Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa is 218 kilometers from Colombo, yet another well planned medieval city defended by enclosing walls, graced by palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds and irrigation lakes which bears witness to a glorious past. A dominant feature of the city, is the vast irrigation lake of 5940 acres aptly named "Parakrama Samudraya" or the sea of Parakrama after its royal builder King Parakramabahu depicting an example of the advanced engineering and construction skills prevailent during the ancient times. This gigantic reservoir was built to collect rain water, which did not permit a drop of water to go waste. Polonnaruwa has both an old town and a spread out new town.