Although smaller in scale than Anuradhapura in scale, it would still take too long to see every remaining structure here in Polonnaruwa. Therefore, it is more important to see enough variety to appreciate the scope of the site, instead of covering the entire place. A 2-3 hour would generally be sufficient and if you are into photography, you may take as long as 4 hours (we spent almost 4 hours there). If you are visiting in the middle of day like we did, I recommend bringing socks, as large parts of the ruins are officially a temple and one must remove their footwear and walked shoeless. The stone paths at this time of the day can easily fry an egg, but thankfully you are allowed to wear socks.
Here’s some of the highlights of the ancient city to see, as we go from south to north starting from Pothgul Vihara and ending with Gal Vihara:
Pothgul Vihara (20 minutes)
Pothgul Vihara Statue
This beautiful statue is 11½ feet (3.5 meters) tall and carved on a large boulder, depicting a majestic figure with a grave expression, holding a book or yoke in his hands. Some said this is the statue of King Parakramabahu I, while others believe that this is a statue of an Indian high priest, Pulasthi, as the long beard and mustache, the hair, the clothing, and the body with a slightly large stomach are not what you would expect from a statue of a great king. This, and the fact that it is located close to the Pothgul Vihara, which was a library in ancient times, supports this theory. Regardless of who this statue represents, the statue shows the highest level of craftsmanship of the rock carving engineers of that time.
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| Pothgul Vihara Statue |
Potgul Viharaya
Located near the statue is Pothgul Vihara, a Buddhist library complex believed to have been built by King Parakramabahu I. The library is a gedige type structure with a circular structure in the middle built from brick. The roof is no longer in place, but fragments of paintings on the walls are still visible, surprisingly survived the forces of nature for over 800 years.
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| Potgul Viharaya |
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| Main entrance |
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| Fragments of paintings on the walls are still visible |
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| The roof that is gone |
Parakrama Samudra Dam ((The Sea of Parakrama) (pit stop)
On the way from Pothgul Vihara to the Palace Complex of King Parakrambahu, you will pass by Prakrama Samudra Dam, a vast water reservoir built by King Parakramabahu I in order to alleviate drought problem. Parakrama Samudra originally consisted of five large reservoirs separated by smaller dams to reduce the pressure on the main dam. Many smaller reservoirs were built around the primary reservoirs to feed them water and to take away any excess water. What could be seen today is only a portion of the original creation as reconstruction in the 19th century which ignored most of the ancient technology has resulted in some new structural error.
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| Parakrama Samudra Dam |
The Palace Complex of King Parakramabahu (45 minutes)
Royal Palace of King Maha Parakramabahu
Also known as the Palace of King Parakramabahu the Great, this palace was believed to be seven stories high and contained 1000 chambers. The palace complex was destroyed in a fire during the Indian invaders in 14th century, leaving only the 30-feet high walls, along with the giant holes which is believed to be the wooden structures that supported the higher floors and the melted bricks to be seen today. A miniature model of the original palace can be seen at the complex museum.
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| Royal Palace |
Council Chamber of King Parakramabahu
Built by King Parakramabahu in front of the palace, this structure consists of 3 layers of solid rock. The border of the first layer is decorated with carved elephants each in a different posture, the second layer border is carved with figures of lions and the last layer with images of “Wamana”.
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| The Council Chamber |
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| first layer - carved elephants |
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| second layer - lions |
The entrance to the building is through two beautifully carved lions and the roof was supported by 48 beautifully carved stone pillars laid in 4 rows.
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| one of the carved lion at the entrance |
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| 48 beautifully carved stone pillars laid in 4 rows |
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| carvings on the pillars |
Kumara Pokuna
A small distance away from the roayla palace and council chamber is Kumara Pokuna, a pond made out of stone slabs. This pond was used during the period of King Parakramabahu and on the side of this tank are the remains of the changing rooms.
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| Kumara Pokuna |
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| Closer look |
Shiva Devalaya (No. 1) (5 minutes)
Shiva Kovil (no. 1) is the first kovil you will come across after entering the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. The walls are made of a closely fitted stone blocks. The carvings are that of Indian style and therefore, it is thought that these carved stones probably brought in from India or done by Indian Artists who came to Sri Lanka.
