Travel Day 1119 – Polonnaruwa, SRI LANKA
Today was a full day of visiting once again an ancient ruined capital, but instead of climbing on a rock as I had done in Sigiriya, I was cruising around on a bike…
Largest UNESCO Monastery Complex in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Luckily I had arrived already yesterday afternoon and so I was able to do some homework before my visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Polonnaruwa. First I had found the cheapest bike in town for 250 rupees for the whole day and then I visited the Archaeology Museum to get the latest information on the entrance ticket. This time the UNESCO Site came with a price tag of 3250 rupees, meaning 25 USD, and it could only be bought after 8am, which seemed pretty late. On top of that I couldn’t convince the museum’s staff to let me see the exhibit today, without purchasing the expensive entrance ticket already…
So I had no choice, but buy the ticket to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa at the museum at 8am and then cycle to the main entrance of the site. The guys at the gate on the other hand were at least sympathetic and they promised that I could, even if it was a one-day ticket only, enter and exit the area multiple times today, if they would note my passport number on the ticket. That seemed like good deal to me and instead of the really early start, I rather reckoned to have an extended lunch break when the heat of the day made walking or biking around in Polonnaruwa almost unbearable…
Vatadage Ruin inside the Ouadrangle in Plonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
In general, Polonnaruwa which had initially just been the site of the temporary royal residence, finally became the new capital of the Sinhalese kingdom after the complete destruction of Anuradhapura in 993 AD. Polonnaruwa was located further east and thought to be better defensible against South Indian invasions. But this didn’t prove to be true and so through its 500 year history as a capital, Polonnaruwa was governed by Sinhalese kings as well as the Cholas from South India. As a testimony of this constant change in power, both Buddhist and Hindu temples could be found in Polonnaruwa…
To avoid the crowds at the old palace ruins, I started my sweaty day of explorations at the Quadrangle. This was a compact area, set on a raised platform and containing the ruins of two different temples which both used to house the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha at a certain time in history. My personal favorite here was the round Vatadage ruin which consisted of a central dagoba, four cardinal Buddha statues and a circular retaining wall with stone pillars that probably supported a wooden roof during its time of use…
Kiri Vihara the White UNESCO Dagoba of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
The second most impressive area for me was the largest monastery complex in Polonnaruwa, just north of the Quadrangle. This monastery included the biggest dagoba in Plonnaruwa, the 54 meter tall Rankot Vihara and a hospital complex in which some surgical instruments were found. Adjacent were the foundation walls of the monks’ living quarters with lavatories. At the other end of the monastery was a cremation site and the white Kiri Vihara. This beautiful white dagoba was said to have maintained most of its white lime plaster throughout the hundreds of years of neglect…
After a lunch break, I then continued my visit at the UNESCO Site of Plonnaruwa while visiting the former royal complex around the palace. This royal building was believed to once have been an astonishing seven storeys tall, supported by the still remaining 3 meter thick walls on the ground floor level. Also seeing the Lotus Pond up north was enjoyable, as was the bike ride in cooler evening air through the smaller paths along the ruins. It was great to experience this calm site of Polonnaruwa finally without any other people and to just take-in the stillness and tranquility that surrounded these ancient ruins while the sun was slowly setting in the background…
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