Polonnaruwa, Cultural Triangle

Island Garden

A promontory on the great reservoir that so charmed one king he built his royal garden there, and so impressed the next that he built an entire seven-storey palace on the same spot within just 45 days.

👤 Pali name: Dipuyyana (‘Island Garden’) 🕑 Created under Parakramabahu I 👤 Renamed ‘Kalinga Uyana’ by Nissanka Malla 📏 On the promontory by the lakeside rest house

When King Parakramabahu I finished building his vast reservoir, he chose a promontory jutting into the water, a spot that looked like an island since the lake divided into two arms around it, as the site for his royal pleasure garden.

Quick Facts

Location	On the promontory near the lakeside rest house, by Parakrama Samudra
Pali name	Dipuyyana, meaning ‘Island Garden’
Created by	King Parakramabahu I (1153 to 1186)
Later renamed	‘Kalinga Uyana’ by King Nissanka Malla (1187 to 1196)
Nissanka Malla’s addition	A seven-storey palace, reportedly built in just 45 days
Best-preserved surviving building	Nissanka Malla’s Council Chamber

Commonly searched as: Dipuyyana Island Garden Polonnaruwa · Parakrama Samudra promontory · Nissanka Malla palace · Polonnaruwa royal gardens · things to do in Polonnaruwa

A Garden Built for Royal Leisure

According to the Culavamsa, the chronicle documenting later Sri Lankan history, King Parakramabahu I selected this promontory specifically for its setting on land that resembled an island, since the waters of his newly built reservoir divided into two arms around it. The chronicle describes the garden in genuinely lavish terms: surrounded by a moat, it held a pavilion “built to show forth various branches of science,” a swing pavilion complete with a swing hung with tiny golden bells, a games pavilion, a carpet pavilion, and further ornamental structures, a picture of refined royal leisure built at the height of Polonnaruwa‘s golden age.

That garden’s charm evidently outlasted Parakramabahu himself. King Nissanka Malla, ruling from 1187 to 1196, was sufficiently taken with the site that he renamed it Kalinga Uyana, after his own Kalinga origins in eastern India, and, according to an inscription found at the location, built an entirely new seven-storey palace and council chamber there within just 45 days, an almost implausibly fast construction timeline that, whether literally accurate or a piece of royal boasting, underscores just how significant Nissanka Malla considered this particular spot.

What Survives Today

The best-preserved structure remaining from this royal complex is Nissanka Malla’s Council Chamber, a rectangular stone building set on a raised, two-tiered platform, positioned close to the shore of the Parakrama Samudra. The chamber features two entrances, a main one on the north side and a smaller side entrance to the west, with its base decorated by reliefs of elephants and lions, though these carvings have faded considerably with age. Upon the platform, the remains of four rows of stone pillars, twelve to a row, once supported the chamber’s roof; several of these pillars carry short inscriptions, according to the same account that documents Nissanka Malla watching dancing and listening to music while seated here.

A Fading Layer of Grandeur

Most of the garden’s more ornamental structures, the swing pavilion, the games pavilion, the science pavilion described in the Culavamsa, have left little or no visible physical trace today, surviving only in the written chronicle’s description rather than in stone. That gap between the vivid literary account and the comparatively modest surviving ruins is a useful reminder of how much of Polonnaruwa’s original built environment has simply vanished over the centuries, leaving only the sturdiest stone structures, like the Council Chamber, to represent what was once a considerably richer and more elaborate royal precinct.

Visiting Tips

Combine with a visit to the nearby lakeside rest house for views over the Parakrama Samudra reservoir itself.
Look for the faded elephant and lion reliefs on the Council Chamber’s platform base.
Read up on the Culavamsa’s description of the original garden beforehand to better appreciate what’s since been lost.
Visit in combination with the Royal Palace Group and Quadrangle, given the site’s relative proximity within the wider park.

Where It Sits on the Map

Island Garden (Dipuyyana), promontory near the lakeside rest house, Polonnaruwa Open in Google Maps ↗

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Island Garden used for?

It served as a royal pleasure garden, created by King Parakramabahu I on a promontory in his newly built reservoir, described in the Culavamsa chronicle as containing ornamental pavilions and a golden-belled swing.

Why was it renamed Kalinga Uyana?

King Nissanka Malla, who came from the Kalinga region of eastern India, renamed the garden after his own origins when he built a palace and council chamber there.

What survives from Nissanka Malla’s palace today?

The best-preserved structure is his Council Chamber, a stone platform building with fading elephant and lion relief carvings and rows of inscribed pillars.

Is much of the original garden still visible?

No, most of the ornamental pavilions described in ancient chronicles have left little physical trace; only the sturdier stone Council Chamber survives in recognisable form.

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