Image title: Council Chamber (detail)

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.).

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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.