Polonnaruwa, which became the capital of Sri Lanka following the decline of Anuradhapura, was to witness the Sinhalese Buddhist civilization reaching still greater heights. The vast irrigation network with reservoirs that look like natural in-land seas sustained such epic scales in rice cultivation, during the reign of king Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186 A.D), Sri Lanka became known as the Granary of the Orient.
Among the main tourist attractions at Polonnaruwa are preserved ruins of magnificent royal palaces, enormous Buddhist temples, intact monumental sculpture in colossal statues carved from sold rock boulders that once rivaled Anuradhapura in magnificence.
