Polonnaruwa

Yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, within the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa Ancient City holds some captivating attractions. Amongst the ancient ruins of the dynasties that ruled this land is the awesome sculpture left behind in the Stone Temple Sculpture – the ‘Gal Vihara’ complex. This granite carving features a Standing Buddha, a Reclining Buddha, and the Buddha in the ‘Lotus’ or seated position. The sculptures were created out of one rock hill. It appears that artisans first cleared all the soil, sand, and debris from the granite hill. They then sculpted the Standing Buddha from the highest area of the rock. Following that, they carefully carved the ‘sitting Buddha’ from the medium-sized area of the rock hill, and so on.

Polonnaruwa Ancient City is a must-see attraction alongside the other ruins, inscriptions, and carvings in the vicinity. Attractions include Vatadage, Royal Palaces, Kiri Vehera Dagoba, Rankoth Vehera Stupa, Medirigiriya Ancient Hospital, and Minneriya National Park. It is a strict requirement of the authorities that a specially trained guide accompany visitors. This guide should be equipped with historical information such as dates, names of builders, carvers, and other technical data.