Council Chamber of Parakramabahu I

The Council Chamber of Parakramabahu the Great (Sinhala: මහාපරාක්‍රමබාහු රාජ සභාව, පොළොන්නරුව) is located to the east of the Parakramabahu Palace in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

History

An inscription inscribed on the stone slab fixed at the upper level of the flight of steps of the building reveals the ancient name of this building as Raja Vaishya Bhujanga Mandapaya, the council chamber which is said to be built by King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186 A.D.). However, it has been found that the present form of the building may have come as a result of a renovation, probably done during the Dambadeniya period (13th century A.D.).

Building

The present rectangular building has three consecutive levels and the sidewalls of each level have been covered with stone tablets containing the carvings of dwarfs, elephants, lions, and horses (Jayasuriya, 2016; Wikramagamage, 2004). The flight of steps which is also built-in three sections has two Korawak Gal (two balustrades) and two Sandakada Pahana (two moonstones). The two stone lion figures at the upper level welcome the visitors to the building. The remaining stone pillars at the upper most level of the building suggest that they once had supported a wide sloping roof without walls (Jayasuriya, 2016; Wikramagamage, 2004).

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References

1) Jayasuriya, E., 2016. A guide to the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. Central Cultural Fund. ISBN: 978-955-613-312-7. p.74.
2) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.207.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 26 April 2022
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