Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c41.5

c41.5

The principal remains of Ceylon's architectural development are distributed over two extensive sites, the ruined and deserted capital cities which represent the two great periods of the country's history. The earlier of these, at Anuradhapura, illustrates all that survives of an important civilization which flourished for several hundred years from the third century B.C. to the eighth century A.D. The later is that at Polonnaruwa to which place the seat of government was removed in the eighth century, and where it remained until the thirteenth century, both are situated in the North-Central Province. Other ruins of some consequence have been revealed in various widely-spread localities, but those of most significance and which depict the building art in all its aspects are contained within the area of these two ruined and abandoned capitals. From the mounds and scattered fragments which mark these sites, not only the architecture of the past may be studied and, in some instances, partially reconstructed, but it is possible to visualize even in their ruin the greatness of Ceylon's culture and civilization during these two notable historical periods. Finally there ensued a third phase, when, after the end of the thirteenth century the seat of Sinhalese authority was transferred to the heights of Kandy and where in its later aspect it was maintained until as late as 1815. Consistently Buddhistic throughout its course of two millenniums, yet as already mentioned there were short interludes when the continuity was interrupted by incursions from the Indian mainland, and during which certain buildings in the Tamilian styles of the Pallavas (600-900) and the Cholas (900-1150) intrude themselves on the indigenous mode, influencing it however only to a modified degree.