Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa

Posted on by Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)

Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are both important ancient cities with hundreds of crumbling monuments. Both cities are UNESCO world heritage sites and popular places to visit in Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are part of most Sri Lanka tour packages such as 5-day Sri Lanka tours and 7 days Sri Lanka trips. Both Sri Lanka tour packages mentioned below are multi-day trips due to the time-consuming journey from the airport. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are not day outing places in Sri Lanka, especially if you travel from Colombo.

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What should I do to visit Anuradhapura or Plonnaruwa?

I recently published a blog post under the title “Sigiriya or Kandy?”, I decided to write that article after receiving many emails from our readers, who were in a dilemma as to whether to choose Anuradhapura or Polonnarwa for their holiday in Sri Lanka. The title of this article is also very similar to “Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa”. I get a large number of emails from readers all around the world, and some of those emails are directly on this matter: “Should we visit Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa”.

We are going to give our readers a good insight into both places so they can choose the best archeolocal siote to visit. However, we recommend visiting both Anuradhapura historical city and Polonnaruwa historical site if time permits.

Here are some other inquiries we get from our readers about Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa: “What are the Polonnaruwa opening hours”, “What is the Polonnaruwa dress code”, “Is Polonnaruwa worth visiting” “What is the distance from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa”, “Is Anuradhapura worth visiting?

What are the Polonnaruwa opening hours?

The site is open to visitors all day long, however, the ticket counter is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This type of question is common among travellers who have very limited time for their Sri Lanka trip, while some others do not wish to travel much on their holiday despite the availability of time and like to restrict their holiday to one or two places and reserve some time for relaxation.  Some families and travellers in their 60s and 70s do not wish to cover much ground on their trips.

So, my intention is to help you decide on the most suitable historical site for you in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. I have been to both places many times and find both equally interesting. Both of them showcase a large number of historical monuments.

If you wish to book any Sri Lanka trip, please do get in touch with Seerendipity Tours by sending an email to admin@seerendipitytours.com. or Call us/WhatsApp us at 0094774440977.

Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are both important ancient cities with hundreds of crumbling monuments. Both cities are UNESCO world heritage sites and popular places to visit in Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are part of most Sri Lanka tour packages, such as 5-day Sri Lanka tours and 7-day Sri Lanka trips. Both Sri Lanka tour packages mentioned below are multi-day trips due to the time-consuming journey from the airport. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are not day-trip destinations in Sri Lanka, especially if you travel from Colombo.

Anuradhapura sits in the north-central province of Sri Lanka and hides hundreds of ancient monuments. This UNESCO world heritage site is an important tourist site and is included in most Sri Lanka trips such as 4 days Sri Lanka cultural tours, 7 days Sri Lanka trips, and 3 days trips to Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.

Is Anuradhapura worth visiting?

The ancient city of Anuradhapura was inhabited for many thousands of years. During the third century BCE, Anuradhapura was the capital city of Sri Lanka. Watched over a large expanse of man-made lakes and wide spreads of rice paddies. Anuradhapura continues to be an active archaeological site, gradually revealing its ancient stories to visitors.

I feel that it is worth visiting because it is an archaeological zoo that showcases the engineering skills, artistic capabilities, and devotion to religion of people who lived many thousand years ago. E.g., Abhayagiriya Gadoba (stupa, pagoda) is a stupendous structure even today, and it had a much bigger structure than what we see now. Abhayagiri Dagoba was built by King Walagambhu during his second tenure (89–77 BC), and it was one of the biggest structures of that time, measuring 115 in height.

There are many such great edifices in the archaeological city of Anuradhapura; another noteworthy structure is Jetawanarama, which was the second-biggest brick building in the ancient world. There are many dozens of these fascinating structures in the city, and the majority of their followers still revere and respect them.

Twin ponds, Samadhi Buddha, Thuparama Dagoba (3rd century BC), Lankarama, Isurumuniya, Moonstone, Sri Maha Bodhi, and Guard Stone are some other places that we recommend to top travellers. Visiting all those places might take around 5 hours, as they are spread over a huge area. So how do you feel? Is Anuradhapura worth visiting?

