Ranga T.
Google
Ranmasu Uyana, also known as the Royal Goldfish Park, is an ancient royal pleasure garden located in the sacred city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Spanning approximately 40 acres, it is situated between the Tissa Wewa reservoir and the Isurumuniya Rock Temple.
The site is celebrated as a masterpiece of ancient landscape architecture and hydraulic engineering.
Key Features and History
• Royal Origins: Traditionally believed to date back to the 3rd century BCE (during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa), though many of the surviving stone structures and pavilions date to the 8th–10th centuries CE.
• Engineering Excellence: The park features a sophisticated hydraulics system. Water from the Tissa Wewa reservoir was gravity-fed into various stone-carved bathing ponds and swimming pools before being released to irrigate nearby rice fields.
• Royal Legend: According to popular folklore, Prince Saliya (son of King Dutugemunu) met his beloved Asokamala in this garden, leading him to renounce his right to the throne.
• Architecture: The park includes natural rock formations integrated into its design, stone couches, and ruins of small pavilions where royalty would relax.
The Mystery of "Sakwala Chakraya" (The Stargate)
The most controversial and famous feature of Ranmasu Uyana is a circular rock carving known as the Sakwala Chakraya (Universe Cycle).