Within the historic city of Anuradhapura, you will find the beautiful Ratnaprasada, which translates “gem palace”, and these remains tell a fantastic tale. Ensure you book an elegant Sri Lanka boutique hotel in the region to make the most of your time here, and Ulagalla presents an ideal option of all the boutique hotels Sri Lanka has to offer.
The Ratnaprasada dates back to the 8th century and they housed an order of ascetic monks in a large yet unadorned structure, where the only form of decoration was poised above the lavatories in a blatant disregard of creature comforts. The Ratnaprasada features an exquisite guardstone at its entrance that is widely regarded to be one of the finest examples of its kind. The monks who were residing there during its zenith often harboured those seeking sanctuary with the authorities, which drew the king’s ire, and he executed those who sought refuge. Disgusted, the monks left and the people of the area rose up in rebellion and executed the king’s supporters to force the monarch to apologize to the monks and bring them back into the region, thus restoring peace.
Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday. Google+