This ancient city has some extremely impressive remains and very beautiful Buddha sculptures.
Ruwan, our driver/guide, organised an extremely good guide for our visit to Polonnaruwa. We first looked around the museum and then set off to explore.
The city is not as old as Anuradhapura, its peak was 1152-1196, but its Sinhalese architecture is said to be the very best. It sprawls over quite a wide area though not as vast as Anuradhapura, but still sufficiently so that Ruwan drove us to more distant sites. Within the general city is a walled city where the citadel is sited.
The walled city was protected not just by walls with guarded gateways, but also by moats and the reservoir Parakrama Samudra provided extra protection on the west. It was divided into two parts, north and south, by a brick wall. The northern sector was itself divided into four areas by two streets, one running north-south, the other east-west, each leading to a gateway. There are important Buddhist and Hindu monuments in this sector, while the southern sector functioned as a complex of quarters for the military and other service personnel. Though King Vijayabahu (1055-1110) began construction of the city the main creator was Parakramabahu (1153-1186) with contributions also from his successor Nissankamalla (1187-1196).
Vijayabahu had overthrown the Tamil Cholas who had already conquered Anuradhapura and established Polonnaruwa as their capital. Vijayabahu retained Polonnaruwa as the capital.
In the south sector the Citadel comprises the palaces of Vijayabahu and Parakramabahu, the Council Chamber, and Kumara Pokuna, a royal bathing pool. It was surrounded by a solid rampart patrolled by the military.
We began at Vejayanta Pasada, the royal palace of Parakramabahu, an absolutely massive brick construction.
Little remains of the palace of Vijayabahu apart from foundations which was originally a central building surrounded by courts. Parakramabahu's Palace, on the other hand, has substantial sections of wall of the central building still standing, though only foundations remain of the gallery that once surrounded it.
The central building once rose to seven storeys; the remains of the lower three of brick, reinforced with large timber pillars, are what can be seen today. The upper four storeys were probably of timber and no trace of these remains. It was said to have over a thousand chambers. In front was a large pillared hall for private audiences and entertainments such as music and dance performances.
There were the private chambers for the king and separate rooms for his queen, private shrines, a dining hall, halls for ritual purification and sermon halls as well utility rooms such as stores and a kitchen attached to the dining hall. There was a toilet unit on the north west corner.
The huge brick remains are just the core of the walls. These would have been coated in a layer of plaster and richly decorated.
It's a remarkable building and must have been hugely impressive at the time.
We went on from the palace to the Royal Bathing Pool - Kumara Pokuna, a beautiful sunken pool fed by canal from the Parakrama Samudra and a series of underground pipes that ended in a pair of crocodile-mouth spouts that flank the steps into the bath.
Parakramabahu created the enormous Parakrama Samudra reservoir by expanding the much smaller Topawewa reservoir. He was responsible for a huge drive to improve the country's water supply for both human and agricultural use. He had constructed or restored 163 major reservoirs throughout the country, 2,346 minor dams and 3,910 irrigation canals.
Nearby is the Council Chamber which is built on the north-eastern court of King Vijayabahu's palace.
It has three tiers faced with decorated stone, really very lovely carvings of elephants, lions and dwarves. What we see today is probably a 13th century renovation.
During council meetings, the king would sit at the back flanked by his two chief advisors; the ministers would line up in front on either side.
The stone pillars probably supported a timber roof covered in clay tiles, all long gone.
We headed into the northern sector to the Sacred Quadrangle, an elevated rectangle of 1ha with a number of important and impressive sacred buildings.
The Satmahal Prasada is a tiered seven storey pagoda. It's possible that this is a Thai-influenced structure. The central niche on each tier held a statue of a divinity.
The Galpota Slab is a huge block of granite 26ft 8in x 4ft 7in x 1ft 9in. It was transported from Mihintale 100 km away and is inscribed with the longest inscription of King Nissankamalla. The nearby information board has a translation of the inscription, outlining some of the king's policies and the duties and responsibilities of his subjects, as well as some of the king's benevolent activities, such as giving money to the poor, and military achievements.
The Vatadage is one of the most impressive buildings in the Sacred Quadrangle. This circular relic house was possibly created by Parakramabahu and further developed by Nissankamala. It has a staircase at each of the cardinal points leading to a seated Buddha. Only one of these staircases extends outside the encircling wall. The roof was possibly two-tiered with another storey in between.