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| Shiva Kovil (No.1) |
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| Reminds me of the ruins in Angkor Wat |
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| the structure has collapsed in the past and then put back in place |
Dalada Maruva (45 minutes)
This is an elevated area in the Polonnaruwa Sacred City which many Buddhist buildings are situated:
Vatadage
One uniqueness characteristic of the building is that the Stupa is protected by a roof, hence the relatively smaller size. The small stupa sits in the center, and beautifully carved Buddha statues are on the four sides. The roof was once supported by two rows of stone pillars around the stupa but none of the pillars are visible today. The pillars outside the walls are however, are still intact.
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| Stupa in the middle surrounded by 4 buddha statues |
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| One of the four buddha statues |
From four sides, beautifully carved stone stairs lead the upper level. On the side of staircase some of most beautiful guard stones and moonstones in this area can be seen. The guard stones on the eastern side of the temple is said to be the best guard stone in the Polonnaruwa era.
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| Guard stones at the staircase |
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| Moonstone |
The moonstones in the Polonnaruwa era had undergone a major change compared to the Anuradhapura moonstones. Where the moonstones originally had four animals carved onto it – the elephant, the horse, the lion, the bull, now only three remain as bull was taken out. Bull is the vehicle of God Shiva and is considered a holy animal by the Hindus. This could well be the reason for it to been taken off the moonstone where everybody who enters the temple tramples. Instead, the bull was placed on the side of the stairways at a higher elevation in some places.
Nissankalata Mandapa
Built by King Nissanka Malla, Nissankalata Mandapa is a square buiding surrounded with fine rock cut railing. The pillars are carved in the shape of lotus stem and are curved in three places with the top of the pillars taking the form of a lotus flower. A small stupa sits in the center.
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| Nissankalata Mandapa |
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| A small stupa sits in the center with pillars are carved in the shape of lotus stem |
Atadage of King Vijayabahu I
Also known as the house of the tooth relic of Buddha, this building is the only surviving building by King Vijayabahu I. It is built on 54 stone pillars and the tooth relic was place on the second floor which is accessible through a granite staircase. Only few steps of the staircase still remain. Three Buddha statues used to be housed at the ground floor but only the center one remains today.
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| Atadage |
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| the only buddha statue remains |
As “Ata” means eight, it is speculated that the building is named so because it was built in eight days, using parts of other buildings in Anuradhapura era. The moonstone for example is taken from Anuradhapura to be placed here.
Velaikkara inscription
On the left side of the Atadage is a granite slab with inscription done in Tamil language. The inscriptions states that Polonnaruwa was done by "Nagaragiri Deva", a commander of the army on the order of King Vijayabahu who then ordered the Velaikkara regiment to protect the Tooth Relic.
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| Velaikkara inscription |
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| inscription done in Tamil language |
Hetadage of Nissanga Malla
This ancient shrine housed the tooth relic during the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. According to the inscriptions on a stone slab next to this building, it is built by King Nissanka Malla to house the tooth relic of Buddha.
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| Hetadage of Nissanga Malla |
This building is much larger than the Atadage and is surrounded by solid stone walls. Similar to Atadage in design, it has two floors with the stone steps to the upper floor are still in place. The upper floor was been probably made out of wood and the tooth relic was likely to be housed here. On the ground floor, remains of three standing Buddha statues can be seen.
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| three standing Buddha statues remains |
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| three standing Buddha statues |
As “Heta” means sixty, it is presumed that the name was due to it being completed in sixty days or housed sixty relics with tooth relic of Buddha.
At the entrance is the Sandakada Pahana (the moonstone) which lion carving which is rare among the moonstones seen in the Polonnaruwa Era.
Sathmahal Prasadaya
There are four known unusually shaped square stupas in Sri Lanka and the most popular one is the Sathmahal Prasadaya of the Polonnaruwa Period. The rest of the 3 stupas can be found in the ancient Anuradhapura kingdom which are rarely visited by the pilgrims.
As similar stupas is said to be seen in Cambodia and Thailand, it is thought that Sathmahal Prasadaya could have been built for the Cambodian soldiers who were working under the king as place of worship.
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| Sathmahal Prasadaya |
The building has entrances from four sides, with staircases to reach the upper levels. The builder of this stupa and its original name is still a mystery till this date.
