Day 4 - Polonnaruwa

The next day was an optional excursion to Sigirya or Lion Rock which we decided not to join but have a lovely rest wandering round the grounds of the fabulous hotel.

In the afternoon we joined the excursion to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. These are mostly ruins which had been hidden in the jungle for hundreds of years till they were discovered in the early 20th century. This was once the capital of Sri Lanka and in the 12th century the then king built huge buildings, cleared the land and planted crops and created beautiful parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Notably the amazing carved rock statues of Buddah.
However, after that king, there were many civil wars and battles and by the end of the 13th Century the capital moved to another town and Polonnaruwa went into decline. If you would like to know more about this ancient city you can go to http://www.tourslanka.com/polonnaruwa.htm