The Cultural Triangle is named after the three most important former capitals of Sri Lanka, which roughly mark the geographical corners of this former heartland of the ancient Sinhalese civilisation, viz. Anuradhapura in the northwest of the region, Polonnaruwa in the east, and Kandy in the south. Kandy belongs to both major inland regions of the island, the Cultural Triangle in the northern half and the Hillcountry in the southern half of Sri Lanka.
Adminstratively, the Cultural Triangle corresponds nearly the North Central Province and the Matale District of the Central Province. Though the term "Cultural Triangle" was introduced for promotional purposes, it really makes sense, in a historical and in a geographical perspective alike.
The Cultural Triangle is part of the dry-zone plains of Sri Lanka. It became the core zone of the ancient and medieval irrigation culture and thereby the major settlement area in those days. That's why most remnants of ancient monuments are found in this region. Five out of eight of Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sites are found in the Cultural Triangle, namely apart from Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy also Dambulla and Sigiriya, which are in the very centre of the region. The highest mountain of the Cultural Triangle, Ritigala, is a cultural destination, too. There are literally hundreds of protected archaeological sites in this region, dozens of them are highly recommendable travel destinations, and half of the latter are less-frequented and deserve to be called off the beaten path. Though they are not far from major tourist routes these charming little places still allow the rare visitor to avoid the crowds. Among the most popular - and most-visited - attractions of the Cultural Triangle are also wildlife parks. Actually, this region is the setting of an annual gathering of wild elephants which is the largest in Asia.
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Our article about holidays in the Cultural Triangle is divided into three parts. We start with the region of Dambulla and Sigiriya, because all destinations of the region, including Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa can be reached on day-trips from this central area of the region. Then we turn to to the ancient capital Anuradhapura and its surroundings and finally to the medieval capital Polonnaruwa and the attractions in the eastern part of the Cultural Triangle.
Sigiriya & Dambulla - central Area of the Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya is both the most beloved attraction of the Cultural Triangle and the very heart of the entire region. Together with Habarana 16 km further north by road and Kandalama 14 km to the south and Dambulla 17 km to the southwest, the area of Sigiriya forms the tourist hub of the Cultural Triangle, with a large variety of hotels and guest houses. However, some of them are tranquil places embedded in a pretty natural setting.
Sigiriya's "Lion Rock" is arguably the most interesting and definitely the most enigmatic ancient site of Sri Lanka. Though it's attributed to King Kassapa, the evil main character of a story that would have deserved to be a Shakespearean drama, it's disputed by some (not all) archaeologists that Sigiriya really served as refuge castle. Certainly, it must have served as a capital during some decades around 500, because findings of coins outside the fortified city indicate that the city was a commercial hub and much larger than the palace citadel around a rock that is protected by a rectangular moat. This fortified part of Sigiriya has several attractions of diverse kinds and really deserving to be called extraordinary.
More about Sigiriya here...
To begin with, the moat surrounding the palace gardens and Lione Rock of Sigiriya are well preserved in the western parts. The western part of the rectangular moat measures 820 m in length. The east-west extension of the fortified palace was more than 1000 m, but the moat is dried up in the eastern portions. Sometimes mugger crocodiles can be spotted in the moat and the adjacent ponds. Be aware, that the larger part of the town of Sigiriya was once to the west of the fortified palaces. It's only the area of the latter that you are going to visit in Sigiriya.
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The water garden in the plains in front of the rock are arranged along an east-west axis, the optical vanishing point of which is the said lion rock. Presumably inspired by Persian gardens, this is one of the oldest of its kind in South Asia. Astonishingly, the ancient hydraulic devices are still functional, the fountains can still be seen after rainfall, just like 1500 years ago. Apart from the symmetrical water garden, Sigiriya has also a natural landscape garden integrating the the boulders at the foot of the lion rock.
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One of the major attractions of Sigiriya are the frescoes known as "cloud damsels" or "cloud maidens". They impress even those visitors that are less interested in ancient Asian art. The Sigiriya frescoes are remarkable for a number of reasons. The murals are in a rock shelter high above the ground. The paintings belong to the very few in South Asia that have survived so many centuries. Their style seems to indicate influences from the Buddhist monastery of Ajanta in central India, which is worls-famous for its ancient murals.. The seemingly bare-bosomed women depicted in the frescos are highly attractive and nevertheless not raunchy at all. Actually, they wear bloses, but thin and skintight ones. The mineral colours, painted on a multi-layered stucco surving as a white priming coat, turned out to be highly durable and still appear to be fresh.
