Lata Mandapa, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Lata Mandapa, Polonnaruwa (29 August, 2005)

The Lata Mandapa is a particularly flamboyant structure of ancient Lankan architecture. Unlike the straight pillars characteristic of other structures in Polonnaruwa and elsewhere, at the Lata Mandapa we find the extraordinary wobbling columns. Lata Mandapa, which means "Flower Scroll Hall" was built by King Nissanka Malla in the 12th century.

The swaying columns, which supported a timber roof to house a small stupa, are stylized representations of the lotus stems with the flower at the capital. Lata Mandapa represents a "baroque" or "rococo" period in Sinhalese art in which the austere style yields to heavy ornamentation.

Inscription in the Lata Mandapa attributes it to King Nissanka Malla, and tells of how the king used to listen to recitals of the Buddhist scriptures here.