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Polonnaruwa

Type Object Region Sri Lanka Time 1070–1310

Ancient Sinhalese capital in central Sri Lanka, where kings such as Parakramabahu I built palaces, reservoirs, and temple complexes;…

Timeline

  1. 1153–1186Polonnaruwa · Sri LankaParakramabahu I unified the island's warring factions and built royal palaces, the Gal Vihara, and a vast reservoir irrigation system at Polonnaruwa; the city became the supreme symbol of the Sinhalese Buddhist kingdom's political, economic, and religious artistic achievement.
  2. 1231–1240Polonnaruwa · Sri LankaAfter Vijayabahu III moved the capital to Dambadeniya, Polonnaruwa lost its function as a royal residence, but its temples, reservoirs, and stone inscriptions continued to receive royal patronage, remaining a symbolic sacred site of Sinhalese orthodoxy and the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
  3. c. 1280–1310Polonnaruwa · Sri LankaProlonged drought, malaria, and pressure from Tamil invasions led the royal court to abandon Polonnaruwa entirely; jungle overtook the palaces and monasteries, and the city entered a long period as ruins until modern archaeological excavations rediscovered its former glory.

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