Gal Potha (Stone Book)
Gal Potha is one of the famous works of King Nissanka Malla which describes himself, his rule and the eligibility for being a king of Sri Lanka. This massive slab which is 8.2 meters long and 1.4 meters wide was brought form Mahiyangana area by the warriors of the king.
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| Gal Potha |
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| 8.2 meters long and 1.4 meters wide |
The text is written in 3 columns and contain over 4300 characters in 72 lines. There are signs that liquidized metal has been poured onto the carved characters to bring out the letters much clearer.
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| close up of inscription |
Thuparama Image House
Shiva Devale (No. 2) (5 minutes)
This Shiva Kovil is considered to be one of the oldest buildings of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom to survive the ravages of time. It is built by Tamil invaders in the 10th century, who initially establish their capital in Polonnaruwa. This building is completely built out of stone finely laid with perfect precision. Due to this reason, this is one of the well preserved artifacts of the ancient kingdom.
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| Shiva Devale (No. 2) |
Pabalu Vehera (10 minutes)
The origin of this unusually shaped stupa is unknown, but it is believed to be built by Queen Rupawathi, one of the King Parakramabahu’s consorts. The name “Pabalu” means bead as a large number of small glass beads were found during the excavation of the area around the stupa. The stupa has only 4 image houses around it, but there are nine image houses around the stupa, of varying sitting and standing images.
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| Pabalu Vehera |
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| standing statue |
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| Sitting statue |
Rankoth Vehera (10 minutes)
Measuring 55 meters in height and 185 meters in circumference, Rankoth Vehera is the largest stupa in Polonnaruwa, and the fourth largest stupa in the country after Ruwanveli Seya, Jetawanarama and Abhayagiriya in Anuradhapura.
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| Rankoth Vehera |
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| largest stupa in Polonnaruwa |
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| also the fourth largest stupa in the country |
Originally named “Ruwanmali dagaba”, it is probably an attempt to build a similar Stupa to the Ruwanveli Seya of Anuradhapura. A rock inscription east to the Stupa describes how King Nissanka Malla supervised to the work of this temple sitting at that place.
The guard stones at the menik vehera is also unique as elephant was carved on it instead of the common motif of a bull.
Alahana Privena (15 minutes)
Alahana Pirivena is the great monastic complex founded by Parakramabahu 1, said to be built on a cremation ground, hence the name Alahana Pirivena.
The monastery laid out in terraces in idyllic surroundings with small and large rocky outcrops like the Gopala Pabbata, meandering stream, ponds and parks is said to have extended over an area of more than eighty hectares.
Lankathilaka Image House
Polonnaruwa Lankathilaka Image House is a monolithic Buddha image house built by King Parakramabahu. The whole building is completely made out of bricks and the outer walls are covered with elaborate designs and carvings. The 41 feet tall Buddha statue was also completely made out of specially made flat bricks. However, the portion above the shoulder is destroyed as of today.
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| Lankathilaka Image House |
At the entrance to the Lankathilaka building is two massive pillars made from bricks. The tallest one is 58 feet in height and it is thought that these pillars would have been at least twice as tall before its destruction as the building is said to had five stories.
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| Most impressive structure in Polonnaruwa and also my favourite |
The two stairways to the upper floors inside the Lankathilaka stupa house are of unique design. The width of a step is only about 4 inches and each is about one feet tall. The stairways start from the Buddha Statue and goes up towards the entrance. This unique design is used so that the user find it impossible to climb these stairs the normal may we do. The only practical way to climb these stairs are sideways with your back to the walls so that climbers would never turn their back to the Buddha statue which is considered a disrespect.
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| Giant buddha statue |
This stupa house is also a fine example of a Gedi-Ge style building. The unique feature of this is vault type buildings are roofs which are made primarily out bricks in a semi-spherical fashion or as an arch. Unfortunately, the roof has long been destroyed.
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| Only decent photo with this structure |
The entrance of all ancient Buddhist temples is generally adorned with a moonstone, two guard stones and a pair of balustrades on the sides of the steps. The guard-stones generally depict an image of Naga with Seven Hoods. It is rare to find the female form of Naga, the Nagini on these guardstone or anywhere else. The Nagini carving on this temple is on the inner side of the left balustrade as you enter. Her head is framed by the same number of hoods as the naga on the opposite side indicating the naga and nagini were both considered equally important functionally in their role as guardian.
