Funday Times

Gaveshaka in his trail along the Anuradhapura gallery
Moving on to Sri Lanka's second capital
We move over from the Anuradhapura Gallery at the National Museum to the Polonnaruwa Era Gallery. Polonnaruwa, as you know, is the second capital of Sri Lanka.

Polonnaruwa was known as Pulastipura or the city of sage Pulasti. While Anuradhapura was the first capital, Polonnaruwa was known as 'Kandavurunuvara' meaning the camp city. This was because it was situated at a strategic position between the Northern capital Anuradhapura and the Southern sub-capital Mahagama. Polonnaruwa was the meeting place of the culture and civilization of Anuradhapura and Mahagama.

By the 7th century, Anuradhapura rulers began to use Polonnaruwa as their country residence. Gradually they began to see that it was a safer place from enemy attacks. Mahinda IV (956-972 A.C) was the last of the great kings of the Anuradhapura period.

He was described as one 'rich in merit, rich in splendour, rich in military power and rich in fame.' With the Colas from South India attacking the kingdom, he was able to repel two attacks and retain Anuradhapura. But it was short-lived because the last of the Anuradhapura kings, Mahinda V was a weak ruler who plundered the kingdom and provided the ideal stage for the powerful Colas to take over. In 993 A.C the Cola army landed in the North and then invaded Anuradhapura and set the capital on fire. Rajarata was annexed as a province of the Cola empire and the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa because it commanded all the crossings along the defended river-line of the Mahaveli Ganga. Mahinda V fled to Ruhuna and remained there till 1017 when the Colas captured and removed him as a prisoner to the Cola kingdom.

Resistance to Cola rule from Ruhuna ended with Vijayabahu marching to Anuradhapura in triumph in 1070. It marked the end of the 27-year old Cola rule. He transferred the capital to Polonnaruwa due to the city's strategic importance. He could defend the crossings of the Mahaveli Ganga against any rebel force advancing into Rajarata from Ruhuna while at the same time, in the event of invasion by a South Indian power, its position was distant enough to give time for the organization and manning of the river defences so as to halt the invading forces on the river-line.

As the first Sinhalese ruler of Polonnaruwa, he strengthened the security of the capital by building a strong wall with bastions and parapets, and surrounded by a moat. He built a palace for himself and a temple for the Tooth Relic immediately to the north of the palace grounds. New viharas were built in the city. He restored ancient reservoirs and provided irrigation facilities.

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