Polonnaruwa and Sigirya

Places of Interest - Sri Lanka

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introduction

Polonnaruwa is counted together with Anuradhapura and Sigirya to the golden circle in the north of Sri Lanka. The former is known as one of the most important royal cities and contains a multitude of ruins and other remains. At about 30 km from Polonnaruwa lies the citadel of Sigiriya. A standing boulder 200 meters high and with a plateau with a beautiful view over the predominantly flat landscape around the site.

Sigirya is one of the seven places in Sri Lanka which is placed on the World Heritage List. The archaeological complex consists of pleasure gardens surrounded by walls and canals and is a popular photo object for foreign but also local tourists. In addition, you can enjoy the exotic murals that are beautifully preserved.

highlights

The ruins of Polonnaruwa:

The Royal Palace, built during Parakramabahu I, was once an imposing 7-storey building, the top five of which were made of wood. The audience hall was completely decorated with elephant heads still partly visible.

At the Royal bath you can still see the water-spewing crocodile basin.

The square

Just north of the Royal palace you will find the square where you can see the most historic buildings (ruins) of Polonnaruwa and Sri Lanka. They are 12 ruins. The most important are:

the Vatadage, a round stupa;
the Thuparama, the only Buddhist temple from that time where another roof sits on;
the Hatadage, an ancient temple of the tooth, where the canine used to be Buddha has located;
the Atadage, another ancient temple of the tooth and the only remaining one building here from the time of King Vijayabahu I;
the Gal Pota, a 9 by 1.5 meter large stone with inscriptions from the time of King Nissanka Malla.

The Northern group of ruins:

North of the square are the northern group of ruins (also called crematorium college) that are situated miles apart from each other. The Rankot Vihara is after the big three dagoba's in Anuradhapura the largest dagoba of Sri Lanka, with a height of 55 meters.

The Gal Vihira is seen as the highlight of Sri Lankan sculpture. The four statues of Buddha are all carved out of one chunk of stone. The 7 meter high standing Buddha is seen as the most beautiful. In addition, there is a Buddha statue which is 14 meter long. I’ts lying down.

The historical core is younger than the city of Anuradhapura and that can be seen from the remains. These are in much better condition than those in Anuradhapura.

Sigirya:

The geological site of Sigirya contains gardens surrounded by moats and walled terraces with many water features. The citadel on top of the high lone standing rock also served as a palace. It is now only a ruin. Rainwater was collected in a few cisterns.

On the north side of the rock you reach the mirrorwall halfway through the steep ascent via some stairways. On this frescoes you can still see murals of some erotic cloudmaids.

Slightly higher is the terrace with the remains of the Lion Gate. The name Sigiriya, meaning lion rock, is derived from this. There would have been 50 drawings, today you can still see 22 of which the restoration work takes place. The view from the platform is stunning.

Other attractions:

The Archaeological museum.

history

Polonnaruwa became the second royal city of Sri Lanka around 1070 AD Chr. (after Annuradphura) under King Vijayabahu I. Polonnaruwa was better protected against attacks from both the south of India and from the southeast of Sri Lanka itself.

Another advantage showed that there are fewer mosquitoes. In 1284, Dambadeniya succeeded Polonnaruwa as the capital in western Sri Lanka. For almost 3 centuries the city had been the capital of the Chola and Sinhalse Kingdoms.

Originally, the rock Sigirya would be an eroded volcano that would have been given its current form by various (human) actions. The rock would have been inhabited in prehistoric times. The complex would have been built under and by King Kassapa I (473-491) who would have used it for royal and military purposes. Other theories indicate that it would have been a convent before the king took office.

It is certain that it was a monastery during the 10th century. The frescoes on the walls would not have been members of the palace, but they would have to represent Tara Devi; the important Mahayana goddess of Buddhism. In the 14th century the complex was abandoned while it was only rediscovered in 1898 by a British archaeologist. IN 1982 it was added to the list of UNESCO.

tips & advice (2009)

The main bus station of Polonnaruwa is strangely enough in the next village Kaduruwela a few kilometers away. The buses also run through the city itself, but if you want to be sure of a seat you better take a local bus to Kaduruwela and get in there.

Polonnaruwa - Sigirya - Kandy: you can take an AIRCO (tourist) bus or a local bus. The cheapest bus costs 80 Rs while a luxury bus costs 150 Rs. Duration to Kandy is about 4 hours. If you want to go to Sigirya you have to get off at Dambulla and take a bus to Sigirya that takes 40 minutes and costs 14 Rs.

These go every half an hour. You can also get off at Inamulawu and stand on the other side of the junction to get another bus. This will save your time and money.

You can eat a tasty and affordable snack at New Araliya Sinhala hotel. In addition to breakfast and lunch, they also have dinner. Located in the center in Polo.

Name: Samudra guesthouse (Polo)

Address: Habarana Rd

Price: 500 Rs

Phone nr. : 2222817

Content:

This hostel is located in the center of the town and within walking distance of the ruins. The family also lives in the hostel. The hostel consists of only a ground floor and is slightly behind the road, which is central but very quiet. The hostel has different room types with different prices.

The owner can also help with trips and tours to Minneriya NP and Kaudulla NP. You can also rent a bike here (150 Rs per day per person).