A Building for Care within the Monastery
In the twelfth century, Alahana Parivena at Polonnaruwa developed under Parakramabahu I’s patronage. Its hospital belonged to a complex of residences, assembly buildings and sanitary facilities, placing care within monastic life.
Excavations beginning in the 1980s revealed the hospital; its medicinal trough was identified in 1982. Brick walls arranged rooms around a courtyard. The trough and associated equipment support identification of a medical setting.
Preparing Medicines Required Tools and Space
Oblong and circular grinding stones, containers, a spoon and small weighing equipment survive. Grinding, storage and measurement formed successive tasks in preparing materials for use.
A small balance with a case indicates handling of small quantities. Establishing particular ingredients or doses requires further evidence; the site preserves the equipment and working spaces themselves.
Metal Instruments in Medical Practice
Probes, scissors, forceps and blades have different lengths, working ends and gripping forms. Researchers consider these objects together with their hospital context when identifying surgical activity.
Aluwihare published photographs and classifications in 2021. A 2026 field and museum study recorded materials, dimensions and condition. Some precise functions remain interpretations based on form; objects and find contexts provide the basis for further work.
The Medicinal Trough and Continuing Care
A small room preserves a stone trough shaped around a human body, interpreted as a facility for immersion in medicinal oils. Its position connects treatment with surrounding rooms, routes and equipment.
The hospital joined monastic residence, medicine preparation, toolmaking and care. Continuing premises, crafted equipment and organized use left traces of twelfth-century healthcare in ordinary objects and buildings.