Polonnaruwa Ancient City Exploration
Meet your driver at your hotel in Colombo and travel to the medieval kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
Start at the Archaeological Museum, which offers great insight into the art and history of the former medieval capital city. It features an extraordinary collection of bronze statues and scale replica models of the sites, showing what the buildings would have looked like in the past.
Proceed to the Royal Palace and Citadel of King Parakramabahu I. Initially, it was a seven-story structure. You will see the Audience Hall, or Council Chamber, a large pavilion-like hall with intricate carvings. In one corner of the palace grounds, you will find the Royal Bathing Pool.
Continue to the Quadrangle, the focal point of the old city. This complex contains the ruins of several ancient buildings, beginning with the Shiva Devale and continuing to the Thuparamaya, a well-preserved image house, the Nissanka Latha Mandapaya (Floral Altar), the Hatadage (House of Seven Relics), and the famous Polonnaruwa Vatadage, a creation that has been revered with prominence in Sri Lankan history.
Go on to see the Gal Potha (Stone Book), an enormous book carved out of rock, and the Satmahal Prasadaya, a building influenced by oriental architecture that was highly unusual and complex. It was built like a stepped pyramid, with six stories erected one above the other.
Head north to see the magnificent Gal Vihara, a collection of world-renowned statues. There are four figures of the Buddha carved out of a granite cliff, and this is considered the finest rock sculpture on the island.
Visit the Nelum Pokuna, also known as the Lotus Pond, a beautifully carved granite pond constructed in the shape of a lotus flower, and the Thivanka Image House, one of the largest monasteries around Polonnaruwa.
End the tour and return to your hotel in Colombo.