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Another unique attraction can easily be missed when not being aware of it. The passageway running along the entire west front of the Lion Rock, below the level of the fresco cave, has a plastered wall that was once highly polished, thereby earning the nickname "mirror wall". What's all the more remarkable is the graffiti found carved in the plaster. There are litearlly hundreds of graffties, a few dozens being well-preserved to recognize them easily. These graffitis are poems enchased already more than 1000 years ago. They are actually the oldest surviving documents of Sinhalese writings at all, as official inscriptions in those days were written in Pali or Sanskrit but not in the native language of the island. The graffitis however were unofficial writings of very early tourists, so to speak, at a time when Sigiriya had already been left but began to attract visitors.
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The next unique attraction is found on a terrace to the east, where the passageway ends. Here are giant paws built of brick, obviously one belonging to a giant lion statue. The entrance to the stairway to the summit is in between the two paws. The lion sculpture must have formed a kind of gatehouse of the palace at the top.
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The buildings in the very top are believed to be King Kassapa's palace. However, this is disputed, as postholes are missing here. They are found at all other sites where one wooden pavilions and edifices were built in rocks in Sri Lanka. That's one reason why some historians guess that this was not a secular but a sacred site, maybe a Mahayanist monastery or the ceremonial platform of it. A large pond could have served as a bath. But there is also a deep cistern obviously designed to stockpile water, which would indeed be expected to be found at a refuge castle. As said, Sigiriya is unique in many respects and enigmatic, withstanding easy explanations of its original function.
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There is another World Heritage Site in the very centre of the Cultural Triangle, not far from Sigiriya is the Golden Temple of Dambulla. Dambulla is by far the largest and also artistically the most imposing of the so-called cave temples of the ancient and early modern Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka. The caves are decorated with 153 Buddha statues, 3 statues of Sri Lankan kings and 4 statues of gods and goddesses. Several of the Buddha statues date back to the Anuradhapura period. The murals and ceiling paintings are the masterpieces of Kandyan art from the 18th century. It takes a long flight of stairways to reach the terrace where the five caves are located. We recommend to do the climb in the early morning. The opening hour is the best time to avoid the crowds. Be aware, that this heritage highlight is visited by almost all traveler who comes to the Cultural Triangle.
Apart from the World Heritage Sites Sigiriya and Dambulla, there are several more achaeological sites in the surroundings that are worth considering a visit. First of all, we like to mention Pidurangala, which is the little brother of Sigiriya only 1 km further north. Historically, Pidurangala Rock served as the Buddhist Monastery of Sigiriya town. Today, it's becoming increasingly popular to climb to the plateau on the top of Pidurangala, because it has definitely the best view to Sigiriya and the best panoramic view to the entire Cultural Triangle area anyway. The jungle walk to the top goes along several prehistoric rock shelters that were later on used as monk's cells. One of them has a large recling Buddha made of brick. The best time to visit Pidurangala is the early morning, when the Buddha is in the sunshine for only one hour. For the views to Sigiriya, the afternoon is even good.
To the south of Sigiriya and to the east of Dambulla are picturesque ruins in the jungle. Kaludiya Pokuna, not to be confused with the pond of the same name in Mihintale, is a very tranquil place full of sounds of the jungle most of the time. But occasionally busloads also visit this place, as the famous Kandalama hotel is not far away. An ancient stupa and the huge pillars of a former chapter hall can easily be found. Don't miss to see the large rock inscriptions at a rock shelter.
To the northwest of Sigiriya and Habarana is Ritigala, the highest hill of the Cultural Triangle. At the western slopes of the hill are the ruins of the largest Pansukulika monastery. The Pansukilikas were a fraternity of monks who sought a more austere and ascetic way of life than in the large monasteries of Anuradhapura. They prefered to settle in forested regions rich in medicinal herbs. A so-called Janthagara, a kind of early Ayurvedic spa for herbal treatments, can be found at most of their monasteries. Some grinding stones are still in situ in the Janthagara of Ritigala. Monasteries like Ritigala and Arankale were important pilgrimage sites in the 8th to 10th century and attracted many devotees. Maybe this is why the bathing pond at the foot of the hill is extraordinarily large.
To the northeast of Sigirya and Dambulla is the Aukana Buddha Statue. In respect of volume, it's the largest rock-carved Buddha of Sri Lanka. It's almost standing free in front of the rock. The best time to visit Aukana is the morning, when the sunshine illuminates the imposing statue. Actually, this is how it might got it's name, as many say "Aukana" means "eating the sun".
