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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.
Today, Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its preserved ruins and restored ancient irrigation reservoirs is a “must visit” cultural destination of Sri Lanka Holidays. As much as the preserved cultural monuments would enlighten the tourists, the wild life sanctuaries in the district of Polonnaruwa affords ample opportunities for the joy and fun in the close range of wild elephants, other mammals to the lovers of wildlife. At the city of Polonnaruwa itself is the largest ancient irrigation reservoir called Parakrama Samudra (Sinhala: the Sea of Parakrama) is always lovely, and with the plethora of birdlife, it is seldom that there is not something interesting going on upon its shimmering expanses of waters. No rest house in Sri Lanka Holidays has a lovelier waterscape than that of Polonnaruwa Rest House nestled at the end of the immense motorable bund of the magnificent reservoir under the shade of mighty trees.
Immediately to the south of Parakrama Samudra ancient man-made lake, sandwiched between River Amban Ganga and River Mahaweli Ganga in the district ofPolonnaruwa is Wasgomuwa National Park; to the just north east of Polonnaruwa town is Flood Plains National Park; still further to the north east, again within thePolonnaruwa district is Somawathiya National Park; to the north west in the Polonnaruwa district is Minneriya Giritale National Park enclosing vast Minneriya irrigation reservoir and Giritale rainwater reservoir; to the further west is the transportation hub and accommodation option of Habarana, another wildlife sanctuary. Polonnaruwatakes your breath away.
Location of Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa is Located in between Wildlife at Minneriya National Park, Wasgomuwa National Park, Kaudulla National Park and Eco Hotels at Kandalama & Habarana.
We mustn’t fail to see: The Sea of Parakrama, Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Gal Vihara, Stone book and Lankatilaka Vihara.
Chosing between the two cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa
The best thing to do here is a call a toss of a coin: head you win, tail I lose. So in any case, with us, you are the winner. Deciding which of the two ancient capitalsPolonnaruwa or Anuradhapura - is the more impressive is a tough call.
As if the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura (437BC-845AD), didn’t quench your thirst for other side of the world, here we are in Polonnaruwa, the second capital (846 AD-1302 AD) of Sri Lanka, which in its prime was protected by 6 km of strong encircling walls. Strategically it commanded all the crossings over the longest & largest river of the island, River Mahaweli. Polonnaruwa’s extensive & well-preserved ruins offer a fascinating snapshot of ancient Sri Lanka, including some of the finest monuments. Ruins of royal castles and Buddhist temples: Royal Palace Group, The Quadrangle, the Polonnaruwa Vatadage, (circular relic house), Shiva Devale (Hindu temple), The Alahana Pirivena, Rankot Vihara, Lankatilake, Kiri Vihara, Gal Vihara, Potugal Vihara. Thanks to the compact nature of the city, we will be exploring all monuments & monastic remains in a single busy day that start in the early morning.
Ancient City
Just north of present-day Polonnaruwa town, 140km (90 miles) north of Kandy, are the ruins of ancient Polonnaruwa, which date from the late 10th century, when the marauding Chola invaders from southern India put Anuradhapura to sword and fire; death & destruction. The invaders moved their stronghold to Polonnaruwa, strategically located for defence against attacks from the unconquered Sinhalese kingdom of Ruhuna. In 1070 the Dravidians were defeated & forcibly evicted from Polonnaruwa by the Sinhalese Prince Kirti of Ruhuna who became the king of Lanka by the name of Vijayabahu. Recognizing, however, that Anuradhapura’s location made it vulnerable to assaults from southern India, the king and his successors made their capital at Polonnaruwa, adding enormous temples, palaces, parks, gardens and huge tanks. By the 13th century AD, however, new waves of attacks from southern India forced the Sinhalese kings to abandon the north of the island, and the kingdoms of Kotte in the southwest (near modern Colombo), and Kandy, in the highlands, became the centres of Sinhalese power.
The Sea of Parakrama (man-made sea like rain water reservoir)
Polonnaruwa Visitor Information Centre and Museum
Built with the help of the Dutch government, this centre, on the banks of the lake, uses designer displays, detailed descriptive texts and a five-minute video presentation to complement its collection of archaeological finds. With a huge scale model of the site, it brings Polonnaruwa’s palaces and temples to life, and it is well worth visiting before you set out to explore the complex.
The Royal Palace
In the center of the complex are the ruins of the Royal Palace, built by King Parakramabahu the great (1164-1196 AD). It was a massive wood and stone structure seven storeys in height, with a floor plan of 31m by13m (100ft by 43ft).The upper floors were of wood, and only the massive, 3m (10ft) thick lower walls survive.
Immediately to the east of the Palace stands the Audience Hall, used by the kings of Polonnaruwa to summon the nobles of the kingdom and to meet the emissaries from foreign rulers. Finely sculpted stone lions seated at the top of the steps leading into the hall were symbols of royal power, as were the elephants which form a frieze around the lower part of the outer wall. Next to the Audience Hall is the Kumara Pokuna (Royal Bathing Pool) which was fed with water from the stream which runs through the palace grounds.
Nissankamalla’s Palace
Standing close to the shore of the great man-made lake, the ruins of the palace of King Parakramabahu the great’s successor, King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 AD), are less well preserved than those of the Royal Palace, but are attractively located. This palace group includes a royal bathing pool just south of the palace, and the King’s Council Chamber, where the names of the king’s ministers can be seen carved into the pillars which supported the chamber roof.
