Low-Density Urbanism in Medieval Sri Lanka: Exploring the Hinterland of Polonnaruva

Abstract

A survey of the hinterland of Polonnaruva revealed that a planned pluralistic landscape developed in Sri Lanka during the latter Early Medieval period (A.D. 600–1200). This represents a significant shift in settlement pattern from the more organically developed Buddhist Temporalities landscape model as found at the antecedent capital of Anuradhapura. Settlements around Polonnaruva were larger, longer-lasting, and more evenly distributed than those at Anuradhapura. This coincided with a major island-wide shift toward centralization thought to be associated with experimentation with a new model of royal control. Both systems can be described as instances of low-density urbanism, however, suggesting that there was greater variation within this settlement genre than previously anticipated.