Explore the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa – a walk through Sri Lankan ruins

The entire archaeological site consists of several unique destinations including the royal palace, citadel, kumara pokuna, and the sacred quadrangle. The royal palace is believed to have been seven stories high originally. Currently, the only bits that are left are the foundations and some of the red brick walls. The palace is thought to have included official quarters, chambers, and expansive parks and baths. The kumara pokuna is one such bath that is still visible. This is the most important tourist destination in Pollonnaruwa Sri Lanka.

The scared quadrangle is made up of iconic monuments including the Vatadage and Hatadage and Sathmahal Prasada among others. The Vatadage in particular is special as it is believed to be the location where Lord Buddha's Sacred Tooth Relic was enshrined. There are four magnificent Buddha statues around it. This site consists of several moonstones that have features that depict the era during which Pollonaruwa was the ruling capital of the country. In addition, the Gal Potha or the stone slab that is situated in this complex is thought to have inscriptions that tell of the work of an ancient king.

These two stupas are sites that Buddhists in the country visit often to pay their respects and to gain blessings. Often talked about on travel and tourism sites such as Truly Sri Lanka, the Rankoth Vehara is a stupa that is enormous and coloured brownish-red. There is a set of stone stairs that leads to the stupa. The stupa alone is a wonderful view and is popularly featured in Sri Lankan postcards. The Kiri Vehara on the other hand is glaring white and is the second-largest stupa in Pollonanaruwa. It gets its name for its colour - "Kiri" in the local language refers to milk. This also has a stone passageway leading to it and an impressive circumference around it.

This site is especially popular for having rock sculptures that show Lord Buddha in different postures. It is an ideal destination for not just historians, but also architects and designers. The seated sculpture of Lord Buddha is beautifully carved to perfection with a palace-like depiction imprinted in the background. The sleeping Buddha is larger than life-size and is a rare sighting. Finally, the standing Buddha is also considered unique to Gal Vihara since it shows Buddha's arms folded across the chest.

This is a beautiful ruin in Pollonanaruwa which as its name implies is a pond that takes the shape and form of a lotus flower. Several tiers lead up to the deepest point of the pond. Each tier is built to look like the petals of the lotus. It is believed to have been used by Buddhists monks for bathing.