Polonnaruwa's northern road ends at the Tivanka Image House. Tivanka means "thrice bent," and refers to the fact that the Buddha image within is in a three-curve position normally reserved for female statues. The building is notable for its fine Jataka frescoes depicting Buddha in his past lives – the only Polonnaruwa murals to have survived (photos not allowed).
Some of the murals date from a later attempt by Parakramabahu III to restore Polonnaruwa, but others are much older.