Polonnaruwa

The second most ancient kingdom of Sri Lanka, declared as the capital city in 1070 in order to reunite the country once more under a local leader, now named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Polonnaruwa’s glory days remain far into the ancient world, yet the legends and the history never seem to fully rest. With the new construction project known as “Awakening of Polonnaruwa” the city would be given the same importance and prestige as it once owned for many years filled with rich culture, leadership, religious and political importance and most importantly the artistic and equally genius creations giving the city an air of a museum. To this day, there are many places to visit in Polonnaruwa and so, the city is always filled with visitors, as anyone’s willing to sacrifice the five-hour drive from Colombo to Polonnaruwa, to admire and be awed by the technology our ancestors used even with the most basic technological advancements at the time, it is truly amazing how these creations, though now all of them ruins still seem to stand tall and strong, despite everything it had gone through the years.

POLONNARUWA MEDIEVAL KINGDOM

There are so many must see points in this city and it truly is a paradise to any archelogy-loving, history-admiring person. The Royal palace of king Parakramabahu I, is one of the main attraction points and it consists of the council chamber of the king, the royal bath known as the Kumara Pokuna which is all part of the Royal Pleasure Garden of the king, still amazes people how our ancestors built this in order for the water to always be cool even in the hottest day. Other creations such as the Siva Shrine; a Hindu temple, the Thuparama, the Vatadage, Nissanka Lata Mandapaya which is an altar for the worshippers, the Satmahal Prasadaya, which is a structure with seven tiers, Hatadage which is known as the shrine for sixty relics, The Stone book in which is engraved the deeds of King Nissankamalla, and so many more creations of the ancient world filling the city with the culturally, politically and religiously rich history.

MINNERIYA NATIONAL PARK

If it’s an adventurous elephant-meet-up, with a mixture of adrenaline pumped scenarios that are both equally scary and exciting that you are longing for, Minneriya Park is exactly the place for you. Famous for the most easily spotted largest amounts of elephant herds, these animals are famous for their rumbustious and timely acts of playful bullying. The park was originally constructed as a national park and used as a catchment for the Minneriya tank, a creation of great importance as it was built by King Mahasen. Though situated in a dry zone the park has almost 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds and short scrubs of vegetation are present with plenty of greenery all around the park, which becomes the reason for the lightly cool breeze going around making the hot day bearable as it complements the forest and the many animals in it.