Polonnaruwa - The City of Buddha and Monarch

Located roughly 70 minutes away from Sigiriya, the modern town of Polonnaruwa was only a modest representative of the city’s glorious past. Established as the capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of the former capital, Anuradhapura. It was established in the 10th century by the Tamal dynasty of Chola and subsequently captured by King Vijayabahu I after the expulsion of Chola rulers from Sri Lanka in 1070. Polonnaruwa established itself as the political center of the island and an important religious center. Buddhism was reintroduced, and the king developed a vast network of irrigation channels, including an enormous reservoir, Parakrama Samudra, which still supplies fresh water to the city today.

The inner septum of the Hatadage at the Sacred Quadrangle.

We started our visit by the lakeside visitor center, just a few steps from the Archaeological Museum. At $25 USD per person, admission for foreign nationals was hard to swallow at first. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts regarding ‘foreigner pricing” in Sri Lanka, we could only hope that all the tourist money goes back to the preservation efforts rather than the pockets of bureaucrats at the Ministry of Culture. Given the vastness of the ground, we decided to hire a private guide for a few hours, which turned out to be one of the worst decisions we made on this trip.

Compared to the passionate guide we had at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, this guide is unqualified; it only stated the obvious and uttered the most basic description of what we were looking at. Rather than providing historical context, he spits out one or two not-so-relevant trivia that may or may not be relevant. At one point, he walked off to the side to chat with other guides and waved us toward the ruins for some “self-exploration.” We pretty much looked at each other and felt like we were being held hostage by our own private guide. How ironic, isn't it?

Sacred Quadrangle

But disregarding the unpleasant experience with the guide, I must admit that Polonnaruwa's ruins are delightful. While we still went through plenties of seemingly identical stupas, the architectural ensemble of the ancient city was delightfully varied and interesting. Our first stop was the famous Sacred Quadrangle, once the religious epicenter of the royal capital. Denoting its significance, the whole area was elevated on a raised platform. At the center was an impressive-looking circular structure named Polonnaruwa Vatadage.

A vatadage is a unique type of architecture indigenous to Sri Lanka. Roughly interpreted as a temple to shelter a smaller stupa, the structure in its original form looks somewhat between the Temple of Heavens in Beijing and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. While the wood roof has long gone, the elaborate moonstone and decorative carving still evoke the mysticism of ancient times. On the uppermost platform of the vatadage were four Buddha statues facing out in four cardinal directions. It is said that the sacred Buddha tooth relic was housed here during its stay in Polonnaruwa.

The beautiful carving on Polonnaruwa Vatadage.

Northwest of Vatadage is the Thuparama Gedige, a small Buddhist temple with thick walls that stand apart from the typical Buddhist architecture. Indeed, the temple is reminiscent of a typical Hindu temple with heavy walls and a small, dark inner sanctuary. In its heyday, it housed a giant seated Buddha statue, and the structure's exterior was richly decorated in fine plaster decorations that are common in many Hindu shrines. What also set this building apart was that it is the only building in the ancient city that still retains its original roof structure. This added to its ambiance as we entered the cool and incensed-filled chamber.

Along the north side of the Sacred Quadrangle, we found a series of ruins in various stages of disrepair, including the Atadage, Hatadage, and Sathmahal Prasadaya. The Sathmahal Prasadaya is perhaps the most curious among them all. The seven-stepped pyramid with an inner chamber is said to be unlike anything else found in ancient or medieval Sri Lanka. Archaeologists and historians are still confused about the origin and purpose of such a curious structure. Resembling a Mayan pyramid or Hindu temple found in modern-day Cambodia, Sathmahal Prasadaya is said to be a tribute from a foreign ruler or a sign of religious tolerance in Polonnaruwa.

Before we departed the Sacred Quadrangle, the guide pointed out an enormous slab of stone covered with an ancient inscription. Named Gal Potha or Book Stone, the massive slab is said to be one of the most comprehensive written records of the reign of King Nisshanka Malla. But what was more remarkable was that this foot-long slab was transported to this current position back in the early 13th century from 50 kilometers away. Like the Egyptian obelisk at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square, the engineering aspect of transporting such large pieces of stone was an engineering marvel of its own for its time.

Royal Citadel

A short five-minute walk from the Sacred Quadrangle, we arrived at an area known as the Royal Citadel. It was the administrative center of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa and hosts some of the most enjoying ruins on the sprawling ground. Dominating the area is a remnant of the Royal Palace, which is believed to be seven stories tall in its heyday. A residence of King Parakramabahu, the palace is said to include seven stories, a thousand connecting rooms, and a massive central audience hall.

Given its footprint, it doesn’t take an architect to realize that it is physically impossible to host a thousand rooms. Like most Asian architecture from this period, the upper wooden portion of the palace was destroyed during the foreign invasion. Today, only 30 columns and a three-story tall masonry wall remain. While only a fraction of the palace survived to this day, its scale is still impressive. The massive anchor cavity on the masonry wall illustrates the scale of the means and its span. We could easily walk across the entire palace ruin, including inspecting some of the medieval toilets in the palace.

Dragon carving at the steps of the Council Chamber.

Across from the palace was the ruin of the King’s Council Chamber. This relatively modest rectangular structure is perhaps the most fascinating one in Polonnaruwa. It was truly the administrative center of Sri Lanka and where the king met with his ministers or received foreign ambassadors. Guarding the entrance were a pair of elaborately carved lions. Set on an elevated platform, the open-air chamber was originally sheltered by a wooden roof, much like the one at Kandy’s Temple of the Tooth Relic.

