On The Road

Do you want to explore one of the most interesting sights of Sri Lanka? In this post, I’ll take you to the ruins of a Buddhist kingdom: Polowannaruna.

After the train ride to Kandy, time for a road trip by van, crossing some small cities on the way. Leaving the confused traffic from urban stretches, the road curves reveal details that only an experienced driver knows.

A wide range of Temples, in different sizes and styles, add pops of color to the green landscape and already inspire us… Despite being unknown by foreigners, they’re always visited by Buddhists – that increase the religious tourism in Sri Lanka.

POLONNAWARUNA

Declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Polonnawaruna is located on an area also known as the Cultural Triangle. The ancient Buddhist kingdom is one of the most well planned archaeological sites in Sri Lanka – and was capital of the country in the centuries XI to XII.

A curiosity and some practical tips:

• Inspired by the images on the clip “Hungry Like the Wolf”, some Duran Duran fans travelled Sri Lanka for the first time just to visit this location.
• Vehicles are allowded to enter some specific areas, which makes it easier to explore the archaeological site.
• Foreigners admission coasts around 20 times the price for the locals.
• As a sign of respect, visitors are asked to cover shoulders and legs – besides taking shoes and caps off, in order to enter some places.
• Avoid wearing leggings or skinny trousers or you’ll have to wear a pareo over them.
• Consider bringing a thick pair of socks, since the ground can be super hot and rocky.
• Ah, yes … I’m happy to share the van contact. Hemanhta is The Guy! Punctual, friendly, polite and very careful driver. Drop him an e-mail tusithatilaka@gmail.com or call +94 72 2706645. We made the first trip of the company he opened, called Happy Tours, and I’m sure it will be a success.

Now take a look..

And that’s just part of it! There is much more to see: a museum, a lotus flower shaped “lake” (that was dry when I  visited), remnants of paintings on the walls and gigantic Buddha images carved in stone.

Soon we follow travelling together… wait for the next posts!

Xoxo, Prats