Royal Palace of Parakramabahu, Polonnaruwa
Brick walls of a 12th-century royal palace that the chronicles say had seven storeys. The beam holes for the lost upper floors are the thing to find.
Sources
What the palace actually is
This is the ruin of the palace built for Parakramabahu I, who reigned from 1153 to 1186. The chronicles describe it as seven storeys high. Brickwork survives to roughly three storeys, with walls about three metres thick, and sockets in the walls show where the beams of the upper floors rested. The upper floors themselves would have been timber and are long gone.
The numbers attached to it do not agree. The main block is quoted at 31 metres by 13 metres, but one source applies that to the whole palace and another to its audience hall. Guidebooks say it had about 50 rooms and 30 columns; the chronicles speak of a thousand chambers. Neither can be checked on the ground, and a site guide’s claims should be heard with that in mind.
What you can see is tall brick walls, doorways and the grooves left by timber. The brick would once have been plastered and painted. It is impressive for its scale, not for its decoration; the carving at Polonnaruwa is in the Quadrangle and the Council Chamber nearby.
Worth your attention
The beam sockets
Rows of holes in the thick walls, left by the beams of the floors above. This is what turns a brick shell into a seven-storey claim.
The wall thickness
About three metres at the central room, according to the guides. Stand in a doorway and look at how deep it runs.
The Council Chamber
In front of the palace, a pillared assembly hall from the same reign, on a platform decorated with elephants and lions. Around 48 pillars remain at the main level.
The missing floors
Stand in the central room and look up. The open sky where the upper floors should be gives a better idea of the original height than any plaque.
Before you go
Do this
- Come early, before the brick holds the heat; there is almost no shade and the walls radiate it in the afternoon.
- Look for the beam sockets before you read the panel, then check them against the seven-storey claim.
- Walk on to the Council Chamber in front of the palace, which has the decoration the palace itself lacks.
- Start the Polonnaruwa circuit here and work north; the palace is at the southern end.
- Take a hat and plenty of water; the ground is open and exposed.
Know this first
- The seven storeys are from the chronicles. What stands is brick and perhaps three storeys, and the upper floors are inferred.
- Room counts (50, a thousand) and the 31 by 13 metre figure are not reliable; sources give them without agreeing.
- There is little carving or decoration, so this is a stop for architecture and scale, not for art.
- It is easy to confuse with the Satmahal Prasada, a separate tiered building in the Quadrangle, which is not this palace.
Getting to Royal Palace of Parakramabahu, Polonnaruwa
Most people see Royal Palace of Parakramabahu, Polonnaruwa as part of a stay around Polonnaruwa. Our Polonnaruwa guide covers where to stay, how long to give it and what else is nearby.
Coming straight from the airport, the relevant run is Colombo Airport to Polonnaruwa — fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting inside arrivals with a name board.
Read the full Polonnaruwa guideFrom Colombo Airport
Car up to 3 passengers; vans quoted on the route page. No night surcharge.
Royal Palace of Parakramabahu, Polonnaruwa — frequently asked
What is the Royal Palace of Parakramabahu?
The ruin of the palace built for Parakramabahu I (reigned 1153–1186) at Polonnaruwa. Chronicles describe seven storeys; the brick walls that survive are roughly three storeys high.
Was it really seven storeys?
The chronicles say so, and the thick walls with beam sockets suggest upper timber floors. The upper floors do not survive, so the number cannot be verified.
How big is it?
A figure of 31 by 13 metres is often quoted, but sources disagree on whether that is the palace or its audience hall.
Do I need a separate ticket?
No. The Polonnaruwa ticket covers it. Around US$ 30 for foreign adults was the 2026 listing price.
Also worth stopping for around Polonnaruwa
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