The archaeological site is spread over a wide area. Near the entrance is a moat, a massive citadel wall and the remains of a royal palace. Further on are image houses, brick dagobas and monastic living quarters.
Follow the road as it branches left, and you'll eventually come to a restored tooth temple (Dalada Maligawa) with a bodhi tree, a colourfully painted sleeping Buddha temple and, behind that, the remains of a fascinating round palace (apparently once multistoreyed) enclosed in a circular moat.
There are many stories about who lived in this palace and why it was built. Legend has it that it kept Parakramabahu I’s daughter away from men who would desire her, for it had been prophesied that if she bore a son, he’d eventually claim the throne. Another story is that it was built to house the king’s wives and, intriguingly, that there was once a secret tunnel that led from the king’s palace and under the moat to the queens’ palace. However attractive these stories are, historians have not been able to conclude why the palace was built.
