Rising again to its former glory:

The amazing Polonnaruwa

By Chamari SENANAYAKE

Once a proud kingdom that had been nurtured by numerous great kings, Polonnaruwa now stands a mere skeleton on the dry land of Rajarata. Three years after uniting Sri Lanka defeating Chola invaders, King Vijayabahu chose Polonnaruwa as his kingdom. Situated in a safe location and protected by the rivers this area was once so prosperous that it turned Sri Lanka into a major exporter of rice to the world in ancient times.

Although it survived centuries of South Indian invasions, political shifts and many other internal struggles, during the times of weak kings and their unwise management, Polonnaruwa started to crumble and, the once great kingdom was completely destroyed during Kalinga-magha invasions and vanished under the trees and dust as a forgotten bookmark in a history book.Almost a thousand years later on, the city was brought back from the dead by the Archaeological Department during the British colonial era. Rising again in its former places but with diminished glory, Polonnaruwa screams of nothing else but grandeur and greatness. Today it is one of the World Heritage Sites and is visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world each month.

Just as our ancient kings struggled to keep South Indian invaders away, there are many monks who live in nearby ancient and small temples that struggled to stay alive from the LTTE terrorists for three decades. They have been living in these lonely harsh places isolated from the community but guarding the ruins and temples as if they were the great stone masons that built them. Not a house nearby but the woods, let alone a village, and no well could be dug as the rocks appear at every corner and at every depth. Some have to walk a few miles to the village in search of alms, and bring water from a river or a tank as some have no wells or pipelines.

Even the animals that live with the monks have to walk long distances in search of a drop of water. Some of the dog packs that hang around the ruins will gladly show the pilgrims the way to the ruins and drop them back to the buses just for a little bite or a biscuit. By visiting this great city, a pilgrim shall not only gain good deeds, a tourist shall not only get some scenic shots, by visiting the majestic city we once had and the glory we have lost you will be doing the government a service.

‘Rankoth Vehera’

Sathmahal Paya’- seven- story building that has a staircase onthe left.

‘Atadageya’

‘Hetadageya’ built by King Nisshanka Malla once housed the tooth relic.	‘Nisshanka Latha Mandapa’
‘Thuparamaya’- A house built for the statues,

The writer holds B.A.(Australia), Grad. Cert.(Melbourne Uni), M.A.(Australia)