Polonnaruwa really is an ancient city. It is over 800 years old. King Parakkramabahu the First built his Royal Palace there in the 12th century. Those days it was several stories high and had a thousand rooms. It is now in ruins. But the walls are still standing in pride.
I had heard of Polonnaruwa and was dreaming to visit this place of historic vallue. One day my dream became a reality as my father took us there during a weekend.
We were able to see the ruins of the Kirivehera and the Rankoth Vehera. In ancient times, the Kiri Vehera had a dome coated with milk-white churn and the Rankoth Vehera had golden spire.
We could also visit the Gal Vihara and see the large statue of the sleeping Buddha. The whole statue was a carving in a rock. One talented sculptor has carved every fold of the Buddha's robe even the mark of his head is there on the stone pillow. The face of the Buddha looks calm and peaceful.
The statue of King Parakkrama Bahu is standing in front of the Pothgul Vehera. This was a library in ancient times. It is the statue of a tall man with a beard. He is holding something in his hands. Some people say that is a statue of King Parakkrama Bahu. Others say that it is a statue of a wise man and that he is holding is an ancient wise ma book.
The Parakkrama Samudraya is the king Parakkarama Bahu's great creation. This is the tank that helped irrigate the fields in ancient Polonnaruwa. king Parakkrama Bahu had said to the people "I Don't want a single drop of rain to flow in to the sea without being of some use to someone" He is a great and wise king. During his reign our country even exported rice to foreign countries.
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