Polonnaruwa Travel Guide

 euzkadi Says:  Outside the quadrangle, north of the city wall, stands the Rangkot Vihara a huge Dagoba (the largest in Polonnaruwa) constructed as other Dagobas in the country of a earth fill building, covered by a dome made of brick mantle and plaster. 

 euzkadi Says:  The Atadage is the first Tooth Relic Temple of Polonnaruwa. It was built by Vijayabahu in the 11th century. The name Atadage means "House of Eight Relics". What remains of Atadage today are 54 stone pillars which once supported a timber upper floor where the relic was kept.... 

 euzkadi Says:  Located on the north side of the quadrangle, the Gal Pota is an old stone book that sings praises to king Nissanka Malla, also includes the foot note that the slab (Weighin 25 tonnes) was brought from Mihintale (100 kms away). 

 euzkadi Says:  This ziggurat-style temple wich consists of six diminishing storeys is an example of south-east asia influence on Sinhalese architecture, and it really reminds me of other pyramid style temples i´ve seen in Angkor Wat and Tikal. 

 euzkadi Says:  The centerpiece of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the Dalada Maluwa (the hall of the Tooth Relic), was a sacred precinct containing 12 magnificent buildings. Although there are numerous vatadage across Sri Lanka, the Vatadage at Polonnaruwa is the most famous. As with many... 

 euzkadi Says:  Located in the quadrangle, a compound within its own rectangle of walls, guarding the richest collection of ancient buildings in any of Sri Lanka's ruined capitals. The Thuparama Gedige (hollow Buddihist temple with tick walls) is a fine example of the gedige style of temple... 

 euzkadi Says:  A mond wich was once the site of King´s throne (the throne is now housed in the Colombo archaelogical museum) adnd was used also as a audience hall. At the bast of the council chamber are bas-relief elephants. At the entrance are two flights of steps with moonstones,... 

 euzkadi Says:  King Vijayabahu reunite the country after defeating the Chola invaders from India, and moved the capital from Anaradhapura, declaring Polonnaruwa as the new capital. A massive tank was constructed encircling the city and creating a stable defensive barrier against attacks.... 

 tim07 Says:  This is where the king would have met advisors and petitioners. The hall consists of a raised terrace studded with columns, the roof has long gone. It's set on a huge base supported by bas-relief elephants. The entrance has two flights of steps with moonstones and dragons. 

 tim07 Says:  This is a group of four Buddha statues carved out of a granite cliff-face. My favourite was the 14 metre reclining Buddha. There is also a 7 metre tall standing Buddha and two others showing the Buddha in a seated position.I found the statues to be fascinating and the area... 

 tim07 Says:  Dominating the Quadrangle is the Vadatage. This decorated circular shrine was built by Parakramabahu and later embellished by Nissanka Malla.Its outer walls are covered with carvings of lions, dwarfs and lotuses. Each of the four entrances have moonstones & guardstones,... 

 tim07 Says:  The stone is 9m long and 1.5m wide, and up to 66cm thick. It's a representation of an ola book and is covered in inscriptions praising King Nissanka Malla. Inscriptions also show that the stone was dragged here all the way from Mihintale, a distance of 100 km. 

 Sambawalk Says:  Galvehera is one of the most famous sites in Sri Lanka. It consists of three figures of Lord Buddha carved out of a cliff of granite. The first figure is a sitting Buddha with an artificial cavern cut out of the rock. The other two are an upright Buddha and a reclining... 

 chizz Says:  Right next to one of the entrances to Polonnaruwa, you will find the Rest House Polonnaruwa which has a small restaurant overlooking the lake.The restaurant is quite old and a photo of Queen Elizabeth II's visit here in 1954 is proudly displayed in the corridor nearby. In... 

 hydronetta Says:  Polonnaruwa is included in the Cultural triangle Ticket which represents a good value to get rather than paying for each site separately.This cost around 40$ (!!) and covers six sights (Anuradhapura, Sigirirya, Polonnaruwa, Nalanda, Medirigiriya, Ritigala BUT NOT Dambulla...