Heritage · Polonnaruwa
Sri Lanka's second ancient capital is too spread out to walk and too good to rush past in a car. Hire a bicycle at the gate and go at seven, before the heat.
The experience
Polonnaruwa was the island's capital for barely two centuries, and most of what survives was built in one reign — Parakramabahu I, who ruled from 1153 and built as though he knew the time was short. A palace of seven storeys, a bathing tank fed by a reservoir so large it is still called the Sea of Parakrama.
The site is a park rather than a ruin field: shaded roads, monkeys, and monuments spaced far enough apart that walking them in the heat is miserable and driving them makes the whole thing a series of car parks. Bicycles are hired at the entrance for very little, and the distance becomes the pleasure rather than the problem.
Go at opening. By ten the light is flat, the stone is hot, and the Gal Vihara — four colossal Buddhas cut from a single granite face, and the reason most people come — has a queue in front of it.
What to expect
Good to know
Seven o'clock. The site opens early and the difference between seven and ten is the difference between pleasant and punishing.
The ticket office is at the museum rather than the site entrance, which catches people out.
Several of the monuments are active religious sites. Shoes come off at the Gal Vihara platform.
Hired at the gate for very little. Take one minute to check the brakes and the saddle height before you ride off.
Ready to book?
Most people ride Polonnaruwa from Sigiriya or Habarana. We can put the two together with a night that makes the early start easy.
