At nearly 1000 years old, POLONNARUWA is one of Sri Lanka’s ancient capital cities (and part of the famous ‘Cultural Triangle’). Although King Vijayabahu 1 was the first to claim the city as his capital, it was King Parakramabahu who made it what it is today, with its massive buildings, ornate parks and the 2500 hectare tank called ‘Parakrama Samudra’ (Sea of Parakrama).
As an eco tourism venue, the city itself is divided into new and old town with the impressively preserved ruins split into five main areas, including ‘The Quadrangle’ (aka ‘Terrace of the Tooth Relic’), the Northern City group and the Rest House group (with the royal palace ruins of ‘Nissanka Malla’). Due to its reasonably compact layout, the ruins can be easily explored on foot, and with the surrounding area’s flat well maintained roads, you can leave the car behind and jump on a bicycle to get around!
