Brazen Palace :

So called because it once had a bronze roof, the ruins of the Brazen Palace stand close to bodhi tree. The remains of 1600 columns are all that is left of this huge palace, said to have had storeys and accommodation fro 1000 monks and attendants. It was originally built by Dutugemunu more than 2000 years ago, but thourgh the ages was rebuilt many times, each time a little les grandiosely. the current stand of pillars(now fenced off) is all that remains from the last rebuild - that of Parakramabahu around the 12th century.

A roof of copper over this primordial skyscraper bestowed upon it, its name. This work of Duttha Gamini is known to have burned down only 15 years after its building; which leads to the surmise that it was largely a wooden structure.

The 1,600 pillars (40 x 40) that now mark the site are historically ascribed to king Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153—1186 A.D.) of Polonnaruwa. The original building was of 9 graded stories and is said to have had one thousand rooms.