Thivanka Image House

Thivanka Pilimage image house and its original wall paintings, classical art and sculptures in their original form is without doubt a high point of any visit to the ruins of Polonnaruwa. Built as part of the Jethavanarama Complex by King Parakramabahu (1153–1186), it includes an imposing statue of the Buddha that is curved in three places, thus the name ‘Thivanka’. The sheer amount, style and quality on display has prompted one art scholar to say that ‘elegance, elaboration and magnificence are the dominant qualities of the murals of the inner chambers’. ‘The graceful expressions on the faces of the gods, the dramatic poses in which their bodies have been cast and the delicate fingers held in equally dramatic mudras, are a pleasure to behold.’