Polonnaruwa- Sigiriya


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September 9th 2017
Published: September 14th 2017
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Day 5: Saturday 9 September - Anuradhapura – Polonnaruwa- Sigiriya







This morning after breakfast we left Anuradhapura for the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Polonnaruwa was the capital of Sri Lanka from 11th to the 12th centuries and is a well preserved city of stupas, frescoes and statues.



Southeast of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, which was the media eval capital of Sri Lanka, and the ancient city is today one of the most beautiful centres of this island’s cultural heritage. When early in the 11th century AD Anuradhapura suffered one of the worst of its many Indian invasions, Polonnaruwa became the next of rule



The second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. While Vijayabahu’s victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered significant, the real Polonnaruwa Hero of the history books is actually his grandson, Parakramabahu I.



It was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, when trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of the King, who was adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to be wasted, and each be used toward the development of the land; hence, irrigation systems far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu’s reign, systems which to this day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the scorching dry season in the east of the country.



The greatest of these systems, of course is the Parakrama Samudraya or the Sea of Parakrama, a tank so vast that that it is often mistaken for the ocean. It is of such a width that it is impossible to stand upon one shore and view the other side, and it encircles the main city like a ribbon, being both a defensive border against intruders and the lifeline of the people in times of peace. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu’s reign.



However, except for his immediate successor, Nissankamalla I, all other monarchs of Polonnaruwa, were slightly weak-willed and rather prone to picking fights within their own court. They also went on to form more intimiate matrimonial alliances with stronger South Indian Kingdoms, until these matrimonial links superseded the local royal lineage and gave rise to the Kalinga invasion by King Magha in 1214 and the eventual passing of power into the hands of a Pandyan King following the Arya Chakrawarthi invasion of Sri Lanka in 1284. The capital was then shifted to Dambadeniya.



Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned Archeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom’s first rulers.



In 1982 Ancient city of Polonnaruwa was inscribed on the World Heritage list. We visited all parts of the old city, admiring the quarters of the 700 wives of one of the Kings!!! There was a large pool that was also built by the kings for all their wives. The water pipe and channels network was very sophisticated and rivaled the skills of the Romans.



We saw 2 snakes in our travels around the site as well as iguanas.



The weather was kind to us with only a short sprinkle while we were walking around one of the Dagobas.



At about 1.20 pm we completed our walking around the large site and travelled by our van to a Wood Carving site where the fellow showed us how the colour the wood with natural products.



By then we were hungry so Fernandes took us to a lovely restaurant which was owned by the daughter of the last king. All our meals so far had been very tasty with a mixture of Indian & Sri Lankan flavours. We were really enjoying the food.



It was then time to drive 30 minutes to our Kassapa Lion Rock Hotel in Sigiriya. We were greeted with a fresh orange juice and were shown to our rooms which were right next to the swimming pool.



Once unpacked and after a coffee, I went for a fantastically refreshing swim. The water was just right temperature-wise. It was so good to be back in the water. After 45 minutes, I pulled myself out to get ready for our afternoon drinks and dinner.



Again, the dinner didn’t disappoint us. The meal was a smorgasbord which offered a hugh variety of flavours. We shared a bottle of red with Sue and Dave (which was given to us by Fernando!). We all agreed that we were very satisfied with what we had done and seen during the day and was looking forward to more adventures the next day.


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