The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is the second capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom. After the fall of the first capital of Anuradhapura city, Polonnaruwa became the capital of Sri Lanka. It lasted for many years as the thriving commercial and religious center of the country. Even today, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains the best-planned archaeological relic city on the island. It consists of a lot of temples and religious buildings which are thousands of years old now. These timeless ruins are UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. Polonnaruwa city is a standing testimony to the grandeur of the ancient rulers of the kingdom and continues to amaze visitors with its great historical value.
History of Polonnaruwa City
Polonnaruwa kingdom started in the late 10th century when the South Indian Chola dynasty conquered Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. They made Polonnaruwa their capital and ruled the country. Finally, in 1070, the Chola dynasty was overtaken by the Sinhalese King Vijayabahu and he kept Polonnaruwa as his capital too. It was the royal capital of the Sinhalese kingdoms for nearly three centuries. During this period, Polonnaruwa reached its highest glory and prosperity.
The greatest king who lived in Polonnaruwa was King Parakramabahu. He built many large buildings, beautiful temples, and a huge tank of water. King Nissanka Malla added some more splendid buildings to the city. However, in the early 13th century, the city’s glory was fading with the South Indian invasions. Finally, the Polonnaruwa dynasty faced complete destruction by the invaders in 1214. This was the sad end of the reign of beautiful Polonnaruwa as the capital of Sri Lanka.
Access to Polonnaruwa
To reach Polonnaruwa, you can use Pulathisi intercity express train which runs daily from Colombo Fort to Polonnaruwa station. It will take nearly 5 hours to complete this journey. If you take a bus from Colombo, it takes around 6 hours to reach the city. Here you can find all the best methods to reach Polonnaruwa from Colombo.
Major attractions in Polonnaruwa
Here we are going to show you several important places not to miss in the sacred city of Polonnaruwa. Read more about each attraction and find out its historical value and significance. When you are touring Polonnaruwa city, remember to visit as many of these attractions as you can.
1. Gal Viharaya
Gal Viharaya or Rock Temple is the most visited ancient monument at Polonnaruwa. King Parakramabahu created this great cultural landmark in the country. This temple is famous due to the incredible statues of Lord Buddha. There are four rock-relieved statues carved into the face of granite rocks. The four statues include a large seated Buddha, a small seated Buddha, a standing Buddha, and a reclining figure of Lord Buddha.
Above all, this 46 feet long reclining Buddha statue in Gal Viharaya is one of the largest stone statues in the whole of South Asia. It is a miraculous sight to see the hard craftsmanship of these statues. For example, the natural rock has been excavated deeply to accommodate the statues. These incredible statues are honored and respected by thousands of worldwide visitors.
2. Rankoth Vehera
Rankoth Vehera is the largest Dagaba in Polonnaruwa, which is 54 m tall and 170 m in diameter. It is the fourth largest in Sri Lanka, dating back to the great King Nissanka Malla. Its name literally means “golden pinnacled stupa”.
Rankoth Vehera bears a close resemblance to the majestic Ruwanweliseya in the sacred city of Anuradhapura. This huge stupa has created using only clay bricks and still remains with the natural brick surface. Boasting impressive ancient craftsmanship, Rankoth Vehera is an epic cultural monument in Sri Lanka.
3. Vatadage
Polonnaruwa Vatadage can describe as the ultimate development of ancient Sri Lankan architecture. King Parakramabahu created this magnificent building to hold the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha during his reign. The small stupa that the tooth relic enshrined in was protected by the Vatadage.
It has two stone platforms decorated with elaborate stone carvings. There is a single entrance to enter the circular lower platform. The upper platform, surrounded by the circular brick wall can access through four doorways. Four solid rock Buddha statues seat around it, each facing one of the entrances.
Polonnaruwa Vatadage considers as one of the epic cultural landmarks in the country, completely worthy for admiring the ancient architectural skills of the Polonnaruwa era. Therefore, remember to visit this wonderful creation during your travel to Polonnaruwa.
