Polonnaruwa The Medieval capital of Sri Lanka

In 1070 AD the Sinhala King Vijayabahu I liberated the country by defeating the Cholas, and kept Polonnaruwa as his capital. Vijayabahu succeeded in repairing much of the irrigation system in the island, encouraged trade and brought some prosperity back to the country

Stone Statue

Parakrama Samudra

One of the most striking features in Polonnaruwa is the vast Parakrama Samudra (Sea of Parakramabahu), an irrigation tank built, as the name indicates by King Parakramabahu the Great. This was his largest irrigation project and covers an area of more than 15 Km2.The dam (or bund, as it is known in Sri Lanka, is almost 14 Km long and 12 metres high.

Vatadageya

This circular relic house possesses an elegance and beauty that is rare even in ancient Sri Lanka. In line with the outer circle of stone pillars is a tastefully ornamented screen wall patterned with four petaled flowers. The flights of access stairs at the cardinal points are of stone and are beautifully carved. At the head of each flight is a Buddha statue in stone. The shrine is lavished with moonstones., guard stones and sculptured writings.
The shrine, like all dagobas in Sri Lanka, is oriented towards the cardinal points - north, south, east and west. Four Buddha statues face outwards, with their backs to the dagaba mound.

The standing figure, twenty three feet high (7 metres), with crossed arms is the next sculpture to be seen. The carving of the serene face is extremely sensitive, and the relaxed, elegant execution of the body and drapery distinguishes this figure as one of the masterpieces of Sri Lankan art.