Yapahuwa

  

Yapahuwa (??????) was one of the ephemeral capitals of medieval Sri Lanka. The citadel of Yapahuwa lying midway between Kurunegala and Anuradhapura was built around a huge granite rock rising abruptly almost a hundred meters above the surrounding lowlands.

In 1272, King Bhuvenakabahu transferred the capital from Polonnaruwa to Yapahuwa in the face of Dravidian invasions from South India, bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic with him. Following the death of King Bhuvenakabahu in 1284, the Pandyans of South India invaded Sri Lanka once again, and succeeded in capturing Sacred Tooth Relic. Following its capture, Yapahuwa was largely abandoned and inhabited by Buddhist monks and religious ascetics.

The fortress was built on a giant rock in the style of the Sigiriya rock fortress. However, the architecture of this fortress is completely different from Sigiriya with wide staircases, beautiful stone sculptures and highly detailed carvings on pillars. you will be able to climb to the fortress and view the ruins of the stupa on the summit of the rock. The stupa has some notable statues and imagery from the Kandyan era that you can peruse.