Funday Times

A series by Gaveshaka in association with Studio Times
The great mansion with a thousand rooms
“From the courtyard of the Brazen Palace the thunder of sixty-four kinds of drums announces that the king, surrounded by a thousand monks, has taken his seat on the ivory throne in the great hall. This hall is the central apartment of the building, around and above which are a thousand rooms disposed in nine storeys.

The massive structure is built upon eighteen hundred monoliths covered with chased copper and set with precious stones. Even the lines of the roof are picked out with sparkling gems, and the gorgeous richness of the whole edifice within and without almost passes comprehension. This palace has been bestowed by the king upon the priesthood. It represents the supreme efforts of architect, artist and builder, and stands without a peer among the many mansions of the holy city.”

This description is by Henry W. Cave, pioneering photographer of landscapes and historical monuments in ‘The Ruined Cities of Ceylon’ written in 1907. It refers to the Loha Pasada or, in common parlance, Lovamahapaya, a unique structure in the first capital city of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura. The photograph shows how it looks today from the air.

Cave’s description elaborates what the Mahavamsa tells us about the Brazen Palace. “This palace was hundred cubits square and of the same height. In it there were nine storeys and in each of them one hundred apartments. All these apartments were highly finished with silver; and the cornices thereof were embellished with gems. The flower ornaments thereof were also set with gems, and the tinkling festoons were of gold. In this palace there were a thousand dormitories having windows with ornaments which were bright as eyes.”

This is another of the great works attributed to King Dutugemunu built on a site consecrated by Arahat Mahinda. Professor Anuradha Seneviratne points out that in modern terms, this was a massive nine storeyed construction with a height of 150 feet and covered a square area of about 150 feet each side. The building was supported on 40 rows of pillars. Each row had 40 pillars, which totalled 1600 pillars. In each storey there were windows and 1000 rooms in all. The building was adorned with coral and precious stones and its roof was covered with copper-bronze plates.

The building had been destroyed by fire during the reign of King Dutugemunu’s successor, King Saddhatissa (137-119 B.C) who rebuilt it in seven storeys. It is recorded that a century later, it was repaired by King Bhatikabhaya (22 A.D). The addition of an inner courtyard and an inner verandah and a pavilion studded with precious stones has also been recorded. It is clear that as time went on the height of the building decreased. Mention is also made that it had been destroyed from time to time. King Parakramabahu 1, (1153-1186 A.D) who ruled from Polonnaruwa had restored the original 1600 pillars and partially reconstructed the building. This is what is seen today.

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