Palace of King Parakramabahu the Great
King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) built a magnificent palace with seven stories, said to have had 1000 chambers. While it may be unlikely that the main building alone could have accommodated such a large number of rooms, it is possible when considering the entire palace complex.
Today, visitors can observe the massive walls over a meter thick, towering up to 30 feet (9 meters), and the lower half of the main staircase leading to the upper floors. Inside the palace, the remnants of melted brick walls bear witness to the intense heat caused by a Tamil invasion that set the building on fire at the end of the Polonnaruwa era. The surrounding area boasts the ruins of buildings where ministers, soldiers, and servants once lived.
The large holes in the wall were likely intended to support massive wooden structures forming the floors of the upper levels. Despite enduring centuries of destruction from both human and natural causes, some of the plastering on the walls still remains intact....
Today, visitors can observe the massive walls over a meter thick, towering up to 30 feet (9 meters), and the lower half of the main staircase leading to the upper floors. Inside the palace, the remnants of melted brick walls bear witness to the intense heat caused by a Tamil invasion that set the building on fire at the end of the Polonnaruwa era. The surrounding area boasts the ruins of buildings where ministers, soldiers, and servants once lived.
The large holes in the wall were likely intended to support massive wooden structures forming the floors of the upper levels. Despite enduring centuries of destruction from both human and natural causes, some of the plastering on the walls still remains intact....
