Polonnaruwa Ancient City

The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, was the island's royal capital in the 11th and 12th centuries, and its ruins are better preserved and more compact than Anuradhapura's. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1982, and it suits travellers in the Cultural Triangle who can give it a morning or an afternoon.

From military post to royal seat

Polonnaruwa started as a military post of the Sinhalese kingdom. After the Chola invasion of the 10th century the conquerors renamed it Jananathamangalam, and once Sinhalese rule returned it replaced Anuradhapura as the seat of the kings. Its high point came under Parakramabahu I, who reigned from 1153 to 1186 and backed trade, farming and large irrigation works. The city was abandoned in 1215. The modern town lies about 3 km south of the archaeological zone.

The quadrangle and the Vatadage

The Dalada Maluwa, or quadrangle, holds the city's oldest and most sacred buildings, and the round Vatadage relic house fills most of its south-western corner. Its upper platform is 24 m across and the lower one 37 m. Four seated Buddhas, each 1.5 m tall, face the four doorways around a small stupa. The northern entrance has one of the finest moonstones (sandakada pahana) of the period, and the eastern steps keep two carved guard stones. Scholars still argue over whether Parakramabahu I or Nissanka Malla built it; Nissanka Malla's own inscription nearby claims it.

Four Buddhas cut from one granite face

Four Buddha figures cut from one granite rock face in the 12th century make Gal Vihara the best-known sight in Polonnaruwa. The large seated Buddha is 4.64 m tall, a smaller one sits inside a cave, the standing figure with folded arms reaches 6.93 m, and the reclining Buddha stretches 14.12 m. Some historians read the standing figure as the monk Ananda grieving beside the dying Buddha. Between the cave and the standing image, an inscription records the code of conduct Parakramabahu I set for monks.

The royal palace, the statue and the lotus pond

Other stops include the royal palace, the stone statue often identified as King Parakramabahu I and the tiered Lotus Pond. Beside the ruins lies Parakrama Samudra, a 22.6 km² reservoir made by joining five older tanks with channels. Its northern part, Topa Wewa, dates to around 386 AD; Parakramabahu I expanded the system, and the water still irrigates farmland around the town.