A rock-cut statue of almost the same size is 11 km further west. The statue is not as nicely carved as that of Sigiriya, but many visitors fall in love with it due to its location and natural setting in a wildlife area and at a terrace higher above the ground. The Sasseruwa Buddha is not the only attraction of the Rasvehera monastery. It also has cabes with statues and high-quality paintings from the Kandyan period. Rasvehera is not unknown to independent travelers, as it is mentioned in most guidebooks. However, it's still a highly recommendable destination for those who like to avoid the crowds.
Aukana and Sasseruwa Buddha are situated to the north and northwest of the historical reservoir Kalawewa. It was built in the 5th century and played a major role in the irrigational culture of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, because a canal distributed water from this southern Kala river to the region of Anuradhapura. To the south of Kalawewa is a heritage attraction of a quite unique kind. Namal Uyana is a place with small ruins in the jungle, too, but it's more noteworthy for two other features. Firstly, it has the larges rose quartz hill in Sri Lanka. Due to the puritiy of this rose quartz it is said to have been used for the inlays at the Taj Mahal. The second attraction is a high number of ironwood trees. This precious timber, held in high esteem in Sri Lanka, is rarely found in the fry zone of the island. However, Namal Uyana is rich in streams and the trees are said to have been planted in historical times, namely by offenders who were granted asylum in the local monastery.
To the south of Dambulla, along the A9 main road, there are two historical sites that are worth a break on the way to Kandy. The Nalanda Gedige is Sri Lanka's best preserved ancient temple entirely built of stone. It had to be reconstructed on an artificial island, when the original location was flooded by a new reservoir. This is why Nalanda Gedige earned the nickname "Sri Lanka's little Abu Simbel". Nalanda Gedige was a tantric temple, what is rare in Sri Lanka, though tantric sculpture were found more frequently. A carving at the exterior wall is has depicts a drastic erotic scene, a quite common theme at Indian temples but rarely seen in Sri Lanka.
The Aluvihara near Matale is halfway between Dambulla and Kandy. Theravada Buddhists from Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia consider it to be the place of the fourth Buddhist Council. This assembly of monks in the 1st century BC played a crucial role in the history of Theravada Buddhism, because it decided to lay down the Holy Scriptures of Buddhism in written form for the first time. Until then, the sayings of the Buddha had only been handed down orally. Actually, the Tipitaka of Sri Lankan Buddhism is the oldest surviving text of the entire Buddhist Corpus in an Indian language. Not surprisingly, the tradition of writing on palm leaves can still be studied in the Aluvihara monastery, an attached Ola leaf manuscripts museum was sponsored by Norodom Sihanouk from Cambodia. The Aluvihara has several caves with statues. A newly decorated cave is gaudy and spectacular, depicting hell punishments, looking like a chamber of horrors.
Menikdena is a little bit hidden and a very rarely visited archaeological site to the southwest of Dambulla. To be homest, it's not a spectacular must-see, only worth a visit for those with a special interest in ancient Buddhist architecture. Menikdena is the best preserved monastery of the so-called Pabbata Vihara type from the late Anuradhapura period. The characteristic features of this type of monastery are that they have a symmetrical and very regular arrangement of the buildings and that the four or five ceremonial buildings are on an elevated platform in the centre of the monastery, namely stupa, Bo-tree terrace, statue house and ordination hall at the four corners od the platform, with another congregation hall sometimes placed in the very centre. Today, Menikdena's large ceremonial terrace also houses an arboretum.
The large number of ancient sites is only half of the story why travelers love to stay a few nights in the area of Sigiriya. The centre of the Cultural Triangle is also a favourite attraction for wildlife enthusiasts. The large historical reservoirs of the national parks Minneriya and Kaudulla are the settings of a seasonal event that attracts sometimes hundreds of jeep safaris per day. Large groups of elephants migrate to this area during the local dry season in the northern summer months. Then up to 300 elephants can be seen at once, taking a bath in Lake Minneriya in the late afternoon. 100 individuals are the quite common minimum. This so-called Elephant Gathering is actually the largest number of wild Asian Elephants that can be seen anywhere in the worls. That's why it's one of the planet's major wildlife attractions. A second elephant gathering takes place in October and November at Lake Kaudulla further north, the numbers of individuals are not as high but still imposing. Jeep safaris take place in Minneriya or Kaudulla National Park or Hurulu Eco Park depending on the current preferred gathering place of the migrating elephants.
