Polonnaruwa Day Tour

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Kings ruled the central plains of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa 800 years ago, when it was a thriving commercial and religious centre. The glories of that age can be found in the archaeological treasures that still give a pretty good idea of how the city looked in its heyday. You’ll find the archaeological park a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures – tombs and temples, statues and stupas – in a compact core. The Quadrangle alone is worth the trip.

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  • Vacation Style Holiday Type
    Day Tours
  • Activity Level Leisurely
    1/8
  • Group Size Large Group
    10
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All about the Polonnaruwa Day Tour.

Kings ruled the central plains of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa 800 years ago, when it was a thriving commercial and religious centre. The glories of that age can be found in the archaeological treasures that still give a pretty good idea of how the city looked in its heyday. You’ll find the archaeological park a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures – tombs and temples, statues and stupas – in a compact core. The Quadrangle alone is worth the trip.

  • Pick up from Kandy Hotel and transfer to Polonnaruwa – Approximately 3 1/2 Hours
  • Visit Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO world heritage site. The second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms which is now ruined and included many palaces and temples Gala Vihara, Lankatilaka, Polonnaruwa Ruins and Archaeological Museum
  • Lunch at a recommended restaurant
  • Archaeological Museum, Quadrangle, Rankot Vihara, Tivanka Image House and Thuparama Gedige
  • Transfer to Kandy Hotel – Approximately 31/2 Hours
The tour package inclusions and exclusions at a glance
What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.

✓ All Transfers in Air Conditioned Private car
✓ English Speaking Chauffeur guide
✓ All Cost Relate to Car and Chauffeur
✓ No Hidden Cost
✓ Highway tolls
✓ Hotels/accommodation
* Dinner
* breakfast

What is not included in this tour?Items that are not included in the cost of tour price.

o Meals Out Side of the Stated Meal Plan
o Expenses of PersonalNature
o Train Ticket
o Any Other Services not specified above
o Entrance Tickets for All Mentioned Excu

  1. Attraction 1 Gal Vihara

    This is a group of beautiful Buddha images that probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock carving. They are part of Parakramabahu I’s northern monastery. The Gal Vihara consists of four separate images, all cut from one long slab of granite. At one time, each was enshrined within a separate enclosure.

  2. Attraction 2 Lankatilaka

    One of the most evocative structures in Polonnaruwa, the Lankatilaka temple was built by Parakramabahu I and later restored by Vijayabahu IV. This massive gedige (stone Buddhist temple with corbelled roof and thick walls) has 17m-high walls, although the roof has collapsed. The cathedral-like aisle leads to a huge standing (headless) Buddha. Offerings of incense, and the structure’s columns and arches, add to the distinctly devotional atmosphere.

  3. Attraction 3 Polonnaruwa Ruins

    For three centuries Polonnaruwa was a royal capital of both the Chola and Sinhalese kingdoms. Today’s archaeological park is a delight to explore, with hundreds of ancient structures – tombs and temples, statues and stupas – in a sprawling forested core. Although nearly 1000 years old, it’s much younger than Anuradhapura and generally in better repair. You can see the site in a day, and the highlights in half a day.

  4. Attraction 4 Archaeological Museum

    This excellent museum has rooms dedicated to the citadel, the outer city, the monastery area (check out the model of the monks’ hospital and medical instruments) and Hindu monuments. The latter room contains a wonderful selection of bronzes, including some outstanding Shiva statues. One depicts Shiva, ringed by an aureole (celestial arch), performing a cosmic dance while trampling on a dwarf.
    Photos are not allowed.

  5. Attraction 5 Quadrangle

    A short stroll north of the Royal Palace ruins, the area known as the Quadrangle is literally that – a compact group of ruins in a raised-up area bounded by a wall. It’s the most concentrated collection of buildings you’ll find in the Ancient Cities – an archaeologist’s playpen

  6. Attraction 6 Rankot Vihara

    The 54m Rankot Vihara dagoba, the largest in Polonnaruwa and the fourth largest on the island, has been ascribed to the reign of King Nissanka Malla. Like the other major dagobas in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the dome consists of earth fill covered by a brick mantle and plaster. The construction clearly imitates the Anuradhapura style. Surgical instruments found in a nearby ruined 12th-century hospital are surprisingly similar to those used today; see examples in the Archaeological Museum.

  7. Attraction 7 Tivanka Image House

    Polonnaruwa’s northern road ends at Tivanka Image House. Tivanka means ‘thrice bent’, and refers to the fact that the Buddha image within is in a three-curve position normally reserved for female statues. The building is notable for its fine frescoes depicting Buddha in his past lives – the only Polonnaruwa murals to have survived (photos not allowed). Some of these date from a later attempt by Parakramabahu III to restore Polonnaruwa, but others are much older.

  8. Attraction 8 Thuparama Gedige

    At the southern end of the Quadrangle, the Thuparama Gedige is the smallest gedige (hollow Buddhist temple with thick walls) in Polonnaruwa, but is also one of the best: it’s the only one with its roof intact, supported by corbel arch-style supports. The inner chamber is delightfully cool and contains four beautifully executed standing Bodhisattva statues.
    The building’s exterior shows a marked Hindu influence and is thought to date from the reign of Parakramabahu I.

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