Siva Devale No. 2 in Polonnaruwa, built by King Rajaraja I, is the city's oldest Hindu shrine, showcasing Chola architecture and Tamil inscriptions.
Polonnaruwa Siva Devale No. 2 S iva Devale No. 2 , also known as Shiva Kovil No. 2 (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව ශිව දේවාලය අංක 2), is one of the Siva temples situated in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa , Sri Lanka. History The Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka was invaded in 993 A.D. by the South Indian King Rajaraja I (985-1014 A.D.) and his son, King Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 A.D.) completed the conquest in 1017 A.D. by taking the control of the country. They chose Polonnaruwa as their administrative centre and ruled Sri Lanka from 1017 A.D. to 1070 A.D. until they were defeated and expelled by King Vijayabahu I (1055–1110 A.D.). The impact of the Chola rule on Sri Lankan culture is clearly visible in the monumental and sculptural art of the Polonnaruwa Period . During this period, the Cholas built temples in Polonnaruwa for the worship of Hindu deities such as Siva, Vishnu, Ganesha and Kali. Siva Devale No. 2 The Siva Devale No. 2 is considered the oldest Hindu shrine located in Polonnaruwa ancient city and was built by Ki…