Anuradhapura - Sri Lanka's ancient capital
Anuradhapura is a must-see for everyone interested in ancient history. Anuradhapura had been the largest city to the south of River Ganges and Sri Lanka's capital for fourteen centuries, before it fell into decay from the 11th century onwards. In the late 19th century both British excavations and a Buddhist revivalism resulted in restoration works and Anuradhapura becoming a sacred city with a New Town at its gates.
Anuradhapura is one of the largest archaeological sites in Asia, measurin 10 km from north to south. During the ancient and early medieval periods it was South Asia's largest settlement outside the Gangetic Plains. However, travelers should not expect to see as numerous large monuments as in other Asian temple towns such as Bagan in Myanmar or Angkor in Cambodia. There is a simple reason why Anuradhapura's ancient edifices are not as well preserved: they are one millennium older. Despite of that, the three largest stupas ever built in Asia can be seen in Anuradhapura today, they are completely restored and also adorned with impressive sculptural decorations.
More about Anuradhapura here...
The reason why Anuradhapura is highly venerated by Buddhists from all over the world is that it is believed to be a Buddha-visited place and and the largest dome-shaped Buddhist stupa ever built and the the Sacred Bo-Tree, which is the world's the earliest dated tree planted by man, as a sapling of the original Bodhi-tree from Bodhighara, under which the Buddha found enlightenment. The original Bodhi-tree in Bodhighara does not exist any more. The tree venerated in Bodhighara in India today is actually in return grown from a sapling of the Anuradhapura Bo-tree in the 19th century AD.
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Anuradhapura also is the place of the first stupa built after the official introduction of Buddhism to the island. Emperor Ashoke sent original Buddha relics from India, which were enshrined in the Thuparama. In later centuries, the Thuparama was expanded to a typical Sinhalese circular temple of the “Chetiyaghara” or "Vatadage" type, providing a roof as shelter for pilgrims. Ancient stone pillars once supporting the roof are still in situ.
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The nearby Mahavihara was the first Buddhist monastery in Sri Lanka, founded by missionary Mahinda, who according to the island's ancient chronicles was a son of Emperor Ashoka. The landmark dome of the main stupa known as Ruwanwelisaya is one of Sri Lanka’s most famous monuments. It was initiated by Sri Lanka's national hero, King Dutthagamani. When it was finalised under his younger brother and successor, King Saddhatissa in the 2nd century BC, it was the largest Buddhist monument at all. Later on, the hemispherical was surpassed in diameter by only two stupas in Anuradhapuras, which belonged to rivaling monasteries.
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Only a few hundred meters to the south of the Ruwanweliseya and very close to the Bo-tree, there are 40 by 40 standing upright. They once carried a multi-storeay building then known as Brazen Palace (Loha Pasada). It housed the cells of the monks as well as the residence of the chief monk and also an assembly hall. It was one of the most famous edifices of the Buddhist World, but it burnt down several times and finally fell into decay.
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The so-called citadel further north was once the fortified centre of the city, including not only the royal palace but also and the neighbourhoods of merchants. The not very impressive complex that can be seen close to the south gate of the citadel is from the early later Polonnaruwa period. Traveling along the south-north axis of the citadel, you will see a group of ancient buildings to the right, one of which is a gedige, a shrine built of bricks. Going only a few hundred meters eastwards from here, you will find columns standing upright, they one carried an upper storey that safekept the Sacred Tooth, which arrived on the island in the early 3rd centuryy AD. So this is the island's very first Tooth Temple, maybe it had a merely wooden predecessor. Nearby is one of the five large so called “rice boats” of Anuradhapura, a huge monolithic tub. It's also called Mahapali. This was the public almsgiving place, whereas the other four were constructed within monasteries. Monks received their lunch here as a gift from donors such as the royals.
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The largest excavation area of Anuradhapura is to the northeast of the citadel. The Abhayagiri monastery was once the largest monastery of Sri Lanka at all, inhabited by 5000 monks in the early 5th century. The brick dome of the Abhayagiri Dagaba, which was scientifically restored around the year 2000, is slightly taller than the white Ruwanweliseya further south. The scuptural decoration found at the foot of the stupa. It's one of the oldest of its kind found anywhere in Sri Lanka and it's of high artistic quality, too.
