Polonnaruwa Revisited - a highlight of our trip

We had a comfortable night at a new guesthouse at Habarana, Jay's Holiday Resort. This was a really quiet place with two roomed cabanas placed carefully in the forest- like environment and ensuring enough space between units for a peaceful night's sleep. With good food and a swimming pool, we decided that this would be our base for our next trip to this part of the country. We hope to visit Trincomalee later this year and this would be a good base for that, given that there is not much in the way of accommodation in Trinco.

Two unit cabana at Jay's Holiday Resort, Habarana

Leaving early, we followed Route 11 to Polonnaruwa and as we neared I wondered if this place of my memories had also changed significantly as had Anuradhapura. Soon we were alongside the wide and long Parakrama Samudra - The Sea of Parakrama. Today it was wet and misty but memories from the past of its waters sparkling and twinkling in the bright sun filled my mind, which has been on overload as I recall so many happy memories of my brief but defining time living in this country.

Parakrama Samudra

Parakrama Samudra is the largest  man - made lake in Sri Lanka and is one of 22 in the Polonnaruwa area. It is recorded that one thousand men worked 24 hours to build this lake by connecting five smaller ones. KIng Parakrama Bahu was determined that every drop of water that fell from the skies should be caught to provide for the people and importantly to irrigate the rice fields. It is said that there was even an inland port on Parakrama Samudra and if so it may have been used when, amazingly during his time, Sri Lanka exported rice and was also a strong trading nation. Perhaps because of this prosperity, he was able to have strong military forces and even successfully invaded Burma. [ So I have read !]  


Lanka's days of might and wealth were in the 12th Century ! Another of his achievements  were of enormous interest to Sam - PB was Sri Lanka's first Town Planner ! [ I bestow that honour on him ! I have recently read a tribute to another person, one Oliver Weerasinghe on his 31st death anniversary, claiming that he was Sri Lanka's first Town Planner but I think Parakrama Bahu beat him to that !]  Anyway, Polonnaruwa appears to have been a functional, compact city beautifully laid out with every facility that was needed at the time, constructed very cleverly with the man - made tools and also back breaking efforts from the labourers at the time. PB either had great personal vision and creativity or he was surrounded by the those who were so endowed!

Parakrama Bahu the Great

We stopped first at the Visitor Information Centre and Museum and this was a good idea because we could get an overall idea of the site which gave an idea of what we could look out for and location points. There was a large scale model of the area, before and after excavation photos, artefacts and explanations of how and when things may have happened. We also visited the shop there and picked up a couple of small booklets about the places we had seen. Unusually for Sri Lanka, the toilets here were clean and well maintained.

Missanka Malla's Bath

The Museum was inside the ruins of this ancient city so we left by the back door and went to see the Winter Palace of King Nissanaka Malla who reigned from 1187 - 1196. He  became king after Parakrama Bahu the Great and was only thirty at the time. Perhaps it was his youth that had him do so many things during his brief nine year reign ! We were to see a number of inscriptions , including the famous Galpotha - a stone book which records acivities and conditions during his reign.  He also built a Royal Palace of several stories, the Hatadage -  a place to keep the tooth Relic, and a dagaba. He is recorded as being a very charitably minded person who gave to the poor. Perhaps his greatest achievement might be the civil works he invested in - roads and bridges. A great supporter of Buddhism, he declared that every ruler of the country had to be Buddhist.

Stone Pillar with engravings

From the car park we first passed his bathing pool  beside the tank. Nearby was Nissanka's Winter Palace and an island pavilion - I guess he couldn't go far away for a bit of peace and quiet! Also nearby was his Audience Hall which had pillars engraved with the names of the ministers so they knew where to sit of course, he took the throne ! A film crew was casually setting up here - a small group so not a major production.

Parakrama Bahu's Palace -12th Century

After this we spent a leisurely morning walking around the tranquil but a little wet ruins with a long look at the amazing Royal Palace of King Parakrama the Great ! Way ahead of the times, I think that this was Sri Lanka's first skyscraper - said to be at least seven stories high although some say it was even nine storeys. 

Ruins of Royal Palace, Polonnaruwa

Today you can see the first three storeys which were constructed of brick - great holes in the walls indicate where the beams used to be. The upper storeys were made of wood and I think that they succumbed to a demolishing fire. This palace is said to have had a thousand rooms of which fifty five can be seen today. Some of these would not have had windows and with the very thick walls would have been very dark inside. No doubt the furnishings would have been colourful and luxurious, at least in the royal parts, so this may have allievated any gloomy parts.

