Polonnaruwa Siva Devale No. 3

The stone-built temple is confined to a small area of 34 yards by 22 yards and consists of three parts, viz; a quadrangle open Mandapa with a small portico attached to it on the front side, a vestibule and the square sanctum (Pathmanathan, 1999). The entrance porch to the shrine is located towards the east and two subordinate brick shrines are found lying to the northeast and southwest (Pathmanathan, 1999). Originally, the temple had a length of 51 ft. 6 inches and nearly two-thirds of it was covered by the vestibule and the sanctum (Pathmanathan, 1999).

Presently, the superstructure of the shrine is completely disappeared (Pathmanathan, 1999). Like the other stone-built Hindu shrines in Polonnaruwa such as the Siva Devale No. 1 and Siva Devale No. 2, the walls of this shrine are faced inside and out with dressed ashlar while the interspace is filled with loose broken stone (Pathmanathan, 1999). The outer vertical walls of the shrine, as the shrine of Siva Devale No. 2, are relieved by plain bays separated at the middle by pilasters on either side of the niche (Pathmanathan, 1999). The design of the pilaster capitals is similar to those found in the Mandapa of Siva Devale No. 1 (Pathmanathan, 1999).

Interiorly, the Mandapa is 16 ft. long and 14 ft. 4 inches wide while the vestibule is 8 ft. 4 inches in length and 6 ft. in width (Pathmanathan, 1999). The interior length of the sanctum is 6 ft. 6 inches and the width is 6 ft. 4 inches (Pathmanathan, 1999).

 

#) Polonnaruwa Siva Devale A