Alahana Pirivena

Alahana Pirivena is a vast ruined monastery complex in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, built in the 12th century under King Parakramabahu I. Its name refers to cremation grounds, because parts of the monastery were founded over an older burial and burning area, turning a place of death into a centre of Buddhist learning and practice.​

Spread over a series of terraces, the site includes stupas, image houses, chapter houses, monks’ residences, and even the remains of a monastic hospital, showing how complete and organized monastic life was in medieval Sri Lanka. Key monuments such as Kiri Vehera, the Lankatilaka Image House, and the Baddhasima Pasada give a sense of the scale of this religious “university,” which once drew large numbers of monks for education and ritual.