Polonnaruwa is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka from twelve to fourteenth century AD and its scale is quite massive. It kept reminding me of Ankor Wat in Cambodia for some reasons. The reign of King Parakramabahu I in Polonnaruwa is considered to be the golden age in Sri Lankan history. The city was later abandoned due to its proximity to India and the frequent raids.
It's a good thing that we had a car to drive us through the huge site in this heat. We saw some tourists opting to see the ancient city by bicycles. Hats off to them! Today is also Museum Day in Sri Lanka so there are tons of students everywhere in Polonnaruwa on field trips. Many came in school buses from Colombo 6h drive away!
Unfortunately, many of the monuments did not survive the years and only glimpses of past glories are evident. However, the standing structures and temples that survived are enough to convey the scale of the construction.
Curries and rice is the national dish of Sri Lanka but you can only taste it for lunch. Most places would stop serving it after 3-3:30p. We tried it out today in a traditional restaurant and was impressed by the over 15 kinds of different curry dishes served on lotus leaves!
We drove to our next stop, Mahiyanganaya, for a pit stop for the night before continuing to the hill town Nuwara-Eliya.
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