Polonnaruwa: A World Heritage Site
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site. Polonnaruwa Rest House on Parakrama Samudraya (Ocean of King Parakrama). We stayed here in December of 2011 for one night. Beautiful location. I believe even the Queen Elizabeth stayed here during one of her visits to Sri Lanka in the good old days. However, the property has not been maintained well. I will not recommend lodging here. Especially the bathrooms are way below standard: wet, mouldy, and dirty. Worth a trip for a Sri Lankan style meal however, just to see the location and monkeys just outside the property. Fishermen on Parakrama Samudraya A local woman washing clothes on the edge of the Parakrama Samudraya wearing traditional bathing woman's bathing wear(Diya Redd...