The Royal Palace of Vijayabahu (07) 

Going north along Sangamitta Mawatha, on the left is the Royal Palace of Vijayabahu. This Palace was the work of the Sinhalese King Vijayabahu I, who liberated Sri Lanka From the Chola Empire. He entered Anuradhapura in triumph in 1070 A.D. But after the period of Chola rule in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura was no longer a suitable place for the capital. It had been thoroughly looted and burnt, and the population had considerably diminished. Vijayabahu himself had his main residence at Polonnaruwa, so this place is really only a provincial royal residence. The royal palaces of earlier times probably lie underneath the present structure.

Today the road cuts across the courtyard of the palace, and the gatehouse lies on the other side of it. The guard stones representing the two attendants of Kuvera, the god of wealth, at the entrance to the main building, are of excellent quality. The moldings around the base of the building are of brick and would have been plastered, but they achieve the same bold lines as the earlier stonework. Frescoes were discovered on the walls, but these have largely disappeared.