Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa was the second capital of ancient Sri Lanka, flourishing as a royal city from the 11th to the 13th century under a succession of powerful kings who built it into one of the great civilisations of the medieval world. Today, its remarkably well-preserved ruins — scattered across a vast open-air archaeological park among banyan trees and flowering gardens — form one of Asia's most atmospheric ancient sites.

The undisputed masterpiece of Polonnaruwa is the Gal Vihara: four colossal Buddha figures carved from a single face of granite by King Parakramabahu in the 12th century. A 15-metre reclining Buddha, a 7-metre standing figure, and two seated Buddhas of extraordinary serenity represent some of the finest ancient sculpture in the world. Visiting them at dusk, as the light turns the golden stone warm and orange, is a spiritual experience regardless of one's faith.

Elsewhere in the park, the Vatadage (a circular shrine house with exquisite stone carvings), the Royal Palace complex, the Lotus Pond (an eight-petalled stone bathing pool of breathtaking geometric elegance), and the numerous viharas and dagobas together paint a picture of a sophisticated, prosperous city that once rivalled any in Asia. The ancient irrigation system — a network of massive reservoirs engineered in the 12th century — is still in use today, testament to the extraordinary hydraulic engineering of Polonnaruwa's kings.