Qualla: Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone: Introduction https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa/ Rent a bicycle. That is the first and best advice anyone gives about visiting Polonnaruwa, and it is exactly right. Unlike Anuradhapura, where ancient sites scatter across a wide area and blur into repetition, Polonnaruwa clusters its ruins in one compact stretch that rewards a full day on two wheels. The ancient city sits just north of the modern town, 140 kilometers north of Kandy in Sri Lanka's dry zone interior. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, it dates from the late tenth century, when Chola invaders from southern India conquered Anuradhapura and shifted the island's power center here. What the Cholas started, the Sinhalese kings perfected - and what they built still stands.

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/c/3/t/polonnaruwa-wk/tc3t-polonnaruwa-sri-lankas-second-kingdom-frozen-in-st-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone: The Sacred Quadrangle https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa/ The heart of ancient Polonnaruwa is the Dalada Maluwa, the Sacred Quadrangle, where the most important religious and royal structures concentrate in a raised terrace complex. The Vatadage - a circular relic house with extraordinary stone carvings - is the centerpiece, its moonsto...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/c/3/t/polonnaruwa-wk/tc3t-polonnaruwa-sri-lankas-second-kingdom-frozen-in-st-the-sacred-quadrangle.mp3 0:06 2 full Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone: Faces in the Rock https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa/ The Gal Vihara may be the single most powerful sight in Polonnaruwa. Four Buddha figures were carved from a single granite outcrop: one seated in meditation, one standing with arms crossed in an unusual posture that scholars have debated for generations, one in a small cave, and ...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/c/3/t/polonnaruwa-wk/tc3t-polonnaruwa-sri-lankas-second-kingdom-frozen-in-st-faces-in-the-rock.mp3 0:06 3 full Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone: The Sea of Parakrama https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa/ West of the ruins, the Parakrama Samudra dominates the landscape - an enormous reservoir built by King Parakramabahu I in the twelfth century. It still functions, irrigating the surrounding agricultural land as it has for over eight hundred years. The Topa Wewa, a smaller tank cl...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/c/3/t/polonnaruwa-wk/tc3t-polonnaruwa-sri-lankas-second-kingdom-frozen-in-st-the-sea-of-parakrama.mp3 0:06 4 full Polonnaruwa: Sri Lanka's Second Kingdom, Frozen in Stone: Getting There and Around https://qualla.com/polonnaruwa/ Polonnaruwa lies 216 kilometers from Colombo. A single daily train departs Colombo Fort at 13:45, arriving around 18:36 - five hours through the Sri Lankan countryside. Buses from Colombo take six to eight hours; from Kandy, four and a half; from Anuradhapura, about three. The bu...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/t/c/3/t/polonnaruwa-wk/tc3t-polonnaruwa-sri-lankas-second-kingdom-frozen-in-st-getting-there-and-around.mp3 0:06 5 full