Almost abandoned, the 12th-century ruins of the temporary capital of Parakramabahu I are spread over a wide area.
Near the entrance is a moat, the massive citadel wall and remains of a palace. Further on are image houses, dagobas and monks' living quarters. Follow the road past the school and veer left; you'll shortly come to a restored tooth temple with a bodhi tree and, beyond that, the remains of a round palace (apparently once multistoreyed) enclosed in a circular moat.
There are many stories about who lived in this palace and why it was built. Legend has it that it kept the king’s daughter away from men who would desire her; it had been prophesised that if she bore a son, he’d eventually claim the throne. Another story is that it was built to house the king’s wives and, intriguingly, that there was once a secret tunnel that led from the king’s palace and under the moat to the queens’ palace. However attractive these stories are, historians have not been able to conclude why the palace was built.
