About seventeen (or more) stone or brick-built temples dedicated to Hindu deities such as Siva, Visnu, Kali, Ganesa have been found in the Ancient Medieval City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka (Meegama, 2010; Prematilleke, 1990). These shrines are believed to have been constructed by the South Indian Colas who Invaded and Occupied Sri Lanka from 993 to 1077 A.D. (Meegama, 2010). However, some of these shrines belong to the 13th century, when yet another wave of invasions took place under Magha of Kalinga (Prematilleke, 1990). These shrines continued to be maintained during the reigns of Sinhalese rulers as well (Meegama, 2010; Prematilleke, 1990).
The list of Hindu shrines in the Ancient Polonnaruwa City
This is an incomplete list prepared by "Lanka Pradeepa".
| No. | Shrine | Remarks | References |
| 1 | Siva Devale No. 1 |
Stone-built shrine. Consists of 4 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 2 | Siva Devale No. 2 |
Stone-built shrine. Consists of 2 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 3 | Siva Devale No. 3 | Stone-built shrine. Consists of 2 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 4 | Siva Devale No. 4 |
Brick-built shrine. Consists of 3 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 5 | Siva Devale No. 5 |
Brick-built shrine. Consists of 7 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 6 | Siva Devale No. 6 |
Brick-built shrine. Consists of 4 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 7 | Siva Devale No. 7 |
Brick-built shrine. Consists of 2 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 8 | Siva Devale A |
Meegama, 2010 | |
| 9 | Siva Devale B |
Meegama, 2010 | |
| 10 | Siva Devale C |
Meegama, 2010 | |
| 11 | Visnu Devale No. 1 |
Prematilleke, 1990 | |
| 12 | Visnu Devale No. 2 |
Stone-built shrine |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 13 | Visnu Devale No. 3 |
Brick-built shrine |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 14 | Visnu Devale No. 4 |
Brick-built shrine |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 15 | Visnu Devale No. 5 |
Brick-built shrine |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 16 | Kali Devale |
Brick-built shrine. Consists of 2 fanes |
Prematilleke, 1990 |
| 17 | Ganapathi Devale |
Meegama, 2010 |
References
1) Meegama, S.A., 2010. South Indian or Sri Lankan? The Hindu Temples of Polonnaruva, Sri Lanka. Artibus Asiae, 70(1), pp.25-45.
2) Prematilleke, L., 1990. The architecture of the Polonnaruwa Period 800 - 1200 A.D.
[Wijesekara, N. (Editor in chief)]. Archaeological Department centenary
(1890-1990): Commemorative series: Volume III: Architecture. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). pp.55-58.
This page was last updated on 3 May 2023
