Vishnu Devale No. 3 of Polonnaruwa Kingdom

56 years ago3 months ago02 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

Be the first to rate

The electric fence separating the ruins of Vishnu Devalaya Mo 3 from the main road — The electric fence separating the ruins of Vishnu Devalaya 3 from the main road

The ruins identified as Vishnu Devale No. 3 of the ancient Polonnaruwa Kingdom are situated away from the principal cluster of monuments, in proximity to the Parakrama Samudraya reservoir.

Historical Context

The Cola occupation of Sri Lanka between 1017 and 1070 CE resulted in the establishment of numerous shrines dedicated to deities of the Hindu pantheon. As Polonnaruwa served as their administrative centre for several decades, many of these temples were constructed within the capital.

During the early twentieth century, H. C. P. Bell recorded at least fourteen ruined monuments of this category. Subsequent excavations have revealed an additional brick-built devale, including one located within the Alahana Parivena complex. It is also possible that some of these shrines were founded in the thirteenth century, particularly during the invasion led by Magha of Kalinga, which ultimately precipitated the fall of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom.

Architectural Remains and Present Condition

Vishnu Devale No. 3 was constructed entirely of brick. Today, only its restored foundation survives, with no superstructure remaining.

Although the site lies adjacent to the main road, access is not straightforward. An electrified fence runs along the roadside, separating the ruins from the roadway. This barrier has been installed to prevent wild elephants, which frequent the Parakrama Samudraya reservoir, from straying into the town area.

Hindu Shrines Discovered in the Ancient Polonnaruwa Kingdom

Also See

Map of Vishnu Devale No. 3 of Polonnaruwa Kingdom

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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.

Driving Directions to Polonnaruwa Sacred City

The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains the ancient royal city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

Route from Colombo to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Kandy to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through: Central Highway—Kurunegala—Dambulla Distance from Colombo: 230 km Travel Time: 5 hours Driving Directions: See on Google Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
Route from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: See on Google Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time : 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Kavetradapathnai Forest Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (කාවේට්‍රාඩාපත්නෛ වනයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Anurādhapura-period Kavetradapathnai Forest Site 2 in Kiran spans 300 square meters. It features two structures with short stone pillars, including 11 upright pillars, and an enigmatic, primitive stone-slab structure believed to predate the Anurādhapura era. […]
Kavetradapathnai Forest Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (කාවේට්‍රාඩාපත්නෛ වනයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 1)
The Anurādhapura-period Kavethradapathnai site (no. 1) in Kiran features a 25-square-meter rectangular building foundation. Hidden deep in the forest, the ruined structure contains a 5x4 grid of 1-meter-tall stone pillars surrounded by scattered pottery and ancient stone fragments. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Archaeological Site in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Buddhist site in Kiran features a rock-summit stupa and northern-slope buildings. Plundered by treasure hunters who breached the relic chamber, the ruins still preserve brick paving, stone wall foundations, and scattered pillar bases. […]
Akkuranai Megalithic Burial Site in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි මෙගාලිතික සුසාන භූමිය)
The Akkuranai Megalithic Burial Site in Kiran is a 1.2-hectare area surrounded by paddy fields. Though plundered by treasure hunters, it features at least six visible graves constructed from irregular stone slabs and numerous ancient pottery fragments. […]
Akkuranai Archaeological Ruins Site 3 in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් 3)
An Anurādhapura-period site near Akkuranai sits on a Maduru Oya tributary bank. It features six stone pillars—five upright and one fallen—showing ancient oval quarry marks. The original structure's exact function remains unknown due to insufficient evidence. […]
Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins 2 in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් 2)
The Buddhist Monastic Ruins Site 2 at Akkuraṇai are located in the village of Akkuraṇai, within the Grāma Niladhāri Division of Muruthtthanai 209-A, in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Kōrale Pattu South (Kiran) of Batticaloa District. […]
Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins 1 in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් 1)
The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments. […]
Muruthtthanai Cave with Indigenous Art (මුරුත්තානෛ ආදිවාසී චිත්‍ර සහිත ලෙණ)
Deep in the Kiran jungle, this cave features a Brahmi inscription documenting its donation to the Maha Sangha. It also houses well-preserved animal rock art from a later period, believed to have been created by the region’s indigenous Vedda community. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Stupa Ruins in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Stupa in Kiran is a 5-meter-high brick monument hidden on a wooded hillock. Plundered by treasure hunters who dug a deep summit pit, the site also includes an ancient rock quarry used for shaping stone architectural elements. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Mavil Aru Amuna and the Reservoir : A Landmark for Resiliency of the People of Sri Lanka
Mavil Aru Amuna was a turning point for the LTTE, a ruthless terrorist organization responsible for thousands of deaths of Sri Lankan citizens. The operation to release LTTE grip on this sluice gate turned in to a full scale operation which saw the military defeat of the terrorist organization in 2009. […]
Kurangukodipottamale Drip Ledge Cave (කුරන්ගුකොඩිපෝට්ටමලේ කටාරම් සහිත ගුහාව)
Located in Kadiraweli, this Anuradhapura-era cave features early Brahmi inscriptions and drip ledges, marking it as a significant monastic dwelling. Despite its historical value, the site faces severe threats from unauthorized excavations and commercial quarrying in the Vakarai region. […]
Mavil Anga Nikkanawewa Reserve Archaeological Ruins (මාවිල් අංග නික්කාන වැව රක්ෂිතය පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Nikkanawewa ruins in Vakarai mark an Anuradhapura-era monastic complex. Situated on a rocky outcrop, the site preserves stone pillar bases, ancient bricks, a urinal stone fragment, and terrace remains, confirming its past as a secluded Buddhist forest monastery. […]
Sri Maha Bodhi :The sacred Bo-Tree of Buddhist World (ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධිය)
After bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Mahinda Thero in 250 BC king Tissa received the Sri Maha Bodhi tree sapling and planted it at the present site in 249 BC making this tree 2272 year old (as in 2022). […]
Rediscovering Mavil Anga: An Anuradhapura-Era Image House in Vakarai (කල්ලරිප්පු මාවිල් අංග පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
Mavil Anga is an Anuradhapura-era site in Vakarai featuring a 24-pillar image house. Key finds include a Siripatula Gala and Padmasana, marking it as a significant early Buddhist monastery now hidden within the dense eastern jungle. […]