Landmarks in Polonnaruwa
- 01
Hatadage
A twelfth-century relic shrine in the Sacred Quadrangle, with three granite Buddha images and a high stone wall. It is associated with King Nissanka Malla and the tooth relic.
- Time needed
- 15 to 25 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Early morning
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park.
- 02
Nissanka Latha Mandapaya
A small stone pavilion with eight curved, lotus-topped pillars and a tiny central stupa, named for King Nissanka Malla. It is short to visit but one of the most photographed details in the quadrangle.
- Time needed
- 10 to 15 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning light
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park.
- 03
Parakrama Samudra
A vast reservoir made from five connected tanks, expanded by Parakramabahu I in the twelfth century. It still waters rice fields and gives a calm end to a day of ruins.
- Time needed
- 45 to 90 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Late afternoon and sunset
- Tickets
- The reservoir is open water and a working irrigation tank, so there is no ticket. Check local advice before walking on the bund, and ask your driver where public viewpoints are.
- 04
Polonnaruwa Vatadage
A round, two-platform stone relic house around a small stupa, with four Buddha images facing four doorways. It is regarded as the best-preserved vatadage in Sri Lanka and the centre of the Sacred Quadrangle.
- Time needed
- 30 to 40 minutes
- Walking
- Moderate
- Best time
- Early morning, before the stone heats
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park. Shoes and hats are normally taken off at the quadrangle's religious structures.
- 05
Satmahal Prasada
A seven-tier brick pyramid in the north-east of the archaeological park. Its builder and purpose are unknown, and its shape is unlike anything else in Sri Lanka.
- Time needed
- 10 to 20 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning or late afternoon
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park.
Temples in Polonnaruwa
- 06
Gal Vihara
Four Buddha images carved into one granite face in the twelfth century: seated, seated in a small cave, standing and reclining. It is the most visited monument in Polonnaruwa and the one most people remember.
- Time needed
- 45 to 60 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- First hour after opening, or the late afternoon
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park. Visitors usually remove footwear and headwear in front of the images.
- 07
Kiri Vehera (Polonnaruwa)
A bubble-shaped stupa that still wears much of its original lime plaster, which gave it the name Milk Stupa. It was built in the twelfth century for a queen of Parakramabahu I.
- Time needed
- 15 to 25 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Late afternoon, when the plaster glows
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park.
- 08
Rankoth Vehera
The largest stupa in the ancient city, built around 1190 for King Nissanka Malla. Its bulk stands on a square terrace, and it is among the biggest in Sri Lanka.
- Time needed
- 20 to 30 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning or late afternoon
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park. Remove shoes and headwear near the stupa.
- 09
Siva Devale
A stone Hindu shrine from the period of Chola rule in the city, built before the Sinhalese kings made Polonnaruwa their capital again. It is a reminder that the city was a Tamil as well as a Sinhalese centre.
- Time needed
- 15 to 20 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park. The shrine is a ruin, not an active temple, so follow signage and site staff.
Culture in Polonnaruwa
- 10
Menik Vehera
A ruined monastery complex called the Gem Shrine, with a small brick stupa on a raised terrace. It is reported to be among the oldest monasteries in Polonnaruwa, older than the twelfth-century building boom.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park.
- 11
Statue of Parakramabahu I
A 3.4 m high-relief figure carved on a boulder near the reservoir, widely taken to be King Parakramabahu I, though others see a sage. The carving is grave, strong and unusually personal.
- Time needed
- 15 to 20 minutes
- Walking
- Easy
- Best time
- Morning or late afternoon
- Tickets
- Foreigners pay a higher fee than residents, and the Polonnaruwa ticket is sold by the Central Cultural Fund. Check the current price, the booking method and opening hours before you go, and keep the ticket with you because it may be checked at several points in the park. Check whether this stop falls within the main park ticket.
