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Polonnaruwa or Pulasthinagara as it was known then, was a very important second city when Anuradhapura was the capital. When its various mighty invaders were not occupying it, the city served as the residence of the Prime Minister or Chief of Armies. The Rajavaliya describes Dutugemunu’s battle near a Chola-occupied fort near Polonnaruwa. The Chulavamsa gives a detailed account of Vijayabahu I’s war with the Cholas in Polonnaruwa, making it his capital at the end of that war.

In present day narratives of history, these events are glossed over in favour of descriptions of the city’s time of glory during the reign of King Parakramabahu I, one of the few kings who had control of the entire island at one time.

With its beautifully carved walls and pillars, the Raja Sabha Mandapaya is symbolic of the brief but colourful period when warriors, priests and envoys came from places as near or as far as Mannar and Burma to “splendid Pulasthinagara”.