Ancient kingdom Polonnaruwa is located in Polonnaruwa district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. In 10th century Chola invaded the country and Chola king ruled Polonnaruwa. But in 1070 AD King Vijayabahu captured Polonnaruwa and became the ruler. After King Vijayabahu, his grandson, King Parakramabahu became the ruler of Polonnaruwa. He was known as Parkramabahu the Great. Today, in addition to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, a new city called New Town which contain shops, schools and hotels was formed. These places fulfilled the day to day needs of the people. Other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the ancient city and it is declared as a World Heritage Site.
Attractions in ancient city Polonnaruwa
One of the attractions in ancient city Polonnaruwa is Gal Vihara,
known originally as Uttararama.This was constructed by King Parakramabahu1 in 12 th century. There anyone can see four images of Buddha engraved on a large granite rock. Statues consist of large seated statue, another smallar seated statue, a standing statue and a reclining statue of Lord buddha. These show the ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts.
The style of the statues in Gal Vihara is defferent from that of Anuradhapura.