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Sri Lanka's most celebrated Buddha statue is just at the junction, where the road crossing the citadel from south to north and that crossing the Abhaygiri complex to the west meet. The world-famous Samadhi Buddha is one of the oldest depictions of the Buddha found in Sri Lanka, highly adored due to the serenity of its expression. The statue became famous, because Jawaharlel Nehru used to meditate over a picture of this statue when being imprisoned by the British. The sitting posture of the legs is called Virasana, which mean's "victory seat". One leg is on the other, not crossed, in this posture. This is typical of Sri Lankan Buddha statues. The monolithic statue is carved from granit. It measures not more than 2.5 m in height.
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Anuradhapura's two most significant works of relief carving are found to the west of the huge Abhayagiri stupa, viz. the wonderful moonstone at the ruins now called Queen’s Palace. It's the best specimen found anywhere in South Asia and really deserves its nickname “most beautiful doormat of the world. The other important work of sculptural art is just a hundred or so meter further west on the opposite side of the road. The entrance stairway of the so-called Ratnapasada has the most elaborate and best preserved of Sri Lanka's so-called Nagaraja steles. They serve as guardian statues, the general Indian term being Dvarapalas, doorkeepers. While most guardians in Indian or other Asian temples are demons or warriors, Nagarajas are quite pleasant and relaxed figures. Nagaraja translates to serpent king. The multiple cobra hood indicates the nature of this marvellous sculpture.
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Driving back to the east you will see the Kuttam Pokuna, not far from the main junction, where the Samadhi Buddha is placed. Kuttam Pokuna means Twin Pond. And that's indicating what you see here, two monastic bathing places. The design is plain, but it's an architectural masterpiece due to the elegance and craftsmanship. The tiers are formed of large monolithic blocks of stone. At the opposite end of the Kuttam Pokuna you can see a still functioning natural filter system, which cleans the water before it pours into the first of the two ponds.
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Turning southwards again from the Kuttam Pokuna you will arrive at the last and largest of Anuradhapura's monumental stupas. The Jetavanarama Dagaba was built in the late 3rd century AD. With a diameter of it measures 125m in diameter, it's the largest stupa dome ever built and also the world's largest monument made of baked stone. It has been restored in the first decade of the 21st century. The wide terrace has remarkable scultural decoration. The stupa marks the very centre of the monastery the groundplan of which is symmetical, all buildings arrange on a U-shaped ground plan, with the stupa in the courtyard. A symmmetrical groundplan was uncommon in Sri Lanka at this point in time. It indicates that this monastery has not grown over many centuries but was planned in such huge dimensions right from the beginning. One of the remarkable features is a monolithic door frame of granite, which is partly broken and must have originally reached a height of 10 meters. It's at a building of the Pathimagara type, an image house, it was the largest of its kind prior to the Polonnaruwa period.
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The places of interest mentioned above are only the most famous sites in the Archaeological Park of Anuradhapura. There are many more sites to see, of course. Actually, this is one of the largest archaeological zones in Asia. However, you should not miss to visit some of the ancient sites further south, outside the ticket zone. The stupa of the so-called Dakkhina Dagaba, the "southern stupa", is not huge but carries some remarkable carvings, one of them presumably the oldest depiction of the deity Kuvera in Anuradhapura.
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The most charming sites in the southern outskirts of Anuradhapura are located near the ancient tank Tissa Wewa from the 3rd century BC. Just below its embankment is one of the oldest known landscape gardens of Asia. It's known as Goldfish Park, the native name being Ranmasu Uyana. Two ponds are embedded in a natural group of rocks. The carvings at the northern pool depict a group of elephants. Another carving is somewhat hidden at the back of a rock further southwest. It's the oldest surviving map found in Sri Lanka, a mythological map, of course, not a georgraphical one. The interpretation of the map is still a matter of debate and has attracted occultists to give their own readings. They consider it to be one of the few stargates on Planet Earth, allowing you to visit other planets if you perform the correct opening rituals at this stargate. Regrettably, it's forbidden to touch ancient carvings in Sri Lanka, so due to such restrictions you will miss this phantastic travel opportunity.
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Just south of the Goldfish Park is the rock temple now known as Isurumuniya. Isurumuniya is most famous for its carvings. At the foot of the rock is a depiction of playful elephants, amused by taking a bath. Another one at the side of the rock shrine depicts a man with a horse, which is a very rare theme in ancient Sinhalese art. The most beloved carving is now on display in the museum attached to the temple. The so-called “Isurumuniya Lovers” are believed to be a portrait of Sri Lanka’s “Romeo and Juliette” couple, namely Prince Saliya who renounced his throne to marry a women from a low caste. Depictions of couples are rare in Sri Lankan art, too, but well known from India.