Siva Devale
Immediately north of the Royal Palace complex is the Siva Devale, a 13th-century Hindu temple dating from the period of marauding south Indian invasions that followed the final decline of Sinhalese power in the north of the island. The technical skills of its builders are evident from the fine, precisely cut stonework of its walls. The brick domed roof, however, has not survived. There are several Siva Devales (Shiva Temples) at Polonnaruwa, reflecting the popularity of this powerful member of Hinduism’s ruling trinity of deities. Hindu trinity or Trimurti consists of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver & Shiva, the destroyer.
Quadrangle
The Quadrangle stands within its own rectangle of walls, guarding the richest collection of ancient buildings in any of Sri Lanka’s ruined capitals. In the southeast corner of the Quadrangle stands the Vatadage (reliquary), a circular building some 18m (59ft) in diameter, with four entrances leading to a central dagoba (shrine) which houses four seated Buddha images.
Clockwise around this building, from the southwest corner of the Quadrangle, is the Thuparama, a fine example of the gedige style of temple architecture which flourished at Polonnaruwa, and the only one to survive with its roof still in place.
More Information: Polonnaruwa Vatadage
Lata Mandapaya
West of the Vatadage is the Lata Mandapaya, a miniature dagoba encircled by stone columns topped with carved lotus buds, and surrounded by a carved stone trellis. Beyond this is the Atadage, the ruin of a tooth relic shrine built during the reign of Vijayabahu the 1st. Next to it is a cluster of small Hindu shrines.
Hatadage
Immediately north of the Vatadage is the Hatadage, another tooth reliquary building which was constructed in the reign of King Nissankamalla, and to the east of this stands the Gal Pota, or Stone Book, a 9m (29ft) stone carving of a palm leaf book used to record Buddhist texts and royal genealogies. The inscriptions therein records the achievements of King Nissankamalla.
Satmahal Prasada
Finally, in the northeast corner of the Quadrangle are the ruins of Satmahal Prasada, a six-storey, pagoda-like building which is unlike anything else in Sri Lanka, and has left archaeologists bowled out as to its origin.
Devales
Still within the perimeter of the city walls, north of the Quadrangle complex, are three more shrines, including a Siva Devale to the west of the road, and on the opposite side of the road a Vishnu Devale and yet another Siva Devale, a stone temple which is the oldest surviving building at Polonnaruwa. South of it looms the Parakramabahu Vihara, one of the largest stupas in Polonnaruwa.
Rankot Vihara
The largest dagoba in Polonnaruwa at 55m (180ft) high, this building is the hub of the group of buildings known as the Alahana Pirivena (‘Crematory College’) group which formed part of a monastic college during the reign of king Parakramabahu the great.
Buddha Seema Pasada
A conspicuous landmark, this is the tallest of the buildings north of the city walls and was the meeting hall of the Buddhist bhikkus (monks) of the monastery complex.
Lankatilaka Vihara
Kiri Vehera
Next to the Lankatilaka is the Kiri Vihara (Milk white temple), the best preserved of Polonnaruwa’s stupas. Aptly named, this large dagoba’s whitewashed plaster has survived seven centuries of abandonment to the jungle between the collapse of the Polonnaruwa kingdom and its rediscovery in the 19th century by the British colonialists. The construction of this dagoba is credited to Subhadra, Parakrambahu’s queen.
Gal Vihara
Demala Maha Seya
Abandoned before completion, this large mound is what remains of Parakramabahu’s effort to build the largest dagoba in the Buddhist world. The great king died before the work was completed.
Medirigiriya Vatadage, off Polonnaruwa
Location
30km north of Polonnaruwa & then about 3km north of the town of Medirigiriya. It is an enchanting place set in a natural reserve.
An unavoidable comparison with Polonnaruwa Vatadage
Near the village of Medirigiriya, about 30km north of Polonnaruwa, are the remains of the Mandalagiri Vihara or better known as Medirigirya Vatadage. It is similar in size & design to the splendid Polonnaruwa Vatadage, though the quality of the workmanship is not up to the high watermark set at Polonnaruwa.
While the Polonnaruwa vatadage is located among many other structures in a Dalada Maluwa (the hall of the Tooth Relic), the Medirigirya Vatadage stands alone atop a low hill.
Built during Polonnaruwa era on a much earlier site
An earlier structure was built here around the 2nd century, but the one that stands today was constructed in the 7th century by King Aggabodhi the 4th.
The central stupa
The vatadage sits atop a high terrace with a long flight of granite steps leading to it. At the bottom of the staircase is a massive stone frame with a height of almost 10 feet & width of almost 5 feet. 31 granite steps take us to the central stupa circled by a stone wall of a height of one meter. Four beautifully carved large seated Buddha statues face the four cardinal directions.
The lost roof
Three concentric circles with innermost circle of 16 delicate stone pillars (height 17 ft) & the middle circle with 20 stone pillars (height 16 ft) & the outermost circle with 32 stone pillars (height 9 ft) surround the central stupa. The roof of the Vatadage built on these three concentric circles of stone pillars is lost to rampage of marauding Dravidian invaders from Southern India.
Other structures surrounding the Vatadage
Hospital: The ruins of a hospital consist of 33 stone pillars on the outer structure & 20 pillars in the inner structure. Ruins indicate of three entrances & rooms with doors.
The medicine boat: The stone medicinal bath which looks unnervingly like a sarcophagus is a common feature as seen in all the ancient hospitals of Lanka.
Stone inscriptions: The stone medicinal oil bath is a common feature as seen in all the ancient hospitals of Lanka.
Others: There are also two images houses, two ponds, small stupa & a cave.
Giritale Reservoir
Location: by the side of Giritale Minneriya road
Buddha statues: a replica of Aukana Buddha Statue by the reservoir erected in 2001
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