The huge city of Anuradhapura is divided into three major parts: the Abhyagiri Monastery Complex, the Jetawanarama Complex, and the Mahavihara Complex. There had been different temple complexes spreading over a huge area; each of the temple complexes was equipped with Buddhism learning centres, Stupas or pagodas, hospitals (Ayurveda), an audience hall, parks, mediation centres, libraries, and a living quarter for monks.

IF YOU LIKE TO READ MORE ABOUT ANURADHAPURA, PLEASE READ MY DETAILED ARTICLE ABOUT ANURADHAPURA, “ANURADHAPURA TEMPLE“.

Is Polonnaruwa worth visiting?

If you have a formidable question, Is Polonnaruwa worth visiting? The simple answer is YES! There is a large number of places to visit in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, all of which are closely connected to Sri Lankan history.

I have been many times to the Polonnaruwa historical site. If history and culture are things that you care about, it is strongly recommended that you visit Polonnaruwa. The archaeological site of Polonnaruwa hides many dozens of interesting monuments, such as Palaces, Lakes, Buddhist temples, Hindu shrines, audience halls, and many other structures.

Usually, a visit to the historical city of Polonnaruwa starts near the Parikrama palace, which was destroyed during the South Indian invasion. The Parakrama Palace is situated within the inner city, and here you find a few other structures, such as audience halls.

Starting from the Parakrama palace to the quadrangle and Gal Vihara at the far end of Polonnaruwa historical city, you see well-preserved monuments. Unlike in Anuradhapura, monuments in Polonnaruwa are in very good shape because Polonnaruwa is much younger than its counterpart. However, the number of monuments in Polonnaruwa is far less than what you see in Anuradhapura, and monuments are spread over a far bigger area in Anuradhapura compared to Polonnaruwa.

READ MY DEDICATED ARTICLE ON POLONNARUEA UNDER THE HEADING, “20 PLACES TO VISIT IN POLONNARUWA“.

If you wish to book any Sri Lanka trip, please do get in touch with Seerendipity Tours by sending an email to admin@seerendipitytours.com. or Call us/WhatsApp us at 0094774440977.

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What do you see on the Anuradhapura tour and in Polonnaruwa?

Visiting Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa means exploring the rich past history of Sri Lanka. A large number of ancient Buddhist temples, Palaces, gardens, and remnants of many other ancient buildings can be witnessed here.

What is the difference between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa?

The main difference between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa is the age of the historical monuments to be found in the cities because the crumbling monuments of Anuradhapura date back many thousand years, and some of the structures, such as Abhyagiri dagoba (pagoda or stupa) and Ruwanweli dagoba, were built before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The monuments that you see in Polonnaruwa are much younger than the monuments in Anuradhapura. Most historical monuments in Polonnaruwa were built between the 10th and 11th centuries AD, and most Historical structures in Anuradhapura were built between the 3rd century BC and the 10th century AD.

Visiting Museums In Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura

Visiting museums is also very important, along with monuments, in order to understand the historical past of Sri Lanka. Both places offer museums; however, the museum in Polonnaruwa is far better organised than the Museum in Anuradhapura. The artefacts of the Polonnaruwa museum are far better organised and give a clear picture of the ancient structures to be seen on the site. E.g., the Parakrama palace has been reduced to a few walls and foundations after the invasion, and originally it had been a massive structure with 7 stories. If you visit the museum before entering the historical city, you can witness a model of the Parakrama palace, and thereby it is not difficult to ascertain the imposing size of the palace.

Anuradhapura Museum

One of Sri Lanka’s archaeological museums is the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, also called Puravidu Bhavana. It is located in the historic government building in the holy city of Anuradhapura.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Senarath Paranavithana began documenting the Department of Archaeology’s remaining collection of artefacts in accordance with an order from his boss, Mr. H.A. Horcarts. In the beginning, this museum was kept in a section of a hospital in Anuradhapura, close to Sri Maha Bodiya and Ruwanwalisa. Later on, though, Mr. Senarath Paranavithana pushed for the need to create the museum in a new location due to a lack of facilities.

According to the accounts, S. Shan Muganathan and G. D. Ranasinghe helped organise this collection of items as a museum in 1948. It was stored on the south side of the Anuradhapura department building.

In response to this request for the construction of the Archaeological Museum, the government provided the ancient administrative building in Anuradhapura. Due to the building’s use as a centre to house flood victims in Anuradhapura in the 1940s, the opening of the museum was postponed.

