# Nissanka Malla's Buildings and Inscriptions (c. 1190)

URL: https://allhistories.com/sri-lanka/timeline/1190-nissanka-malla-s-buildings-and-inscriptions
Location: Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Themes: main-event

Nissanka Malla commissioned the Hatadage, built to house the tooth relic, the eight-pillared granite Nissanka Latha Mandapaya and the Rankot Vihara, described as the fourth largest stupa in Sri Lanka. At Dambulla he refurbished the cave temple, gilding the interior and adding fifty Buddha statues. The sources do not give exact dates, so c. 1190 is an approximation within his reign of 1187 to 1196. His many stone inscriptions are the main source for his reign. Wikipedia notes that they exaggerate: they claim victories over Pandya and Chola territory and the renovation of a temple at Rameswaram, which he renamed Nissankesvara, though the invasions of South India failed. Two inscriptions give different costs for the Dambulla work, 7 lakhs in one and 1 lakh in another. He reportedly sent missionaries to Cambodia and restored relations with Ramanna after the war with Pagan, though neither is dated. His building programme outdid that of Parakramabahu I and, Wikipedia says, nearly bankrupted the kingdom. The inscriptions and monuments remain at Polonnaruwa as evidence of royal self-presentation at the end of its golden age. At this point in the timeline (c. 1190), King Nissanka Malla (1187 – 1196) ruled the Polonnaruwa Kingdom.

## Why it matters
His monuments and boastful inscriptions show the ambitions and strain of the late Polonnaruwa monarchy.

Ruler at the Time: [King Nissanka Malla](https://allhistories.com/sri-lanka/rulers/nissanka-malla-156)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissanka_Malla_of_Polonnaruwa)
- [Wikipedia — Polonnaruwa Vatadage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonnaruwa_Vatadage)
- [Wikipedia — Kingdom of Polonnaruwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Polonnaruwa)