The ruins of the so-called Western Monasteries of Anuradhapura are worth a visit, although they are not large monuments. Due to the large amount of famous destinations in Anuradhapura, only few travellers find their way to the smaller archaeological sites situated just west of the ancient tanks. The area, which is sometimes called Thapovana, was once a crematorial place. One reform movement within the Buddhist Sangha lived a more austere live than the majority of Buddhist monks. One of their additional rules, which are otherwise not mandatory in the Buddhist order, was to accept no robes as gifts but to collect the wrecked clothes of the deceased left behind before the cremations took place. The reform monks are named after this practice, Pansukulikas. They remained attached to the large monasteries in the core of Anuradhapura but settled down outside the busy town centre. There monastic buildings were without built of large and precisely hewn blocks of stone, but remained without ornamental works of art, with one odd exception: the toilets of Anuradhapura's Western Monasteries were richly decorated with carvings, as another symbol of contempt for art.

The  day before yesterday we posted a blog article about the most famous sites in Polonnaruwa. Those must-sees and major attactions are recommended for travellers who can spend only a few hours in Polonnaruwa. Guests who invest a full day in Polonnaruwa have a choice. They can visit the main attractions in a more relaxed way, of course. They should consider a half-day excursion to Dimbulagala for a small hike. Or they can see more temples in Polonnaruwa.

Asked, which are the less-known ancient sites in Polonnaruwa, those less crowded places you can enjoy without being disturbed by busloads, the answer is: There are two categories of off-the-beaten path destinations in Polonnaruwa. Some specific areas of great sites are not as frequented as you might guess, and some smaller sites are usually missed on group tours.

Actually, the Alahena Pirivina complex is often visited on group tours. But usually the busloads only go to the Lankatilaka temple. Behind that impressive image house, further west at the foot of the hill, is a large area of typical monastic buildings such as Kutis and small image houses. Of particular interest in this less-frequented are of the Polonnaruwa’s major monastic compound are some charming bathes and the only rectangular moonstone in South Asia.

Another historically important site, mentioned in most guidebooks, is Nissanka Malla’s palace with the magnificent lion throne hall. Although accessible without ticket and situated charmingly at the shores of the great ancient reservoir called Topa Wewa, the ruined garden-like palace is usually a very silent place, not crowded with tourists.

Inside the archaeological park, many travellers miss to take a small dead-end road to the west, which near the famous Quadrangle branches off the main south-north axis. The said de cul-de-sac will lead you to two attractions that are of much interest for lovers of Sri Lanka’s medieval architecture. Both are most remarkable examples of the specific art of that period. The blind lane leads to the so-called Shiva Devale No. 2. In fact, this is the oldest temple building within the archaeological zone of Polonnaruwa and it is very well preserved. It’s all the more worth visiting as this Hindu sanctuary is Sri Lanka’s best specimen of a temple in the Chola style. It is from the period of Chola occupation (11th century), this means slightly earlier than the Polonnaruwa period. You can study the typical roof structure of Dravidian architecture, with lots of miniature temples as acroters at each tier.

On the way to the Shiva Devale No.2 you will cross the medium-sized stupa called Pabulu Vehera. It’s worth visiting for two reasons. The shape of the dome is not hemispherical but two-storeyed. A smaller slightly flat stupa is placed atop an almost cylindrical stupa. This arrangement is not known from other periods of Sri Lankan art, nor from other Buddhist countries. Though larger ruins of this type survive in other parts of Sri Lanka (Dedigama in the west and Yuddhaganawa in the south of the island), the Pabulu Vihara is probably the best example of this uncommon type of stupa. Furthermore, it is surrounded by eight image houses. Some statues or remnants of images are still in situ.

For those who like to see even better preserved Buddhist sculptures, a small path will lead to the Manik Vehera near the northern gate, which you will cross on the way from the Quadrangle temples to the famous rock sculptures of Gal Vihara. The Manik Vehera is not far from the main south-north axis, but it can not be seen from that road and therefore is usually missed by most independent travellers. And the site is too small to attract busloads. Apart from the said statues, the stupa of this small temple compound is quite interesting, too. It‘s placed on a brick platform which is decorated with a frieze of lions. They are depicted frontally, a common feature in later Buddhist art but not common in the earlier periods of Sinhalese arts.