Staircase to upper levels of Parakrama Bahu's Palace

Another interesting feature is that there seems to have been a moat around the Palace which is also surrounded by other buildings that were needed to house the the officials, bodyguards and servants.

Sam was fascinated at the design and structure of this amazing building. Obviously built using enforced labour but someone had the know - how, vision, organisational skills . . . . to get the job done. And here we are in 2011 struggling to get reliable labour to finish building a car park at Olu Ella !

Outside rooms of the Royal Palace

If we thought that the Royal Palace was able to claim the status of the Most Inspiring architectural Masterpiece from the twelfth century, the Vatadage is lso a contender for that title ! Seen across the lush green grounds against the white of the misty rain, this presented itself very dramatically! 

Vatadage, Polonnaruwa

Vatadage means "circular" and this building was built to protect a dagaba which would have been built to house some relics. At all four points of the compass there are Buddha statues which contain the remains of the dagaba. These statues have different heads when usually it is the hands that are in different postures. Some of these statues have been seriously damaged - not surprisingly since this monument was reclaimed from the encroaching jungle not all that long ago. 

Vatadage showing Buddha Statue and staircase

Guardstone - Vatadage

The Buddha Statues are easily seen from outside as there is a staircase leading up to each of them. The staircases have ornately carved guardstones, depicting grace and beauty in the jewellery and flowing robes.

We saw similar guardstones at Anuradhapura and Mihintale. They are also similar to the ones we saw in  Siem Reap at Angkor Wat and other ruins nearby. Obviously a world wide feature of architecture at that time !
This Vatadage is thought to have been built by King Parakrama Bahu but King Nissanka Malla may have added to it.
Near the Vatadage is the King's Council Chamber where once again the ministers all had their own spot ! They also had the comfort of toilets just outside with the King having his own special "throne"! The Council Chamber was about 75 feet long and had steps from the side with a moonstone and lion. Lions and elephants are also carved into the frieze around the sides - master masons and sculptors leave us a picture of the art work of the period.

Council Chamber

We came upon an enormous stone slab - the Gal Potha - an ancient book. apparently King Nissanka Malla had this 27 and 1/2  feet by 4 and a 1/2 feet stone brought from Mihintale. I can only guess that several elephants and a great many men were needed to do this! this fact is recorded on the stone as are other records of event and the business of the kingdom.

Gal Potha, Polonnaruwa

We then went to see the statues that are my strongest memory of Polonnaruwa - the four Buddhas - Gal Vihara. These were "built" by King Parakrama Bahu - really they were carved out of a massive rock boulder 180 feet long and 30 feet long. The area was a little changed since my visit there 40 plus years ago with a roof being erected over the statues to protect them from the elements and the surrounding area gaining defined paths and a more cared for grassy area. Although the roof is needed to preserve these historic and still venerated statues I think that it does take away from the spiritual mood. 

Sitting Buddha, Polonnaruwa

This seated Buddha is 15 feet tall and sits on a stone throne in a meditative posture. Very appropriate for the surroundings - so lovely and calm here.

There were quite a few coming and going here today, in contrast with my last visit when it was just myself and two Buddhist monks making offerings.

Standing Buddha, Polonnaruwa

The standing Buddha is 23 feet high. As happens, there has been some intellectual debate as to whether this Statue depicts Buddha or is that of Ananda Thero, a significant Buddhist teacher around that time. The argument for the Buddha  decision is interesting - it is on a lotus pedestal, has a halo, the hair is curled on the right and the position of the hands. I'm learning a lot about interpreting Buddhist statues on this trip !

 It was difficult for me, a not so good photographer, to get  a picture of the reclining Buddha and involved climbing high on a boulder opposite. 


This statue is 46 feet long. Closer, the face looks sad, the toes are not fully aligned, the robe is somewhat ruffled and the stomach has a depression. I think that this is depicting the Buddha after death even though the eyes are not fully closed.
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We saw many other ruins here at Polonnaruwa but I'll finish this post with a ruin that is a bit different in that it is one of the small Hindhu shrines that are also here in Polonnaruwa showing that there was more than one religion being followed. It would be great, if today, all religious views could be really respected and not used as a means of domination, power grabbing, money making, empire building . . . . . .  not only in Sri Lanka where harmony has previously reigned albeit briefly, but also world wide.

Hindhu Shrine, Polonnaruwa

                                                       May All Beings Be Happy 

                                                                          and 

                                            "May you prosper like milk boiling over" - 

                                     in memory of my loving Mother In Law, Rammenike