135 miles from Colombo and southeast of Anuradhapura is Polonnaruwa which was the mediaeval 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.

Today’s ruins, however, belong almost exclusively the reigns of two kings. The city in its day was fortified with parks and gardens and sanctified by many a shrine and sacred place. The city itself, as well as the surrounding plain was watered by a unique irrigational complex known as the Sea of Parakrama (Parakrama Samudra).

A great number of beautiful monuments are gathered in the natural reserve which surrounds the ruins. In its prime, the city, inside its 3½ miles of strong encircling walls, housed hundreds of thousands of people, where today monkeys and birds are the only inhabitants. But the glories of mediaeval Polonnaruwa have not been lost to the world, and enough remains from this magnificent civilisation for the visitors to get a glimpse of its former grandeur. Today most of the site is unexcavated, and still guards its mysteries.