Day Tour to Polannaruwa from Kandy by Lux Tours Lanka

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 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.

  45 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 2
  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.

  1 hour • Admission ticket not included
• 3
  Polonnaruwa Vatadage

  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

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 4
  Lankathilaka Image House

  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.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 5
  Thivanka 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.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 6
  Rankoth Vehera

  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.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket not included

Additional info

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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