The Brazen Palace or Loha Prasada - in reality the monks' quarters - gets its curious name from the fact that it originally had a copper-tiled roof. It must have been a magnificent building when it was originally built by King Dutugemenu in the 2nd century BC adjacent to the Sri Maha Bodhi. How it came to be constructed is bound up with one of the most glorious episodes of Sinhalese history.

In 164BC Dutugemenu became weary of the protracted and largely unsuccessful struggles of his army against the Tamil invader, Prince Elara. He therefore decided to challenge the prince to single combat, a challenge that was accepted. Dutugemenu duly mounted his favourite war elephant, Kandula, and advanced to meet his adversary. Elara hurled the first spear, which Dutugemenu successfully evaded. At once Dutugemenu made Kandula charge Elara's elephant, goring it with its tusks. After a desperate struggle, Elara and his elephant fell together.

With the death of Elara the power of the invaders was broken, and Dutugemenu was able to restore the country to conditions of peace and prosperity. This having been achieved, he wished to commemorate his victory by carrying out religious works. As the community of monks had significantly increased with the popularity of Buddhism, Dutugemenu decided to make their welfare his chief concern, so he embarked by erecting the Loha Prasada, the Brazen Palace.

According to the ancient chronicle, the Mahawamsa, it was nine storeys high and had equal dimensions, being 46m in width, length and height. The copper roof, which must have blazed in the sunlight, topped an entirely wooden structure. It contained 1,000 rooms, and in the central pavilion there was an ivory throne inlaid with a sun in gold, a moon in silver and stars in pearl. On the throne was placed a beautiful ivory fan, and on the footstool a pair of ornamented slippers.

Unfortunately, the Brazen Palace was burned down 15 years after it was constructed, during the reign of Saddhatissa. This king erected a seven-storey building on the site, but that was razed by the Cholas in the 11th century. There were subsequent buildings, but all on an increasingly diminished scale. All that is left today of this ancient site is a forest of 1,600 stone columns, in 40 rows of 40 each, which supported the structure. This is evidence of a final restoration by Parakramabahu in the 12th century. The pillars are of several styles, some ornamental and some rough-hewn, and apparently collected from other sites.

Once i have been in the sacred city of Anuradhapura, now in picturesque ruins, was once a major center of Sri Lankan civilization. The fascinating ancient ruins include huge bell-shaped stupas built of small sun-dried bricks, temples, sculptures, palaces, and ancient drinking-water reservoirs.

i have seen the places like Sri Maha bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisaveti Stupa, Lankarama, Isurumuniya, Magul Uyana, Rathna Prasadaya etc.