Kurunegala

Kurunegala lies among prominent rocky hills in the interior of Sri Lanka. It became a royal capital after the decline of Yapahuwa, and the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha was brought here as a symbol of kingship. Elephant Rock, or Ethagala, rises above the town and gives its ancient name a distinctive meaning.

Bhuvanekabahu II chose Kurunegala as his seat at the end of the thirteenth century. His successor Parakramabahu IV built a three-storey shrine for the tooth relic within the royal precinct and arranged ceremonies for its worship. Several kings ruled from Kurunegala before the court moved again towards the central hills. The royal city’s brief prominence belongs to an age when rulers sought defensible inland capitals while preserving the religious traditions of earlier kingdoms.