Siva Devalaya No. 1

Terzopoulos, Christos - Google

As you enter the sacred city of Polonnaruwa this 13th-century ancient shrine can be seen on your right hand side. The hindu shrine is dedicated to God Shiva the “Destroyer”. In it’s day the shrine housed a collection of bronze devine figurines which have been discovered and moved to the Polonnaruwa museum.

The origins of the shrine is not certain. The shrine demonstrates South Indian Pandyan architectural features. Within the ruins there is an ancient Shiva Lingam, the potentially procreative phallus of god Shiva. The shrine also is notable for its superb stoneworks, where rock slabs were perfectly cut and closely fitted to build its walls without using any sorts of mortar to glue them together. Exterior of the shrine was decorated with various stone carvings including devine figures.