Galabedda Biso Pokuna | Pit of Girls of Polonnaruwa Era

Galabedda Biso Pokuna | Pit of Girls of Polonnaruwa Era

G alabedda Biso Pokuna (Sinhala: ගලබැද්ද බිසෝ පොකුණ) is an ancient pond situated in Galabedda village in Monaragala District, Sri Lanka. History Galabedda: an ancient administrative centre The history of this pond runs back to the Polonnaruwa Period . In the 11th and 12th centuries, the southern part of Rohana had been divided into two major territorial divisions along the Walave Ganga River (Nicholas, 1963). The area to the east of the river was known as Atthsahassa-rattha (the province of 8,000 villages) and its administrative centre was Uddhanadvara (or Udundora), present Galabedda (Nicholas, 1963). Uddhanadvara was the residence of Queen Sugala and it was attacked by the troops of Parakramabahu (reigned: 1153-1186 A.D.) in order to capture Queen Sugala and the Tooth and Bowl Relics of the Buddha (Nicholas, 1963). Palace ruins at Galabedda There is a ruined palace building surrounded by a rampart and a moat. The basic ground plan of this palace is similar to that of the 12th-century pa…