4. Hatadage
Hatadage is an ancient relic shrine in Polonnaruwa. King Nissanka Malla created it to keep the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha during his reign. It has built by using stone, brick, and wood, although only parts of the brick and stone walls now remain. It appears as a two-storey structure, but the upper storey is destroyed over time. As you can see, three Buddha statues carved out of granite rock are located within a chamber of the shrine. The shrine is 120 ft in length and 60 ft in width.
5. Atadage
This is the creation of the first king of Polonnaruwa, King Vijayabahu. The purpose of Atadage was to hold sacred tooth relic during King Vijayabahu’s reign. What remains here today are the foundation and 54 stone pillars. Tooth relic believed to be kept on the upper floor, made out of wood on top of these stone pillars.
6. Royal Palace
Royal Palace was one of the huge, marvelous creations by King Parakramabahu. This place considers the Palace where the king and his royal family lived during his reign. This Palace call as Vijayanta Prasada. After all, this is the grandest place of ruins in Polonarruwa city.
According to history, this 7 storied building had about 1000 rooms. The remaining huge walls have a thickness of over one meter. Part of the stairs to the upper floors is still visible. These foundation walls give an idea about the size of this marvelous building.
7. Audience Halls
The audience halls were used as courts by the kings of Polonnaruwa to hear petitions and to meet emissaries from foreign rulers. There are remains of two magnificent audience halls in Polonnaruwa. They are the public audience hall of King Parakramabahu and the council chamber of King Nissanka Malla.
Firstly, King Parakramabahu’s Audience Hall is notable for the elephant carvings on the wall. The elephant figures each of which is in a different pose. The entrance has two flights of steps and fine lions at the top of the steps.
Secondly, King Nissanka Malla’s Audience Hall is made of solid rock pillars held by a wooden roof. These huge 48 stone pillars are still remaining today. His throne endured for thousands of years and still stay as a lion carved in stone. It has “Throne of the King” carved at the bottom.
8. Nissanka Latha Manadapaya
This is an exceptional structure created by King Nissanka Malla in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. It is a pillared structure that is open on all sides and protects the inside from the sun with a roof. Unlike stone columns common in other ruins, these are not straight but curved in three places. These curved stone columns are the unique feature of the Nissanka Latha Manadapaya.
The 2.54 m high eight granite columns arranged in two rows, with four in each row. Furthermore, the crown is in the shape of a blossoming lotus bud and the rest of the column resembles the stem of the flower. After all, these stone columns are elaborately carved in a completely different style that is found nowhere else in the country.
9. Lankatilaka Temple
Lankatilaka Temple is another wonderful creation by King Parakramabahu. This image house considers the largest image house built in ancient Sri Lanka. Two great walls of Lankatilaka have a thickness of 4m & a height of 17m. These walls form a narrow aisle leading to a very impressive, huge standing Buddha over 14m high.
The building and giant Buddha statue were built with clay bricks. Continuously, the exterior and interior of this image house are decorated with paintings. As well, the entrance to the building adorns by Moonstone and two Guard Stones. The remaining walls of this marvelous building signify the extent of ancient architectural skills.
10. Sathmahal Prasada
The Sathmahal Prasada means seven-story tower and it looks like a step pyramid. It is made of brick and a layer of plaster. From the seven floors, the top floor only barely remains. It is believed to be a stupa because it is in a Buddhist environment.
Sathmahal Prasada has a square plan with a lateral staircase. It presents the same decoration on its four sides. The base of the building is the shape of a square with a side length of 35 ft. It is a unique building in the area, whereas the builder and purpose are unknown.
11. Lotus Pond
Lotus Pond or Nelum Pokuna is a small stone bath of wonderful design. It has the shape of tiers of eight petalled lotuses in the form of a full-blown lotus flower. King Parakramabahu constructed this spectacular pond. Most pilgrims and tourists miss this great creation because it locates off the beaten path from the famous quadrangle packed with ruins.
The fine-cut granite in Lotus Pond is still in excellent formation. It is an absolute delight to modern-day visitors. It has a diameter of 7.54 m and is split into five concentric layers of eight petals gradually diminishing to 1.63 m. Lotus Pond surrounds by brickwork. It is a work of great beauty, eternally admired by visitors.
