattidathin padikkattukkalin kadaisi mel mulaiyil kathavukku munnulla karsuvaril sethukkappattulila kal ved din padi masadarakkiramaguval kattappatta (ki.pi. 1153-1186) "raja vaisa pujanga' ennum arasa sapai mandapam ena ithu adaiyalanganappattullathu. sithira velaip padugalulla karkalar seyyappattu odugalal veyappad g0201 irunthirukkakkudum. iruppinum inru kanappadum ikkattidam parag kiramapaguvirkum pirpad kalathil pathuppikkappattirukkalam enru ingu seyyappatta ayvugalil nirupikkappattullathu. sila velaigalil thambatheniya yugathil ki.pi. 13m thurrandil) nadanthirukkalam.

arasa maligai
raja vaisya pa.jang enag kurippidappattulla kar palagai

Translation of Tamil text (automated translation):

At the top corner of the stairs of this building, a stone veet carved into the stone wall in front of the door identifies it as the "Raja Vaisa Bhujanga" royal council hall built by Masadarakramaku (1153-1186 AD). It may have been made of carved stones and tiled with tiles G0201. Studies conducted here have shown that the building may have been built in a later period than that of Barak Gramapagu (maybe in the 13th century CE) of the Dambadeniya era.

Gallery information:

These photographs were taken at the Polonnaruwa archaeological site which preserve some of the monuments and religious structures of the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa (also Pulathisipura or Vijayarajapura) of Sri Lanka dating to the 10th century CE. Some of the important kings who reigned in this kingdom are King Vijayabahu I and his grandson, king Prakramabahu the Great. The city and it's architecture were influenced by various religious such as Hinduism in its early history, Shaivism and later Buddhism.