Kiri Vehera
Originally named “Rupavathi Stupa”, this large stupa is said to be built by a Subadra, the queen of King Parakramabahu (1153-1186) called “Subadra”. This stupa is also the second biggest stupa in Polonnaruwa today and the only stupa to survive the 900 years of forces of nature and still is in the original condition.
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| Kiri Vehera |
There are many restored smaller stupas around Kiri Vehera. These have been identified as burial chambers of high priests and royals. On the other hand, the two identical stupas south to the Lankathilaka is thought to be built upon remains of a king and a queen.
Gal Vihara (15 minutes)
Originally called “Uttararama”, the central feature of the temple is four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granite rock. The images consist of a large seated figure, another smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern, a standing figure and a reclining figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts, and have made the Gal Vihara the most visited monument at Polonnaruwa.
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| Gal Vihara |
The identity of the standing image is subject to a certain amount of dispute among historians and archaeologists, some of whom argue that it depicts the monk Ananda rather than the Buddha. Each of the images have been carved in a way that uses a maximum possible area of the rock, and their heights seem to have been decided based on the height of the rock itself. Each statue appears to have had its own image house, as indicated by the remains of brick walls at the site.
Gal Vihara was the venue where King Parakramabahu held a congregation of monks to purify the Buddhist priesthood, and later drew up a code of conduct for them. This code of conduct has been recorded in an inscription on the same rock face containing the images of the Buddha.
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| See the size comparison? the statue is huge! |
The first statute you will come across is a seated Buddha in meditation. He is seated on a lotus, and the rock behind the statue is decorated with carvings of “vimana”. Four smaller Buddha statues can be seen on these decorations.
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| seated Buddha in meditation |
Next is a smaller statue of Buddha carved into the rock. On the sides of the statue are two deities. It is believed this carving represent the Buddhas visit to heaven called “Thusitha” to preach to his mother. It is said that this statue was painted with pure gold and treasure hunters have burnt logs on the statue and melted the gold.
The third one is a standing statue of Buddha which some believed to be the statue if Ananda at the site of Buddha’s passing instead. It is also thought to be done by a later king as the chronicles talk only about two statues in the seating position and one statue on the lying position, done by King Parakramabahu .
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| standing statue of Buddha |
Next and the last is a massive statue (80 feet long) of Buddha passing way. The ear lid falls along the body and one foot is slightly behind the other, all being the are signs of Buddha at his death instead of resting.
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| 80 feet long |
Getting out of Polonnaruwa
I don’t recommend staying a night in Polonnaruwa but instead make your way towards
Sigiriya (via
Dambulla) so that you can see the famous Lion Rock the next morning. There is no bus to Sigiriya from Polonnaruwa, so you would need to get to Dambulla, then hire a 30-min tuk tuk or taxi to get to Sigiriya area.
We asked the tuk tuk driver to drop us at Polonnaruwa Bus Station, where we took a bus bound for Kandy. The bus will pass by Dambulla, where we alighted and took a tuk tuk to Sigiriya.
Polonnaruwa Bus Station - Kaduruwela Bus Stand
Address: Ctb station, 55000, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Bus from Polonnaruwa to Dambulla: 2 hours (bus bound for Kandy, ask to alight at Dambulla), LKR 100 per person
Tuk tuk from Dambulla to Sigiriya: 20 mins, LKR 900 (sharing by 3 person)
Final words
The moment I stepped into Polonnaruwa, it reminded me of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Interestingly, both Polonnaruwa and the Angkor city were built around the same time, which probably explains the similarity. The Khmer temples are larger in scale whereas the Polonnaruwa structures are more artistic. Besides, the remains of buildings in Polonnaruwa have been cleaned from unnecessary shrubs and bushes, making this place less as wild as Angkor city. In short, Polonnaruwa is a smaller, less wild Angkor Wat. Although not as impressive as the Cambodian temples, Polonnaruwa is still worth seeing.
For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢
12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown
Reading about Buddha is one of my favorite pastimes. This type of post is very relaxing.
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