Polonnaruwa (පොළොන්නරුව), Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka (29 August 2005)

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව; Tamil: பொலநறுவை) is one of the World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.

Polonnaruwa was the capital of the second civilisation to establish itself in ancient Lanka after Anuradhapura. It was the seat of the Sinhala Kingdom between the middle of the 11th century to the 13th century.

Places of Interest in Polonnaruwa

The following are the sights that I have described in Polonnaruwa.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N7 54 57 E81 00 02
Inscription Year: 1982
Type of Site: Cultural / Natural / Mixed
Inscription Criteria: I, III, VI

Grew out of the arid plains of the north, the kingdom in Polonnaruwa depended heavily on channelled water to irrigate its fields. This demanded the construction of massive irrigation projects. Although the civilisation in Sri Lanka is not as popular, their engineering feat rival those of Angkor, Egypt and ancient China.

The greatest king in Polonnaruwa is Parakramabahu I, a warrior and great builder. It was he who build the massive Parakrama Samudra. It is worth Polonnaruwa to appreciate the engineering marvels of a civilisation that flourished a millenium ago, that today makes Polonnaruwa worthy of recognition as a World Heritage Site.

More Sights in Polonnaruwa

These are additional sights which I hope to describe in the future.

Alahana Pirivena
Archaeological Museum
Buddha Sima Pasada
Dalada Maluwa
Demala Maha Seya
Dipuyyana
Gopata Pabbata
Kiri Vihara
Kumara Pokuna
Lankatilaka
Lotus Pond
Menik Vihara
Pabulu Vihara
Pothgul Vihara
Statue of Agastaya
Tivanka
Vijayanta Pasada

Visiting Polonnaruwa

If you are traveling in a small group, I would recommend hiring a taxi or car with driver to take you to Polonnaruwa, and then explore it with your own transport. Alternatively you can take the bus or the train from Colombo. Polonnaruwa is about 220 km from Colombo, and the road is a bumpy highway, so the journey will take you almost the whole day. [an error occurred while processing this directive]