Colombo Trip Overview
Visit to historical kingdoms of polonnaruwa. Most commonly referred to as Sri Lanka’s second ancient capital, the city of Polonnaruwa is nevertheless a magnificently preserved city with rich archaeological monuments and natural beauty. Located in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, Polonnaruwa has both its ancient city, an adjoining old town as well as a new town located about 6km away. The archaeological sites are in a compact layout, within easy distance of each other. Guide will pick you from your place and the take you to sacred places gal viharaya , vatadage and the pabalu viharaya ,rankot viharaya the most imporant sacred places shiva devalaya and after that visit parakrama samudra. your Polonnaruwa tour will finish here.
Additional Info
Duration: 11 to 12 hours
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Visit to historical kingdoms of polonnaruwa. Most commonly referred to as Sri Lanka’s second ancient capital, the city of Polonnaruwa is nevertheless a magnificently preserved city with rich archaeological monuments and natural beauty. Located in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, Polonnaruwa has both its ancient city, an adjoining old town as well as a new town located about 6km away. The archaeological sites are in a compact layout, within easy distance of each other. Guide will pick you from your place and the take you to sacred places gal viharaya , vatadage and the pabalu viharaya ,rankot viharaya the most imporant sacred places shiva devalaya and after that visit parakrama samudra. your Polonnaruwa tour will finish here.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Gal Vihara, 440/225 Palm Grove State Minuwangoda road, Polonnaruwa 51000 Sri Lanka
The Gal Vihara is a rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was fashioned in the 12th century by Parakramabahu I. The central feature of the temple is four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granitic granite gneiss rock. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts, and have made the Gal Vihara the most visited monument at Polonnaruwa.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Sacred City, Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka
The Vatadage, one of the oldest & most beautiful monuments in Polonnaruwa, It was certainly intended to house the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, which is now deposited at The Sacred Temple of Tooth in Kandy. Built by King Parakrambahu the great 1164-1196AD, it was later embellished by King Nissankamalla 1198-1206. Four sets of beautifully carved stone stairs lead the upper level from four sides. On the side of stair case some of most beautiful guard stones and moonstones in this area can be seen. The guard stones on the eastern side of the temple is said to be the best guard stone in t he Polonnaruwa era.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Pabalu Vehera, Gal Vihara Road, Polonnaruwa 51000 Sri Lanka
Pabalu Vehera or Temple of Marbles, is an ancient stupa situated in Polonnaruwa. It is believed to have been built by Queen Rupawathi who is a wife of King Parakramabahu. You will find a cluster of Buddha statues and images of Polonnaruwa era around the dagoba. The stupa has got its current name due to the fact the small glass beads ere found during an excavation in the surrounding area. Being the second most ancient kingdom of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa has a great history which dates back to 1000 of years before.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Rankoth Vehera, Ancient Bhikku Hospital, Polonnaruwa 51000 Sri Lanka
Rankoth Vehera is a stupa located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. The stupa was built by Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa, who ruled the country from 1187 to 1196. The Rankoth Vehera has been built according to the tradition of the stupas of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and bears a close resemblance to Ruwanwelisaya. In fact, a stone inscription situated close to the stupa even identifies it by the name Ruwanweli. However, it has later come to be known by the currently used name, Rankoth Vehera. Rankot Vihara, the largest stupa in Polonnaruwa at 55m 180 ft tall, was erected by the ever-active Nissankamalla in imitation of the great stupas at Anuradhapura.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Hindu Temple God Shiva Devalaya (No.1), W2W2+GG8, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Shiva Devalaya No.1 is an ancient kovil situated in Polonnaruwa. It is the first kovil to reach once entering the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. ue to being a South Indian Chola stronghold for many years since the late 9th Century AD, the city of Polonnaruwa has a number of temples dedicated to Lord Siva, all of them incredibly well-built, compact monuments made of stone. A unique feature of this temple is that its walls are made out of a closely fitted stone blocks. This type of stone blocks are not found anywhere near Polonnaruwa. The stone carvings of the temple bear resemblance to Indian art which is why it is believed that these are probably brought down from India or done by an Indian artists who came to Sri Lanka.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Parakrama Samudra, Sri Lanka
Parakrama Samudra is a shallow reservoir, consisting of five separate reservoirs channels in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. Parakrama Samudra too is such a construction built in Polonnaruwa by King Parakramabahu the first who ruled there from 1153 AD to 1153 AD. The Sea of Parakrama or Parakrama Samudra originally consisted of five large reservoirs which relieved the pressure on the main dam. The first reservoir Thopa Vewa already existed in King Parakramabahu’s time having been built in 386 AD. The king had the other large reservoirs included and the entire system expanded. In addition, many smaller reservoirs were built around the primary reservoirs to feed them water and to take away any excess water.
Duration: 30 minutes
