Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa succeeded Anuradhapura as a major capital and preserves one of Sri Lanka's most legible archaeological landscapes. UNESCO identifies it as the island's second capital after Anuradhapura's destruction in 993, with Chola-period Brahmanic monuments and the garden-city ruins created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century. The site is easier to cover than Anuradhapura because its core monuments sit in a more compact zone. Travelers should allow enough time for the Royal Palace group, Quadrangle, Gal Vihara, and the great reservoir of Parakrama Samudra.