Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Polonnaruwa - Cholan and Sinhalese Royal Kingdoms Highlighted in Polonnaruwa Ruins




Polonnaruwa - If you don't mind the sun, you would have a totally exhilirating visit to the ruins of a once mighty kingdom in Polonnarua. These temples are perfectly placed and tours could be reasonably planned. These days, it is one of the half a dozen sites with the UNESCO World Heritage seal in Sri Lanka! If you have been to the Angkor Temples of Cambodia or the Bagan temples of Myanmar, this visit in Polonnarua will give you a sense of dejavu. What I loved about it is its topography. The series of ruins can be found near a lovely lake where people are actually found bathing! There is a wild jungle trail where your vehicle drives through - and wild elephants are known to roam the area!
What I hated was taking the shoes off to navigate each temple. I have such sensitive feet that walking around barefoot was a very unpleasant experience. But hey, this doesn't happen everyday so I persevered! You have to take off your hat/cap/umbrella and you have to take off your shoes or you will be readily chastised. It takes some stamina to complete a visit as the relics are quite extensive - and I guess stamina grew out of my curiosity. I have to admit though that at times, I was starting to feel long winded, like I was gonna fall down from exhaustion. My legs were turning into jello!
But it's all been worth it!
Polonnarua is 140 kilometers from Kandy and 216 kilometers northeast from Colombo






This is the Eye in the Sky!



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