At the base of each staircase is a moonstone, though they are rather worn, with a guard stone on each side.
There are beautiful, though again rather worn, carvings of lions and dwarves around the base of the building.
The 900 year-old Thuparama Image House is close to the Vatadage in the south west corner of the Sacred Quadrangle. This large brick building has immensely thick walls and the interior chamber is accessed via a tunnel-like entrance.
Inside are a number of Buddhist statues. Originally a large Buddha statue, studded with precious stones, stood here. It is said that when the sun shone onto the statue through the chamber windows it sparkled.
It is very peaceful in the chamber, and cool, a respite from the heat outside.
The Nissankala Mandapa has eight beautiful curvy columns, 2.5m tall, and carved to resemble a lotus stem topped by a carved lotus flower in bud.
In the centre is a raised platform where King Nissankamala (1187-1196) would sit listening to Pirith, the recitation of scriptures.
There is a small stone sculpture resembling a stupa in the centre of the platform . It has a flat top and may have been used to receive the relic casket during Pirith.
The Atadage is the oldest structure in the Sacred Quadrangle. It was built by King Vijayabahu (1055-1110) shortly after he recaptured Polonnaruwa from the Chola invaders in 1070. It once held the tooth relic (now in Kandy) in a chamber on the first floor, but nothing of this remains.
On the east side of the Atadage is the Hatadage, the final resting place of the tooth relic in Polonnaruwa. It was built during the reign of Nissamkamala (1187-1196). The fat-bellied jar at the entrance is a traditional symbol of prosperity.
North east of the Sacred Quadrangle, still in the northern sector, we visited the Pabula Stupa which is surrounded by image shrines.
North east is Shiva Temple Number 2 - Shiva Temple Number 1 between the Citadel and the Sacred Quadrangle.
Shiva Temple Number 2 is around 10m high and pretty much intact, the oldest complete structure at Polonnaruwa. There are Tamil inscriptions which say that it was built by Vanavan Madevi, chief wife of the Chola King Rajendra I, in the early eleventh century. Inside there is an ancient lingam dedicated to Shiva.
Much further north the Rankoth Vehera is a huge dagoba. 33m tall and with a 170m diameter at its base it is the largest in Polonnaruwa and the fourth largest in all of Sri Lanka. It was built during the reign of Nissankamala in the twelfth century and is now in excellent condition. Its bell shape was modelled on the Ruwanweli Dagoba at Anurhadapura.
It was a full moon that evening so today was a holiday and there were lots of people visiting the dagoba, forming a procession around it and a series of seated Buddha statues set up on a red background on one side.
There were a number of shrines or small temples around the outside of the dagoba, some in ruins, one or two still being used.
Next we headed for the Alahana Pirivena, the largest monastery in Polonnaruwa. It was established by King Parakramabahu and covers 35ha. It was built on the site of a cemetery which gives it its name: Cremation Monastery.
The Lankatilaka Image House is another immense structure, originally five storeys high topped with a domed roof which has now collapsed. Though now only half its original height it is still an incredibly impressive sight and must have been awe-inspiring when intact.
Inside a long narrow hall leads to a massive Buddha statue, now without its head.
Opposite is the Hevisi Mandapaya. Possibly a drum house the platform is decorated with a frieze of sculpted lions.
South, though we did not visit it, was the Chapter House of the monastery, the Baddhasimapasada. It was once twelve storeys high and stood on a platform. The monks gathered here every two weeks to recite the code of discipline.
North stands Kiri Dagoba - the only dagoba still bearing its white coat of plaster giving it its name: "Kiri" means "milk" or "milky". It is associated with Parakramabahu's consort Queen Subhadra.
There are a number of lovely brick stupas close to the Kiri Dagoba which probably were built on the cremation sites of royalty or perhaps important monks.
Our last stop was the Gal Vihara, a rock temple commissioned by Parakramabahu to the north of Alahana Pirivena. Here are the most beautiful Buddha statues that we have seen at Polonnaruwa. There are four of them carved into the face of a long rock. They stand as a sequence representing, we were told, stages in the life of the Buddha.
The recumbent Buddha is particularly beautiful. One hand supports the head, the other arm lying along a thigh. The feet are just slightly one in front of the other; this signifies the death of the Buddha - the feet exactly together would represent a sleeping Buddha.
We saw a couple of elephants in the way back to the hotel, one by the side of the road, rather sad really, and another wading into a lake in the dusk to feed.