When leaving the archaeological park at the northwestern gate (just west of the Gal Vihara rock Buddhas and to the south of Tivanka statue house), you will return to Polonnaruwa town via a public road. There are three ruins of Hindu temples along this road. Usually busses don’t stop here. But actually, these are the largest Hindu compound of ancient Polonnaruwa. They are witnesses of the multi-ethnic character of the medieval Sinhalese capital.

The main attractions within the archaeological park of Polonnaruwa are oriented along a north-south line. This citadel with the royal palace is in the south, the former tooth temple are called Quadrangle in the centre and the main monastery Alahena Parivena further north. Just north of it is the group of rock-hewn Buddhas called Gal Vihara. Ist original name was Uttara Vihara, which translates to „northern monastery“.

However, there are two famous structures even further north, viz. the Tivanka statue house and the nearby charming lotus-shaped pond Nelum Pokuna. The Tivanka at the northern end of the road within the archaeological park is one of the three large-scale monuments of this type that is typical of the Polonnaruwa period, the other two being Thuparama in the Quadrangle and Lankatilaka in the Alahena Pirivene. Tivanka is remarkable for at least three reasons. The venerated main Buddha image is depicted in the Thribanga posture, which is called Tivanka in Sri Lanka. It’s the South Asian version of the contrapposto pose. It’s very common in India, but usually Hindu deities and not Buddhas are depicted in this posture. The Tribhanga is more often used in the art of Mahayana Buddhism than for Theravada sculptures, but the Theravada school otherwise became prevalent in Sri Lanka just during the Polonnaruwa period. The second main feature of the Tivanka tatue house is the existence of paintings. Actually, the murals are the largest and best-preserved from the Polonnaruwa period. They depict scenes from the Holy scruptures and demons in particular. A third remarkable featur of the Tivanka statue house in a frieze of funny Gana dwarfs at the outer wall. Ganas are known from the art of the earlier Anuradhapura period, but the Ganas at the Tivanka statue house are more three-dimensional and vivid and serve as the classical example of this sujet in Sri Lanka.

The nearby lotus-shaped pond is the only one of this kind that survived in South Asia. It’s small in size but of charming beauty. Don’t miss to see it when visiting Polonnaruwa.

The third building is less worth visiting, although it’s extraordinary. The small scrub-covered hill you will pass when travelling to the Tivanka temple and the Nelum bath is not natural. Originally it was a stupa of a specific wide and flat type that is typical of the Polonnaruwa period. This one, known as Demala stupa, was actually the largest stupa at all ever built in the world. But to be honest, what can be seen today is not impressive any more, as mentioned.

Madagama is the name of a small village just east to Horowupotana, which is the most important town between Mihintale and Trincomalee. Kanda means hill and Viharaya is the name of Buddhist monasteries. The temple called Madagama Kanda Viharaya is situated at a typical steep monadnock in the plains of northern Sri Lanka, a smaller version of Sigiriya, so to speak. The place is almost unknown to travellers. Those who find their way to the Madagama Kanda Viharaya are amazed. Some of the caves at the northern foot of the hill are still inhabited by reclusive monks. The ancient rock shelters at the steep southern escarpment can be reached only by climbing a little bit. The beauty of this site in particular is overwhelming. Madagama Kanda Viharaya is the perfect off-the-beaten-path destination for heritage travellers.  

The Munneswaram Kovil, also spelt Munneshvaram Koil, is situated close to Halavata, formerly known under its English name Chilaw. This Hindu shrine of Munneswaram is one of the so-called Pancha Ishwarams, five ancient Tamil temples dedicated to Shiva. According to legends, the Munnesvaram Kovil is associated with the famous Indian epic Ramayana. It’s said to be the place where king Rama prayed to Shiva after committing the crime of Brahmahasti, the killing of the Brahmin Ravana, which had been necessary to liberate Rama’s consort Sita from captivity. Actually, the temple village of Munnesvaram has a collection of altogether five temples, the other four dedicated to Kali, Ganesha, Ayyanar and Buddha. The architecture of the Munesvaram Kovil and the other shrines is from the 20th century, the original temple was destroyed twice by Portuguese invaders. The Munneswaram temple festival is one of the longest in Sri Lanka, lasting a full month. It’s attended by Buddhists and Hindus from Sri Lanka and also pilgrims from India. Foreigner guests are rarely seen but welcome.

