ad trading and commercial links with the harbours. Roads connecting the land and the harbours were of major importance as export material and goods had to be transported through these routes. There is evidences that in constructing roads constructions, maintenance, providing necessary resources were based on political and economic stability up to the 13th century. Everything had to done under the royal patronage. In recognising the expansion and the development of a historical road network above factors provide us with a logical base.
Ancient Road network in Sri Lanka
According to the nature of the geo-political structure of the island, and also due to the directions through which water flows on to the sea along major and minor rivers main roads that connected the metropolitans’ areas of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva roads had to cross rivers at various points to reach the cities. Even up to date wooden and stone bridges over the rivers are to be seen at certain places and this proves that the infrastructure facility of roads running over land had been supported by stone and wooden bridges. Routes connected significant points like the temple premises ambalamas or resting places, minor tanks, and wells as well. Through archaeological research carried out from the 19th century they have found govukanu by the side of the road and the gavukanu were meant to mark the distance from one point to another. The gavukanu resemble the milestones later fixed by the British. During the Anuradhapura period there were six main roads running from the capital covering a distances of 1100 km (Vidanapathirqana,2016). Those routs ran up to Jambukolapattana in the north, up to Magama in the south Gokannatittha and Pallavavamka ports in the east, and finally up to Mahatittha, Magana and Uruvala ports in the western cost (Vidanapathirana,2012; Vidanapathirana& Karunarathne, 2015).
Safe and flourishing economy, establishment of religious institutions in abundance and their progress and the cultural aspects influenced the spread of a transport network up to distant corners of the country from the capital. Although there is a possibility to reconstruct the road network within the capital with the help of the ruins of 19 small and large stone and wooden bridges across Malvatu Oya and it’s tributaries and also irrigation canals no adequate information could be found on the gradual progress of a road system that existed for more than 1500 years(Vidanapathirana, 2012). Yet, we come across certain factors revealing bleak information regarding the development and the progress of a road system that centred round the main city of Anuradhapura from the 1st century AD. As an introduction for their findings, the British in the 19th century used such information as their base and also jungle infested roads.
Around the area associated with the main city bridges connecting a multitude of roads forming a cluster have been mapped out as a result of these findings. There were thirteen bridges constructed over Malvatu Oya and out of the three roads connecting the main southern and eastern roads which cartable. Apart from the three main stone bridges ruins of seven small stone bridges have been discovered. These bridges known as Jamhasethu in Visuddhimagga are six to eight feet in breath (Visud. 301). It is inbred that four to five pedestrians could cross horizontally at a time over these bridges. May be these bridges had been used by carts smaller in size when crossing the Malvatu Oya. By crossing the bridges over Malvatu Oya and it’s tributaries one could enter the access roads to Ruvanvalisaya, Sri Mahabodhi, Jetavanarama viharaya and turn to Rajaveediya too. From rajaveediya same routs entered the metropolitan area later to move through four main gates and then enter the national road network past the main stone bridges. (Vidanapathirana, 2012;2016). They were straight roads leading to all four directions proportionately in across pattern. These principles were visible as main aspects of town planning in Anuradhapura as well as in Polonnaruva. Streets within the 