Rankoth Vehera, the largest structure in Polonnaruwa. — Rankoth Vehera, the largest structure in Polonnaruwa.

The roof was supported by forty stone pillars, each with individual carving marking the function and positions of each of the eighteen ministers of the royal court. The remainder of the king's throne is at the end of the chamber. While modest-looking, the eerie remains still evoke a sense of dignity and power. I was quite surprised that not many foreign tourists were sitting on that king's throne during our visit. A stone's throw away from the Council Chamber was the model Royal Bath, which is said to be the most exclusive space in Medieval Sri Lanka.

Rankoth Vehera & Kiri Vehera

We took a short drive from the Royal Citadel to the Rankoth Vehera (රන්කොත් වෙහෙර). Known as the Gold Pinnacled Stupa, the enormous brick structure is 550 feet across in diameter and over 180 feet in height. It is also the largest stupa constructed during the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Reminiscent of Ruwanwelisaya in Anuradhapura, this stupa was the first giant stupa we visited. Because this is an active religious site, we had to remove our footwear from the surrounding ground. It was not as pleasant as the sand and gravel made the surface extremely hot to walk on. Perhaps it was a test of one's devotion, but I found it quite difficult to contemplate because of it. Around the great stupa was a remnant of four attached chapels, vahalkada, each housing a Buddha statue.

As we walked north toward Lankatilaka Viharaya, we passed through ruins ranging from former monks' dormitories to commercial buildings, administrative offices, and public bathing pools. Surprisingly, the ruins were pristine, and the ground was impeccably manicured. It would have been a great place for casual exploration if it were not for our hectic sightseeing schedule.

After ten minutes, we arrived at Kiri Vehera (කිරි වෙහෙර), another grand stupa of Polonnaruwa. While smaller than Rankoth Vehera, it is restored to a greater degree with a white plaster finish. Compared to other ruins in medieval cities, it was in distinctively decent shape, with its upper pinnacle still intact. It is the first example of how a pristine stupa may have looked back at the height of Polonnaruwa's power. By this time, we were exhausted by the heat and general fatigue.

Lankatilaka Viharaya & Gal Vihara

When we felt the "stupa fatigue,” we were pleasantly greeted by the dramatic shrine, Lankatilaka Viharaya. What immediately struck us was how much the structure resembles a typical Gothic church. The long nave and elongated structural profile certainly evoke an automatic religious reverence. At the end of the nave stands an enormous Buddha statue. One could only imagine what a glorious experience it must have been back in the day. The statue and the surrounding walls were entirely made out of clay bricks. The temple's thick outer towering walls are richly decorated with various religious motifs. As usual, we had to remove our footwear before entering, even though it was not a site of active worship.

Our last stop for the morning was Gal Vihara. Finished in the 12th century, the massive sculpture group was carved from a single enormous granite boulder. The group comprises three main Buddha sculptures in three positions: seated, reclining, and standing. They are also the largest statue group from medieval Sri Lanka and the only ones carved from its natural rock face. While some archaeologists have disputed whether the standing sculpture was an actual depiction of Buddha. Because of the figure's sorrowful expression, some believe it depicted monk Ānanda, who is lamenting the Buddha's demise on his deathbed. What was striking to us was the rigid pose and the central figure's folded arm posture, evoking images of an Egyptian pharaoh.

The warning of cultural etiquette while visiting Sri Lanka.

Gal Vihara was undoubtedly the most popular attraction in Polonnaruwa. The word Gal Vihara means cave temples in Singhalese. This site was once the center of a huge monastery complex. To unify and standardize Buddhist teaching in Sri Lanka, the king laid out many monastic rules governing all the island's monastic organizations. Indeed, these monastic rules were inscribed here and are still in remarkable condition. While it might be pale compared to those in China or Afghanistan, it is nevertheless an impressive sight. The magnificent marbling of the natural rock across the statue made it a memorable place.

Archaeological Museum of Polonnaruwa

We were quite happy to say goodbye to our unfortunate private guide. As mentioned, our time in Polonnaruwa would have been better without him. While his fees were only modest by Western standards, his lack of knowledge was infuriating. Since we learned so little from the tour, visiting Polonnaruwa's Archaeological Museum seems sensible. It was a perfect introduction to the ancient city. Aside from historical photos of the pre-restoration ruins, the museum also holds an impressive collection of architectural models. They are actually very informative in sketching out how the city may have looked in its golden era. The models for the Royal Palace and Vatadage are particularly informative. Various photos also illustrate how desolate Polonnaruwa was just a century ago.

Besides the models and photographs, the museum houses various precious artifacts ranging from religious statues and architectural fragments to human skeletons from the burial chamber. The museum also highlights the Polonnaruwa Kingdom's role on the world stage. The display of foreign coins and religious art from across Asia. What made this place the best start to your visit to Polonnaruwa was an enormous model of the entire ancient city as you entered the museum. Given the vast expanse of the ground, the model is a handy guide in planning your sightseeing day. It also helped to give yourself a mental map of what an exhausting day is ahead of you.

Is Polonnaruwa worthy of a visit in your busy sightseeing itinerary? Overall, we could confidently say it is the best ancient city to visit in Sri Lanka. The park-like setting and diversity of architectural styles made this a wonderful day trip from Sigiriya or Kandy. But is it better than the neighboring Anuradhapura? Well, that may be a whole different post on its own.

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