While touring the grounds, I reminded myself that Polonnaruwa was once a thriving capital city and can only imagine it’s former grandeur. From the southernmost point (the king’s statue) to the northernmost point (the Tivanka image house) is about four kilometers. Distances between major sites seemed large. Having a car and driver allowed me to spend more time studying the sites, taking photos and less time travelling from one point to the other. Having toured the grounds during the hot season, I could not imagine taking a bicycle or walking around the grounds with the pervasive heat.
I toured the grounds with my driver in early May and spent about four hours at the many, many different sites starting from the Visitor’s Center (then to the Palace ruins, Sacred Quadrangle, Golden Pinnacle Stupa, etc., all listed in the guidebook – see attached photo). Guidebook/Map Available, Photos Prohibited in Visitor Center Exhibits, Tour by Car During Hot Weather, Take socks Polonnaruwa is a huge archeological site rich in cultural history of Sri Lanka dating from 900 years ago. Please note that you can view the Gal Vihara (the 3 Buddhas in seated, reclining & standing positions) from a distance however if you want to get closer please ensure that you cannot have your head covered or your arms or legs exposed. Dresscode: You will be asked to remove your shoes for the most part so you might want to wear socks. We paid LKR 500 to our guide and he was quite happy. Guide: If you are interested to know about the history, it would probably a good idea to hire a guide who are easily found. $25 for everybody else Cheaper for Sri Lankans but not sure how much Time: Takes half a day or more easily. Best time: Start morning (our driver advised us wrongly and took us for the village tour first and then to Polonnaruwa and we didn’t end up having enough time to see all of it, make sure to do this first) Tickets: $12.5 for SAARC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan), you have to carry your passport to prove nationality for discounted tickets.
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