Polonnaruwa

Sister cities

• Kunming

History

Polonnaruwa was first established as a military post by the Sinhalese kingdom. Raja Raja Chola I built Vanavan Mahadevisvaram, a Shiva temple at Polonnaruwa named after his queen, which presently is known as Siva Devale. The temple among other contained Ganesha and Parvati statues of bronze. During this period, the northern and central regions of Sri Lanka were directly governed as a Chola province under Rajendra Chola I. However, after 1070 AD, Chola rule on the island came to an end, and Polonnaruwa was captured by Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa, also known as Vijayabahu the Great. Starting from Mahanagakula on the south of the Walawe river, Vijayabahu dispatched three armies to attack Polonnaruwa from three fronts. One army was sent along the western shore of the country to the port of Mahathittha to deal with any reinforcements arriving from South India. Afterwards, part of this army moved towards Polonnaruwa and attacked from the northwest. A second army was sent from the east across Magama to attack Polonnaruwa from the east. The third and main force advanced across the country, led by the king. Surrounded by these three armies, Polonnaruwa was besieged for seven months before king Vijayabahu I's forces entered the city. In 1070, Vijayabahu I became the ruler of Polonnaruwa. At that time Sri Lanka was known as Thambapanni. Trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of King Parakramabahu the Great, the renowned grandson of Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa, who insisted that not a single drop of water falling from the heavens should go to waste, ensuring that every drop contributed to the development of the land. Hence, irrigation systems that are far superior to those of the Anuradhapura period were constructed during Parakramabahu I's reign – systems which…

Most-observed species

• Brahminy Kite

  Haliastur indus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  209
• Spotted Dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  190
• Red-wattled Lapwing

  Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  188
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  186
• Black-headed Ibis

  Threskiornis melanocephalus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  175
• White-bellied Sea-Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucogaster (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  167
• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  164
• Brown-headed Barbet

  Psilopogon zeylanicus (J.F.Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  160