Sandakada pahana is an elaborately carved semi-circular stone slab, usually placed at the bottom of staircases and entrances and is a unique feature of the Sinhalese architecture of ancient Sri Lanka. It symbolises the cycle of Saṃsāra in Buddhism. The Audience Hall was built by King Parakramabahu the Great (1123 - 1186). Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country under a national leader.

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