12. Kiri Vehera
This large stupa is known as the Kiri Vehera of Polonnaruwa, built by queen Rupavathi of king Parakramabahu. It stands 80 feet in height and second biggest stupa in Polonnaruwa today. It has survived thousand years and still is in its original condition. The lime plaster of the dome is better preserved than other stupa found in Polonnaruwa.
13. Pabalu Vehera
Pabalu Vehera or Temple of Marbles is an unusual shape stupa, believed to build by one of King Parakramabahu’s consorts, Queen Rupavati. The original name of this stupa is not clear. Whereas the current name derived from a large number of small glass beads found during the excavation of the area around the stupa. There are nine image houses around the stupa and a stairway to reach the first level of the stupa.
14. Gal Potha
Gal Potha or Stone Book is a giant stone inscription located main archaeological site in Polonnaruwa. This 8 m long stone inscription discovered in Sri Lanka is the work of King Nissanka Malla. It describes the heroic deeds of King Nissanka Malla.
According to the inscription, this large stone was transported from Mihintale in Anuradhapura, about a hundred kilometers far away from Polonnaruwa. Furthermore, the letters of the inscription are embossed with molten iron, which has been preserved well for thousands of years.
15. Tivanka Image House
Tivanka Image House also built by King Parakramabahu. It is located in the main archaeological site of Polonnaruwa. The name Tivanka means three bends. Whereas, the giant Buddha image in this image house has bent at three places, namely shoulder, hip, and knee. The image house is famous due to the paintings on its interior walls. The paintings depict certain incidents from the life of Lord Buddha.
16. Shiva Devale
Shiva Devale is the oldest Hindu shrine in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa. It was created by Tamil King Raja Raja. According to an inscription, this place dedicates to the consort of the King.
17. Parakrama Samudra
Another wonderful creation of King Parakramabahu is the huge Parakrama Samudra. As Polonnaruwa lies in the dry and arid area of the island, the king decided to create this tank to prosper the area. This tank is so large, hence calls as ocean or sea. You’ll see that the waves come as big as the ocean waves in Parakrama Samudra.
This tank is a blessing to the area, supplying water for the many paddy cultivations. Even today, it supplies water for irrigation in neighboring large areas. It gives an oasis in the hot and dry Polonarruwa area. Therefore, remember to go there in the afternoon and enjoy the cool breeze during the sunset in the picturesque environment.
18. Statue of King Parakramabahu
Do you like to see the founder of all major wonderful buildings in the Polonnaruwa dynasty? It is none other than King Parkramabahu the Great. His statue locates close to the eastern bank of the Parakrama Samudra. This statue is one of the best stone sculptures belonging to the Polonnaruwa period. This 3.4 m high statue is carved in high relief on a large boulder and has a solemn expression on his face.
19. Lord Buddha at Giritale
There is s 39 feet high, an incredible statue of Lord Buddha near Giritale Lake in Polonnaruwa. This is a replica of the outstanding Aukana Buddha statue. This statue is a quite recent construction that was completed in 2017.
Although this huge statue locates far from mainstream attractions, it is a completely worthy sight to visit. The calm and quiet background of Giritale Lake gives a splendid view to visitors.
20. Minneriya National Park
Minneriya is one of the national parks located within 20 km of distance from Polonnaruwa. It is one of the famous wild safari spots to see the amazing wildlife of Sri Lanka. Since the Park has a large herd of Sri Lankan elephants, you can definitely see them in the park. During the dry season, elephants stay around the Minneriya tank. This is the best place to see the annual elephant gathering.
The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is a calm and serene place to admire the ancient architecture and the great history of Sri Lanka. You can see many ruins differing in architecture and style in each dynasty. Therefore, don’t forget to include the ancient city Polonnaruwa on your bucket list. Explore these timeless ruins which can take you a thousand years back to history. Happy traveling to the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa city for you all!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Dreamstime, and Twitter. All Copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
