Gayani Jayathilake

So, here’s the rest of my Polonnaruwa trip. (Which apparently took months to publish.) So after the first few day’s in and around a few places in Polonnaruwa we were hoping we would have more luck with the weather. We started our day with perfect Sri Lankan Black Tea.

Next we had ourselves a hearty Sri Lankan breakfast which included Sri Lankan Pol Roti, String Hoppers, Sambol and our ever-so-famous Seeni Sambol. (Maybe I will post how to make these Sri Lankan dishes in the near future.)

And then we made our way towards, the ancient archaeological ruins of Polonnaruwa. We started of early.

Our first stop for the day was Polonnaruwa Gal Viharaya. A place that never failed to fascinate me. A place that I had been to many times, because I always felt a sense of belonging there.

Gal Vihara (ගල් විහාරය)

The Gal Vihara (ගල් විහාරය) which was also known as Utthararamaya in ancient times was raised in the 12^th century by King Parakramabahu I (AD 1153-1186). As depicted in the board, at that time separate image houses were set up for each statue. There is a meditating statue, standing statue and sleeping statue respectively. There is also a stone inscription including the Sanga (Monks) ammendments engraved by King Parakramabahu the Great found in this site.

Our next stop was the Nelum Pokuna.

Nelum Pokuna (නෙලුම් පොකුණ) / Lotus Pond

The shape of the pond built in the form of a full blown lotus flower, gives it the name, Lotus Pond. This falls within the premises of the Jetavanarama (monastery) built by King Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186 A.D.), and according to Mahavamsa, eight such ponds have been built. Ruins of several such ponds have also been discovered during explorations within the limits of this monastery.”

It is just unique and set well away hidden in a secluded area slightly away from the pilgrim full areas. Another thing that fascinated me were the hundreds of light green butterflies flocked in groups along this path. It was a picturesque sight. Although I did feel as though the place could do with a wee bit more maintenance and preservation.

The many swarms of butterflies along the way. I also got to know that many tourists tend to miss seeing this place as it’s slightly off track. It’s truly worth going out of the way to see.

Galpotha (ගල් පොත ) / Stone Book

This giant inscription which assumes the shape of a palm-leaf manuscript in stone, has been a work of King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 A.D.) and it is the largest stone inscription so far discovered. The inscription itself says that this large stone block was transported from Mihintale some hundred kilometres away.

With this ended our 2^nd day of our journey.