Royal Palace of King Vijayabahu I – විජයබාහු රජ මාලිගය
King Vijayabahu I ascended to throne in 1055 in the Rohana and 18 years after that and 3 years after defeating the Colas from India he celebrated his consecration in Anuradhapura. But he selected to rule from Pollonnaruwa and shifted the capital there.
The Royal Palace of King Vijayabahu I we see today is thought to be the temporary palace he constructed to for the celebrations in Anuradhapura. This building as it stands today measures 128×216 feet (39×66 metres) . The guardstones at the entrance to the palace represent “Sankhanihi” and “Padmanidhi”, the two attendants of Kuvera.
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Map of Royal Palace of King Vijayabahu I
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Photos before restoration from www.imagesofceylon.com

Driving Directions to Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttlam (Puttalama) and though Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttlam you will pass scenic Wilpattu area. the From Kurunegala there are two main routes to Anuradhapura. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is though Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the commonly used is the Kurunegala – Dambulla route (Route 2).
Route 01 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route 02 from Colombo to Anuradhapura |
Through : Negombo - Chillaw - Puthlam distance from colombo :213 km Travel time : 3 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Through : Ambepussa - Kurunegala - Dambulla distance from Colombo : 221 km Travel time : 3.15 hours Driving Directions : see on google maps |
Route 03 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route from Kandy to Anuradhapura |
Through : Ambepussa - Kurunegala - Padeniya - Thambuthegama distance from colombo :213 km Travel time : 3 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Through : Katugastota - Matale - Dambulla distance from Colombo :139 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google map |
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