Lankatilaka

The Lankatilaka image house was constructed under Parakramabahu to house the large brick Buddha you can still see there, though it would once have been covered in plaster and of course had a head. I found the whole thing extraordinarily beautiful and jaw-dropping. This was my favorite spot in Polonnaruwa (of many that I loved); though the Gal Vihara carvings you’ve been seeing are likely the single most-famous or most-important grouping at Polonnaruwa, I found it easier to warm up to this ruin, as it were.