As a result, the museum was able to buy two buildings, this grant building and the adjacent two-story recording building, with the aid of Mr. Nisshanka Wijeratne, who was the Anuradhapura Governor at the time. Officially, Dr. Senarath Paranavithana, a former director general, was the main force behind the establishment of the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum.

The Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest museum is the Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum.

What to see in the museum

Antiquities discovered in various parts of Sri Lanka, including Buddha statues, relic caskets, drawings, puppets, coins, jewellery, beads, and other random objects, are shown in the museum. A model of the Abhayagiri Stupa, the Jantgara, the Pacvsa structure, etc. can be found among these artefacts. The Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum also has Sri Lanka’s greatest collection of inscriptions.

Polonnaruwa archeological museum

The Polonnaruwa archeological Museum, which displays historical relics unearthed by Sri Lanka’s archaeological department during the previous 100 years, provides information about Sri Lanka’s past. If you visit the museum first, your trip to the historic city of Polonnaruwa will have a deeper meaning.

A beautiful collection of objects found at the Polonnaruwa site is on display at the Polonnaruwa Museum, which is located within the Polonnaruwa World Heritage Site. It is included in the majority of tours to the Sri Lankan cultural triangle, such the 5-day cultural tour of Sri Lanka. In a recently erected structure close to the roughly 1,000-year-old Parakrama Samudra reservoir, the Polonnaruwa museum is housed. In contrast to Anuradhapura, the city’s lone museum is the Polonnaruwa Historical Museum.

Comparison between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa

Anuradhapura

  • From the 3rd century BC to the 10 century AD  
  • Monuments are older         
  • Spreads over a bigger area            
  • Many dozens of monument  
  • A lot of ground to cover needs a vehicle  
  • The city tour lasts about 4-5 hours                      

Polonnaruwa

  • 10-11 century AD
  • the monuments are younger
  • spread over a small area
  • comparingly less number of monuments
  • explore by foot, bike, or vehicle  
  • The city tour lasts about 2-3 hours                       

Visit all these tourist hotspots on the cultural triangle tour

Reaching out to Anuradhapura

The distance to Anuradhapura from Colombo is 200km and if you start the journey the distance is 165 Km, the journey by private vehicle takes around 4 hours. Rail transport and air transportations are also available for travelers who wish to travel to Anuradhapura. Anuradhapura bounds trains start their journey from the main railway station in Colombo (train schedule). A seaplane or helicopter can be booked to go to Anuradhapura from Colombo or from the airport, the landing point would be the domestic airport of Anuradhapura.  

Reaching out to Polonnaruwa

Road transport is the main mode of transport to reach Polonnaruwa monuments. The distance from Colombo to Polonnaruwa is 220 km and the journey takes around 5 hours in a private vehicle. Rail transport, as well as air transport, also can be booked from Colombo. There are daily 3 trains ply to Polonnaruwa from Colombo. There are 2daily Polonnaruwa bound flights starting from Colombo.  

Spend five memorable days on a tour of Sri Lanka with a variety of sightseeing activities. Visit the Golden Temple of Dambulla, bicycle around the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, tour Sigiriya Rock Fortress, and see the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) — all UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa distance

Sometimes our customers ask if it is possible to visit Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa on one day tour. The answer can be YES or NO and it is mainly decided by the starting point of the trip. If you start the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa tour from a place like Sigiriya and Habarana you can visit both places in one day tour.

If you begin your journey from a faraway destination like Colombo or Kandy, it will not be possible to visit both places due to the time spent on transportation. If you are based in a hotel near Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa you can easily cover both places because the distance between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa is merely a little more than 100 km and it takes around 2 hours for the journey.

Extra activities in Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura

Visiting historical monuments is the primary expectation of most travelers who hit these cities, but there are a few other important activities that you can engage in if you have time. Some of the activities are doing a village tour, visiting national parks and doing a Jeep safari, taking Ayurveda treatment (massage), taking part in cooking classes, boating in the village lake, visiting temples, and jungles trekking, and bird watching.  

I hope by considering the above factors now you are able to decide if it is Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa you visit on your trip to Sri Lanka. If you need some more tips about Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa please don’t hesitate to contact us at admin@seerendipitytoiurs.com.