Idea #371 – Exploring the remains of the fabulous Garden City of Parakramabahu the Great
Second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993, Polonnaruwa includes, next to the Brahmanical monuments raised by Cholas, monumental rests of fabulous garden city created in the XIIth century by Parakramabahu the Big. The antique city extends over approximately 122 hectares and presents numerous monuments still well kept.
The Southern zone of the site presents the vestiges of the palace Vejayanta Prasada and the rectangular room of audience, plan compound of three superimposed platforms and finely sculptured. Having crossed a small Indian temple dedicated to Shiva, you will find Quadrilataire, heightened rectangular place rich in monuments: Thuparama, place of worship having a form rather close to that of the church; Vatadage, rotunda which rests on two circular platforms stacked in friezes are sculptured opening on a statue of seated Buddha; Atadage and Hatadage, both of rectangular plan; Gal Pota, on the side of Hatadage, big concise book in Sinhalese characters on a stony block which measures 8m of length, weighs 25 tons.
Farther, the stupa says rankot vehara, built by king Pakrama Bahu is the most impressive monument of the city. Finally, the rupestral whole Gal Vihariya, the established by three statues of Buddha cut in the granite are, with the Young ladies de Sigiriya, the most illustrious works of art of Sri Lanka. Polonnâruvâ is one of the most spectacular sites of the “cultural triangle”, classified in the World heritage of Unesco in 1982. Go, umbrella in the hand, we explore!
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Archeological site of Polonnaruwa, Nord Center, Sri Lanka
