Polonnaruwa Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

🐘 Sighting in Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰

Going on a safari is one of the activities that you should not miss in Sri Lanka. One of the world’s most spectacular wildlife phenomenon that you can find in the island nation is the elephant gathering in Minneriya National Park. Located in the north-central province of Sri Lanka, Minneriya National Park is home to hundreds of Asian elephants which thrive on the Minneriya Tank, a reservoir built around 1700 years ago. The national park can only be explored by safari jeeps. We hired a jeep from Sigiriya and reached the entrance of national park in an hour. The jeep traveled through a forest before reaching the Minneriya Tank where we spotted herds of elephants and buffaloes by the reservoir. We were also fortunate to sight some other wild animals like foxes and native birds. #srilanka #minneriya #elephants #safari #safaripark #nationalpark #tripblazers #elephant

Minneriya National Park

#thingstodo Minneriya National Park, located in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, is renowned for its abundant wildlife and picturesque landscapes. The park is famous for the gathering of large herds of wild elephants, known as "The Gathering," which occurs during the dry season around the Minneriya Tank. Visitors to Minneriya National Park can enjoy thrilling jeep safaris to observe elephants, as well as other wildlife such as deer, sloth bears, leopards, and a variety of bird species. The park's diverse habitats, including grasslands, forests, and wetlands, provide rich biodiversity and stunning scenery for nature enthusiasts and photographers alike.

Beautiful Sri Lankan elephants North central

This is absolutely wonderful and these elephants are now very much free in the jungle since there is very less crowd entering to the Minneriya national wild life park followed by the Covid restrictions . I was so fortune to cover a descent amount of time at the park during my visit in the mid August 2021.

#wintergetaway one cool thing to do in #srilanka is wildlife watching or #safari. Here are some Asian elephants we bumped into during our early morning jeep tour in the national park. #wintergetaway

Sri Lanka Trip: The Parliament Building of Polonnaruwa Ancient City

Palazzo della Ragione in Bolzano The Palazzo della Ragione in Bolzano was used by the emperor at the time to receive ministers, advisors, and foreign envoys. The stone lions at the entrance are a symbol of sovereignty. The council hall is built on a high stone pedestal made of huge stones. The wooden ceiling of the hall is long gone, leaving only lonely stone pillars standing there. The steps of the council hall are divided into three sections. There is a beautiful moonstone on the ground at the entrance of the first two sections, and the left and right sides of the third section are guarded by mythical beasts. The railing and the design of the mythical beasts on both sides of each step are extremely clever and perfect. There are many exquisite animal patterns carved on the stone foundation and pillars around the council hall, and the names of the ministers are also engraved on the pillars. You don't need to call out their names, just look at which pillar is missing a name to know who didn't show up...

Located in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka's second dynasty. It flourished in the 11th-13th centuries AD and was abandoned after the invasion of foreign enemies in the 14th century. It was not until the early 20th century that modern cities were established here. Most of the monuments left here are built in the 12th century. The ancient city is a large-scale building and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Polonnaruwa bus station and train station are located at Kaduruwela, four kilometers east of the ancient city, near the main road of Batticaloa. From Cologne, the bus and train are in the direction of Colombo -Batticaloa. About 6 or 7 hours.

In 1982, UNESCO listed the ancient city of Polonnaruwa as a cultural heritage on the World Heritage List. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is located in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka, 216 km northeast of the capital Colombo. In 933 AD, Polonnaruwa became the capital of Sri Lanka. The monuments in the ancient city can be roughly divided into five areas: the palace complex, the square courtyard, the northern monuments, the historical hotel (that is, the bank of the reservoir), the southern monuments (on the way to the new town) and some sporadic monuments. . Figure 2 Sathmahal Prasada, meaning seven-level stupa looks a bit like a step pyramid, which is a rather strange building in Sri Lanka. Figure 7 is the largest in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, and is the fourth largest pagoda in Lanca, RANKOT VIHARA, which is carved from a whole piece of Huanggang rock. The lines of different rock layers of the rock itself flow through the face and body of the Buddha, adding a mysterious vicissitudes of beauty.

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa was established in the Sinhala Dynasty at the end of the 10th century. It was the best Buddhist city in Southeast Asia in the 12th century. In the area of about 5x2 km, there are many amazing sites left. In the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, not only the Brahmin ruins of the Kaulasian period, but also the remains of the fabulous garden city built in the 12th century by Paraklama I. At the end of the 10th century, the national capital and Buddhist center Anuradhapura began to decline, and Polonnaruwa became famous for its replacement. From 1059 to 1207, along with the prosperity of Polonnaruwa, the level of architecture has reached a level of perfection. There is an artificial reservoir larger than the area of Colombo Bay - the Borogaroa Sea. You can also visit the King's Parliament Building, the Royal Castle, the Royal Pavilion, the memorial hall with moonstones and carved railings, and the finest carvings. A huge Buddha statue. In addition to the way of chartered tours, cycling is also good, the price of renting a bicycle is about 50 yuan a day.

Elephant Safari in Sri Lanka

amazing to walk with these animals! the park offers a beautiful man made lake which attracts crocodiles and water bison. there are deer and monkeys and a wide array if birds to truly make this place special. the driver has a guide fo accompany you and give information on the fauna in this park. remember sun cream as the sun beats down on you in the truck and we saw many many sun burnt people there 😭😭 definitely recommend #safari #srilanka #jeepsafari #featured

best moment when I take the first flight in American company from wasland to New York city last month of

Hatadage

Hatadage is an ancient temple located in the Polonnaruwa region of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, situated opposite the circular stupa Vatadage. The temple was built by King Nissanka Malla (AD 1187-1196), and an inscription on a nearby stone slab indicates that it was once used to house the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. The architectural dimensions of Hatadage are 120 feet in length and 60 feet in width, and its features suggest that it was originally a two-story building with stone stairs leading to the upper floor, and the ground floor was likely made of wood. Remains of three Buddha statues were discovered on the first floor. Moreover, Hatadage is located within the quadrangle of Polonnaruwa, right next to the Atadage on the east side. It is said that this shrine was built in 60 days, 'Hata' in Sinhala means 60, representing the duration of the construction period, and 'Dage' means 'relic temple'. There is also a huge stone book called Gal Pota beside the site, which is 9 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, 66 centimeters thick, and weighs 25 tons. This stone book is said to have been transported from Mihintale, a hundred kilometers away, and the Sinhala inscriptions on it narrate the exploits of King Nissanka Malla in resisting Indian invasions and his diplomatic relations with various countries. Therefore, a large number of tourists come here every year to visit and check in.