Sri Lanka tour 5/9 Polonnaruwa

Today visit the 4th UNESCO site in this area, the old capital of Polonnaruwa, the one that succeeded Anuradhapura, from 9-14AD

Hired a car US60 for the day, over an hour away from Sigiriya and the site is very big, the car drop us off for visit at different parts of the ancient capital.

The main parts include the Palace area, Citadel, Cremation, worship and rock carving areas.

The style followed that used in Anuradhapura area, with a lot of brick raised platforms on which buildings are constructed. The wooded roof structures were gone and only stone and brick works were left, for us to imagine how magnificent the capital had been.

 

The building styles changed with time, noticeably different from before is a lot more carvings around.
The later buildings were pretty tall, with pointy arches that resemble gothic cathedral structures in Europe.

 

The most interesting is the cremation area, with a lot of dome shaped structures scattered in a large area, with ponds and worship buildings in between.

The giant carved Buddhas are impressive so is the multilayered lotus pond nearby, all fabulous workmanship.

 

It is a bit late after the visit to get back to hotel for lunch, the driver brought us to a family home with view of lake for a buffet lunch. A big spread of different vegetables and one fish, chicken and pork dish each. They are smart to put a piece of raw vegetables next to the pots for visitors to identify easily. Great memorable lunch mainly for the vegetables, because not much are served at hotel /restaurant meals.