Polonnaruwa was the second kingdom of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka, after the kingdom of Anuradhapura. Following the older tradition of the kings of the first kingdom, the Polonnaruwa kings too saw fit to leave their footprints in the form of stupas built during their times of reign. The stupas were usually different from in design from those of the Anuradhapura kings and followed a style unique to Polonnaruwa, but there were a few exceptions.