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There is a rarely visited historical complex one 600 m further south. The remnants of monastic buildings and sparce traces of rock paintings, very rare in Sri Lanka, are from the early Middle Ages, but the place had been inhabited by Buddhist monks already in pre-Christian centuries. This is known from the Brahmi-character inscriptions that can be found above the rock shelters at so-called drip ledges. Water trickled down at these artificial ledges, thereby not running into the cave that served as a dwelling for monks.
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It's possible to see a large part of the highlights of Anuradhapura within only one day. However, a full day is much more recommendable and just enough to see all the sites mentioned in the Anuradhapura section of this webpage. To study them in a more relaxed way or in some more depth, you should actually consider to spend two full days in Anuradhapura.
The most recommendable half-day excursion from Anuradhapura is to Mihintale, the sacred hills, where Buddhism was introduced on the island. The morning hours are recommendable for taking pictures. But the evening is also a good option, particularly for those who intend to climb to the highest point, Eth Vehera, which is both a sunrise and a sunset point. Not many travelers are aware that Mihintale has lots of hidden treasures such as the island's best preserved ancient stone bridge. To see all the historical sites of Mihintale, including those charming ones that are off the beaten path, you will need a full day for the Mihintale excursion or stay at First House Mihintale, where of course the best guides are available.
In 40 km distance to the northwest of Anuradhapura is another ancient site highly recommendable for half-day excursions. Thanthirimale is embedded in a quite strange setting, the granite hills are formed like sand dunes. Thanthirimale is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the first place, but it has pretty unique heritage attractions from various periods. The Bo-tree is special in that it grows on the highest points of the rock, like a miracle, because soil and water are rare. Even more impressive is the large recling Buddha carved from the rock. It's the one of the three large Parinirvarna Buddha sculptures from the Polonnaruwa period, second in size and state of preservation only to the most famous one of Gal Vihara. A smaller seated Buddha is frameed by decorations that are also similar to Polonnaruwa's Gal Vihara. A little bit hidden is a rock shelter with prehistoric paintings, very rarely seen in Sri Lanka.
Travelers staying in Anuradhapura for a longer period usually take part in a safari in Wilpattu National Park, which is to the west of Anuradhapura and situated at the borders of the North Central and North Western and Northern Provinces of Sri Lanka. For those interested in heritage sites in the first place, an excursion to the south is highly recommendable. Yapahuwa in 75 km distance and Haththikuchchi in 45 km distance to the south are situated in Kurunegala District of the North Western Province.
Polonnaruwa - Sri Lanka's medieval capital
Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka's capital from the 11th till the first decades of the 13th century. Accordingly, most of the edifices are younger than those in Anuradhapura, the previous capital. They are in a better state of preservation and because the area covered by ancient monuments is less vast than in the case of Anuradhapura, there is a higher density of attractions in the Polonnaruwa archeological site.
Polonnaruwa is Sri Lanka's version of picturebook ruins in the jungle. The former main monastery, Alahena Pirivena, can only be explored afoot. Otherwise, Polonnaruwa is a wonderful place for bycicle rides, too. It's easy to visit all the monuments and visit one after another, as they are placed along a south-north axis. The south was the royal quarter, the north a group of monasteries. In between is the Quadrangle, which was an complex for safekeeping the Sacred Tooth Relic, a religious place in the first place, but under the supervision of the king. That's why it's situated just in between the secular and the sacred part of the city.
More about Polonnaruwa here...
The citadel, a fortified area within a larger fortified city, is the southernmost part of Polonnaruwa’s archaeological zone. The Royal Palace of King Parakramabahu the Great is in the centre. It was a multistorey buuilding the ipper tiers of which were made of wood. The remaining brick walls of the palace are up to 3 m thick and 9 m high. A second important edifice within the citadel is the royal audience hall with bands of animal carvings on three tiers.
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Leaving the citadel northwards you will see a restored Hindu Temple close to the city gate and the modern entrance of the archeological park. The structure is known as Shiva Devale No.1, though it is one of the last temples built in Polonnaruwa. As this Hindu shrine was erected under a Buddhist king, it indicated that the Tamil minority was held in high esteem. The small temple complex has a courtyard in front of the main shrine, which shelters a Lingam, the symbol of Lord Shiva.
