Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa Ancient City

A capital shaped by water and political change In Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, Polonnaruwa preserves the remains of a city that became the island’s second major capital after Anuradhapura. UNESCO dates that transition to the aftermath of Anuradhapura’s destruction in 993, while the Central Cultural Fund traces the area’s importance further back. A Brahmi inscription from the second century BCE records a cave shelter donated to Buddhist monks. For centuries, Polonnaruwa served as a…...