Polonnaruwa

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Polonnaruwa
පොළොන්නරුව
பொலநறுவை
Polonnaruwa .mw-parser-output .Sinh {font-size: 125%} පොළොන්නරුව பொலநறுவை (Sri Lanka)
Polonnaruwa .mw-parser-output .Sinh {font-size: 125%} පොළොන්නරුව பொலநறுவை
Polonnaruwa
පොළොන්නරුව
பொலநறுவை
Coordinates: 7 ° 57 '  N , 81 ° 0'  E
State : Sri LankaSri Lanka Sri Lanka
Province : Northern Central Province
District : Polonnaruwa (District)
Residents: 13,000

Polonnaruwa ( Sinhala : පොළොන්නරුව Poḷonnaruva [ poloˌnːaruʋə ], Tamil : பொலநறுவை Polanaṟuvai [ poləˌnarɯʋɛi̯ ]) is a city in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka . Since 1982, the archaeological park of Polonnaruwa is part of the UNESCO - World Heritage Site . The small town still existing today has about 13,000 inhabitants (as of 1981) and is the capital of the Polonnaruwa district .

The city, whose name was Pulatthinagara in Pali , is named after the sage Pulastya .

history

Polonnaruwa became the capital of the second oldest kingdom of Sri Lanka by King Vijayabāhu I (r. 1055–1110), who was able to repel the Chola invaders in 1070 and reunite the country under native leadership. He decided not to make the Anurādhapura , which was destroyed in 993 , the capital again and took over the city of Polonnaruwa, founded by the Chola. The extensive ancient city owed its heyday to his grandson Parākrama Bāhu I (r. 1153–1186). During this time, Polonnaruwa also housed the Buddha's tooth relic, which is now kept in Kandy .

Parakrama Bahu's rule brought a Golden Age to Sri Lanka. Through the creation of numerous artificial lakes, z. B. the Parakrama Samudra ("Parakrama Sea") near Polonnaruwa, and area-wide irrigation systems , agriculture and especially rice cultivation could produce good yields even during the dry season.

Several invasions (including by Magha von Kalinga in 1214; Arya Chakravarti in 1284) finally led to the capital being relocated to Dambadeniya .

Attractions

Polonnaruwa Archaeological Park is a tourist attraction and one of the most famous landmarks in Sri Lanka's cultural triangle. There are remains of large dagobas ( stupas ) and temples with numerous Buddha images as well as gardens, parks and palaces and various buildings of an extensive city. In particular, the Buddha statues of Gal Vihara are a major draw for tourists. These are four Buddha figures carved into a rock.

  • Ruins of the royal palace in Polonnaruwa

  • Buddha in the Gal Vihāra in Polonnaruwa

  • Stupa in the temple precinct

  • Buddha statue, Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

  • Reclining Buddha statue, Gal Vihara

  • Sitting Buddha, Gal Vihara

Web links

Commons : Polonnaruwa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Ancient City of Polonnaruwa. Retrieved on August 24, 2017 .