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The temple complex called Quadrangle kept the national palladium, the Sacred Tooth Relic. Several kings erected new shrines for the relic. The Atadage, of which only the ground floor stone pillars remain, seems to have been the earliest Tooth Temple in Polonnaruwa, already built by King Vijayabahu in the 11th century, after he managed to regain Sinhalese indepedence from the overlordship of the Southindian Chola Empire. The pillars once carried a wooden upper storey safekeeping the Sacred Tooth, as it is the case in Kandy's Tooth Temple today. The better preserved Hatadage is another edifice that could have served as a Tooth Temple. It has remarkable moonstone and sculptures. The most iconic building of the quadrangle complex is circular, namely the Vatadage. It's the best preserved temple of its kind in Sri Lanka. And it's richly decorated with excellent carvings. One large of the three large image houses or Polonnaruwa is still almost intact. It is known as Thuparama. As in the case of contemporary Indian temples, this temple has a smaller main shrine for the idol and a larger ceremonial hall in front of it.
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Further north, there is a dead end road to the right. It's worth a small detour to see two remarkable monuments. The construction of the stupa known as Pabalu Vehera is attributed to a female, which is rare in Sri Lankan history. Queen Rupavati was one of the consorts of King Parakramabahu the Great. Her dagaba made of brick is not shaped as a hemispherical dome, which is also uncommon in Sri Lanka. However, it's a type of stupa that seems to habe been characteristic of the Polonnaruwa period. The stupa dome seems to be unfinished, like cut. But this was done by purpose to create a terrace on this large-diameter stupa, with a smaller second stupa in the centre of this upper terrace.
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The road leads to the Shiva Devale No.2, which is probably the oldest temple of Polonnaruwa. It is one of the rare edifices in Sri Lanka that was constructed during the period of occupation of the island by the Indian Chola dynasty in the first half of the eleventh century. In smaller dimensions, the Shiva Devale shows the typical Chola style. Most strikingly, the tiered roof is crowned by a small down known as stupika in Indian architecture. It's a common feature of South Indian sacred architecture, but it's much wider in the Chola style than in the previous Pallava and the later Pandya and Vijayanagara styles.
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Driving further north, you can not miss to see Polonnaruwa's largest preserved hemispherical dagaba. This stupa is called Rankot Vehera. It was built by King Nissanka Malla in the late 12th century. It measures 170 m in diameter. It has frontispieces in all directions. They slightly differ in style from those of the Anuradhapura period.
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The large complex just to the north of the Rankot Vehera was once the main monastery of Polonnaruwa. Its name Alahena Pirivena is modern. The complex comprises three mounds, each crowned by one of the major ceremonila edifices.s The southern building is the largest in diameter and situated on the highest hillock. It has several columns in the interior. This was the monastic assembly hall for highest ceremonies such as ordinations of new monks. The palace-like structure is known as Baddhasima Pasada. The central seat was reserved for the Sangharaja, the “King of the Order”, a head of all monks did not exist in the previous Anuradhapura period and was now a unifying factor and contributed much to stabilizing the Theravada tradition of Buddhism in the island.It has some beautifully carved moonstones at its gates.
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The next imposing monument furhter north is the large image house called Lankatilaka. A torso of an immensely large Buddha statue is till in situ. The outer walls are decorated with large carvings depicting entire temple buildings. The stupa further north was plastered and must once have been brilliantly white. It is now known as Kiribat Vehera. It's highly recommendable to stroll arounf to the west of the three hills with the major structures. Thera are a bathing pond and a cistern close to the Baddhasima Pasada. Near the Kiribat Vehera stupa is a unique kind of monnstone in front of an entrance, this is the only known specimen in Sri Lanka that is rectangular.
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Just to the north of the Alahena Parivena complex is Polonnaruwa's main attraction, the world-famous group of rock-cut Buddhist sculptures named Gal Vihiara. One seated and one standing and one reclining Buddha of large dimensions can be seen here along the face of a rock. A second seated Buddha, of normal size, is placed in an artificial cave, the facade of which has a large inscription. It's a source of utmost significance for historians as it records a monastic reform of King Parakramabahu the Great that played a decisve role to make Sri Lanka a mainly Theravada Buddhist country. Whether the standing statue depicts a Buddha or not, is still a matter of debate. Most guidebooks mention it could depict Ananda, the favourite disciple of the Buddha, as the statue shows the uncommon gesture of crossed arms, which indicates devotion. How could a Buddha devote something else? So it's more likely a disciple, the theory goes. But the Buddha can show veneration by all means, for example for a Bo Tree. Buddhas in this so-called Svastika Mudra are known from other places in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. So it does not need to be a disciple. Even more significantly, the statue stands on a lotus, which usually indicates a Buddha.
