The Thivanka pilimageya is about 123 feet long and 67 feet wide. It is estimated that the building was about 55 feet high and had a beautiful brick roof in the shape of an arch. Also the walls here are about 6-8 feet thick.
Pallava architecture was used in the construction of this building.
The standing Buddha statue created in the Thivanka pilimageya can be seen sitting on a lotus shaped seat. Although the height of the Budhdha statue is about 35 feet, the head of the statue is not visible at present.
The standing statue is named as Thivanka Pilimageya as it was built to bend at the knees, hips and shoulders.
The Thivanka pilimageya is most famous for its paintings. Many of the paintings have been destroyed, but there are still some that have not been destroyed in the portico, the Antharalaya and the Garbhagruha.
The paintings, created using a technique called "Tempera", are painted in four colors, red, green, yellow, and black. Although many of the paintings in this pilimageya been destroyed, some of the paintings are still recognizable.
1. Asankavathi Jataka
2. Sasa Jataka
3. The dream of Devi Maya
4. The birth of Bodhisattva
5. Maha Sudassana Jataka
6. Themiya Jataka
7. Widura Jataka
8. Chullapaduma Jataka
9. Thusitha The worship of the gods by the gods to
enlighten the Bodhisattva in the heavens
10. Buddha Arrival from Thawthisa to Sankassapura
The invader Kalinga Magha also caused great damage to the Thivanka pilimageya to destroy the kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Restoration of the ruins, which had been wild for centuries, began in the late 19th century.
The paintings here are being preserved in 1940. However, it is said that many of the paintings had been destroyed by that time.
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