 gate of Anuradhapura stone bridge across Mahakanadara Oya and Hunukanadara Oya, Kongollava and Parangiyavadiya across Yan Oya remain as landmarks. Three bridges across Yan Oya have been identified in the eastern coast at Pallavavamka. A port to the north of the Gokannatittha and some more ports that have not been unidentified yet are assumed to have played a supportive role to the Gokanna harbour (Vidanapathirana &Karunatathne, 2015). Ports at the eastern coast seem to have gathered more prominence as a result of the changes in the trade monopoly in the Indian Ocean and the shifting of capital to Polonnaruva from Anuradhapura in 8thcentury AD.
On the main road to the port at Pallavavamka there was a stone bridge at Sangilikanadara Uya a tributary of Mavatu Oya from the north east to the Anuradhapura city. This main road had to pass the stone bridges at Rambava across Mora Oya and at Demodara across Yan Oya. There was another main road from the main road to Pallavavamka Port., to reach Kokilai lagoon. Stone bridge across Yan Oya Moragama is a landmark on the road. Another road deviating from the main road to reach Pllavavamka port reaches the port passing a stone bridge across Yan Oya at Kimbulpitiyava (Vidanapathirana &Karunatathne, 2015; Vidanapathirana 2016).
Branching from the eastern high way there was a road to reach Seruvila and Lankapattana across Kantale Ara Passing a stone bridge. Road to the Valachchne coastal area from Polonnaruva passes through Kasatota across river Mahavali ganga and Pollipota Ara situated at Kayankani in the eastern coast passing another stone bridge (Dayananda & Karunarathne, 2014; Vidanapathirana,2016). Although there were less settlement along this route there had been a well established infrastructure with the presses of temples monasteries along with an expansion of small scale tanks. Stone bridges at Kala Oya Radatota and the bridge at Mudennegama across Siyabalangamu Oya as landmarks on the road to Dakkhina-desa from Anuradhapura Vidanapathirana,2012). This road run parallel to modern Anuradhapura – Kurunagala road. Ruins of certain monastery and ambalam from village names Ballala to Padeniya are remaining evidences of the existence of this road. So far no research has been done to examine whether royal patronage had been there to a systematic coordination in the construction of provincial road network in the country. Yet it could be inferred that the dams of major and minor irrigation canals and major tank bunds had a direct amalgamation with the major road network in the island. It has been revealed that within the ancient Chinese civilization banks of irrigation canals spread over the past agricultural landscape that had been in amalgamation with transport network from the second century AD onwards.
Construction, maintenance and the continuation of roads
In Kautliya’s Arthasastra written in the 4th century BC it is stated that the ruler of the country should card mate with national and provincial institutions to construct road according to necessity. Thus according to Arthasastra it is the duty and the responsibility of the king to construct and maintain roads within the capital, military headquarters, ports city, and road laying to transport vehicles carrying elephants and other animals commercial roads overland and over water ways. It is his duty to protect carts carrying commercial goods from way laying.
Priority had to be given to maintenance and administration of roads in the metropolis. Fa-yuan in his report has mentioned that the roads and streets within the inner city of Anuradhapura were flattened and maintained with very high standards in the 5th century AD. It is reported that there had been stupa and dharmasala constructed at the road junctions (Balagalle, 1999). Streets within the city limits were laden with stone slabs and steps were constructed at points where those streets were not even. Recent excavation have confirmed that these were walls by the side of streets at certain places Ruins of streets with side walls and paved stone slabs were among the recent findin