When Vijaya, the first recorded ruler of the country arrived from India, he brought a large retinue of his followers with him.

[2] The city is mentioned again in the chronicles Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa, Rajavaliya and Thupavamsa nearly 300 years later during the reign of king Dutthagamani.

Dutthagamani's army laid siege on the city for four months before finally capturing it through simultaneous attacks on all four gates.

There is an ancient temple here as well as a granite stone that locals believe to have been used by Dutthagamani's soldiers to sharpen their swords before their battle.

[5] Other historians and archaeologists believe that the location is close to Kaduruwela near Polonnaruwa, where the ruins of an ancient fortress have been found.