Polonnaruwa

Some 800 or more years ago, Polonnaruwa was the booming commercial and religious centre of Sri Lanka, when the South Indian Chola dynasty conquered the land and chose Polonnaruwa as their capital. Because of that you will notice the fusion of both religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) in the archaeology of the city. The must-sees from the city would be the royal place - claiming to be seven floors tall with 50 rooms in it (just imagine the effort they’ve put in without modern day technology – pretty impressive! ), Kings audience hall, Sacred Quadrangle, Vatadaage, Shiva Devale – which is still in great condition, Pabalu Vehera, Rankot Viharaya – the fourth largest dagoba in Sri Lanka, Kiri Vehera – this beautiful milky-white dagoba was built in the honour of queen, which was in perfect milky white condition when the archaeologists found it 700 years surrounded by the thick growth of the jungle. The other impressive structures include Buddha statue at Lankatilake and the mesmerizing four Buddha statues at Gal viharaya that are cut from one long slab of granite.