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1.5 km further north is the Tivanka statue house, the thirs of the large image houses in Polonnaruwa. This one is remarkable for its murals. Without a torch, it's too dark to study them in detail, but you should take notice that these are the best preserved paintings from the Polonnaruwa period. Another remarkable feature of theis temple can more easily be seen. The exterior wall carries a long band of Gana sculptures. The funny little dwarfs have been a theme in Sri lankan sculptural art from the beginning. But this frieze definitely has the most playful specimens.
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Outside the fenced zone of the Polonnaruwa Archaeological park are some more ruins, the most important places of interest are at the Topa Wewa, the large reservoir to the west of Polonnaruwa. Behind the Archaeological Museum and the former lakeside resthouse is the palace compound of King Nissanka Malla. The most imposing structure is a large audience hall with an oversized lion throne. The pillars carry inscriptions indicating which officer or cleric was placed in front of it during royal assemblies. The inscriptions allow some insights in the structure of the medieval governmental system.
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Another landmark of Polonnaruwa is 2 km further south, the so-called Parakramabahu statue. Most likely the bearded man does not depict a king but a Rishi, an Indian sage. It could well be Pulasthi, the namegiving patron of the town. The ancient and medieval name of Polonnaruwa was Pulatthinagara, Pulatthi being the Pali version of the Sanskrit name Pulasthi. The nearby monastic complex known as Pothgul Vihara is not imposing but noteworthy for two reasons. It's a rare example of a temple mound, a step pyramid, though very flat. This kind of architecture is well known from Southeast Asia. There were strong ties between Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia beginning in the Polonnaruwa period, and this would not be the only example of Southeast Asian influence on Polonnaruwa's architecture. The other remarkable feature is the round structure on the top, which has an interior room like an image house.
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Polonnaruwa is surrounded by several smaller-sized national parks covering parts of the flood plains of the Mahaweli Ganga, Sri Lanka's largest river. The most popular safaris for guests in Polonnaruwa, however, take place in the two national parks further northwest, namely Minneriya and Kaudulla, which were mentioned as Sri Lanka's famous elephant gathering sites above. Though Wagamuwa National Park, which also is home to numerous wild elephants, is closer to Polonnaruwa, it's not easier to reach. The very small Angamedilla National Park at the opposite site of Polonnaruwa's large reservoir Topa Wewa also offers jeep safaris in only a few kilometers distance. At specific times, elephants from Wasgamuwa and Angamedilla gather in larger groups at the southern or eastern shores of the Topa Wewa, then a boat safari is the best option to observe them.
In 30 km distance to the north of Polonnaruwa, is the lovely archaeological site of Medirigiriya, where surprisingly many ancient sculptures are still in situ. The landmark edifice of Medirigiriya is a Vatadage. This circular temple differs much from the more famous Vatadage of Polonnaruwa in that the outer walls are not preserved or have never existed and that there are much fewer stone carvings. However, the much older Vatadage of Medirigiriya, which is from the Anuradhapura period, is equally attractive, because it is picturesquely placed atop a natural rock and it has a true forest of stone pillars surrounding the central stupa.
Also to the north of Polonnaruwa is the Somavati stupa in the national park of the same name. Actually it's a recently restored white hemispherical stupa like many others in Sri Lanka, only worth a detour with a jeep for those who don't want to miss any of the important historical sites or who are Buddhist pilgrims. Somavati is believed to enshrine a second tooth of the Buddha. This is why it attract many pious Sinhalese visitors, many more than foreigners.
The greatest attraction in the surroundings of Polonnaruwa is at the opposite side of the Mahaweli river. The ridge known as Dimbulagala today was once called Gunner's Quoin by the British. Dimbulagala is an excellent hiking area for full-day excursions. However, it's a heritage attraction in the first place or more precisely: more than one heritage attraction. The ruins of an important monastery from the late Anuradhapura and the Polonnaruwa periods can be seen at the northern slopes of the mountain, this archaeological site is known as Namal Pokuna. At the southern foout of the hills is a cave with a painting that might date back to the same period as the famous Sigiriya frescoes. A new monastery with a museum can be visited at the westernmost tip of the ridge. Several romantic monk's cells in rock shelters can be found when exploring the hills on hiking trails.
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