Between the road junction of Kurunagala and Anuradhapura lies the magnificent rock fortress citadel of Yapahuwa. Built around a huge granite rock rising abruptly almost a hundred meters above the surrounding lowlands, Yapahuwa was one of the many capitals of medieval Sri Lanka. Other capitals were Anuardhapura and Polonnaruwa.

 

In 1272, King Bhuvenakabahu transferred the capital to Yapahuwa from Polonnaruwa in the face of marauding Dravidian invasions from South India. He brought the Sacred Tooth Relic with him. The move proved to be of little help. Following the death of the in 1284, the Pandyans of South India invaded Lanka once again, and succeeded in capturing Sacred Tooth Relic too. Following its capture, Yapahuwa was largely abandoned & inhabited by Buddhist monks & religious ascetics. The capital was moved to Kurunagala

 

Yapahuwa is a huge rock fortress similar in concept to Sigiriya, the rock citadel.

 

Also see our Yapahuwa Picture Gallery

 

The outstanding ruin at Yapahuwa is the marvellous ornamental stone stairway. This climbs with increasing Maya-like steepness up to the palace. The stairway originally comprised of the three flights of stone stairs. As the lowest one has disappeared it been replaced by modern cement stairs. The top flight is a riot of decoration of high quality craftsmanship. Statues of elephants, dragons, dwarfs, goddesses as well as a  pair stone lions (one appears on  the rupee note in Sri Lanka) flank the stairs.

 

Finally at the top of the stairway is the impressive & harmoniously conceived doorway that once led into the Temple of the Tooth. Panels around the base and sides of each window are embellished with stone carvings of dancers and musicians, one of whom is playing a Kandyan drum. This is one of the oldest pictorial record of this famous musical instrument.

 

The doorway opens onto the Lion Terrace. There remains very little to see now except a couple of brick foundations and a few pillars.

 

From the Lion Terrace, a steep path leads up to the platform at the very top of the rock on which there is a temple. The climb is difficult and at the last slide below shows dangerous. However the view from hereon is wonderful the flat plains far below dotted with huge, saw-toothed mountains.

 

In this trip over Christmas 2009 we also visited Kaikawala Cave Temple and Avukana 35 kms from the Yapahuwa Paradise Resort.

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