The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, is Sri Lanka‘s largest and most impressive monastic cave adorned with Buddhist statues and paintings. It’s situated in the southern outskirts of Dambulla town, which is located in the very centre of the area called Cultural Triangle, at the junction where the Anuradhapura-Kandy and Polonnaruwa-Kandy roads meet and not far from Sigiriya. Besides Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Sigiriya, Dambulla is another World Heritage Site in this area and a major attraction for sightseeing tours. The rock of the Dambulla Cave Temple towers 160 m over the plains of the Cultural Triangle. The five caves of the Golden Temple can be reached via a stairway to a natural terrace in an altitude of about 100 m.

Medirigiriya to the north of Polonnaruwa had been an important Buddhist monastery already in the Anuradhapura period, before becoming of historical relevance for the Polonnaruwa kingdom. The archaeological site of Medirigiriya is most famous for an excellent specimen of a Vatadage, an ancient Sinhalese circular temple. A Vatadage was a circular building with a wooden or tiled roof housing a small stupa. The round structure in Medirigiriya is from the late Anuradhapura period. Actually, the Vatadage of Medirigiriya is one of the three best-preserved edifices of this architectural style in Sri Lanka, the others being the older Vatadage of Tiriyaya and the much younger Vatadage of Polonnaruwa. In contrast to the said two other Vatadages, the circular temple of Medirigiriya has not an impressive outer circular wall any more. But is has the best-preserved rings of stone columns. The inner circle has 16 pillars and the outer two rows consist of 16 and 20 pillars respectively. Indeed, no other round temple in Sri Lanka has more pillars than the Medirigiriya Vatadage. On the four sides of the stupa surrounded by the siad three rows of columns are four beautiful seated Buddha still in situ. What contributes much to the charm of the Medirigiriya Vatadage is that this circular temple of Medirigiriya is placed on a small rock. Visitors have to climb 31 stone steps to reach the natural temple platform.

For those travelling from Negombo to Dambulla or Sigiriya or Anuradhapura via Kurunagala or Yapahuwa, Dambadeniya is definitely worth considering a stop on their way to the more famous sites. Actually, Dambadeniya has two major attraction. The former castle rock can be climbed. It’s a nice vantage point comparable to the Yapahuwa rock. And similar to Yapahuwa, it harboured a royal palace built after the Polonnaruwa and prior to the Kandy period. Traces of brick buildings and post holes once carrying wooden pillars of royal pavillons can still be seen on the plateau atop the steep rock. Three natural pools and an ancient stairway are further attractions of Dambadeniya rock. Not far from the monadnock is the temple, which served as the tooth temple of those Sinhalese kings residing in Dambadeniya in the 13th century. However, the wooden architecture that can be seen today, is mostly from the Kandy period. Most interesting are Kandyan paintings in the upper storey of this edifice. The key is available in the monastery’s small museum which is quite charming, too.

The Gadaladeniya Viharaya is a medieval Buddhist temple in Pilimathalawa in Kandy District. Due to their location to the west of Kandy city, the three Gampola-period temples of Gadaladeniya and nearby Lankatilaka and Embekke are known as Western Temples. According to historical inscriptions, the Gadaladeniya Viharaya was built under the patronage of King Bhuvanaikabahu IV, who reigned in the mid 14th century. The architect was of South Indian origin. That’s why the style of the main image house of Gadaladeniya Viharaya is inspired by Dravidian architecture. The stupika dome on the pyramidal stone roof callled Shikara resembles the Chola style of Tamil Nadi. The entrance is designed in the contemporary Vijayanagara style of the last Southindian empire. However, the stupa of the Gadaladeniya Viharaya shows Southeastasian influences. The late Middle Age was a period of cultural exchange between Sri Lanka and Myanmar in particular. The Gadaladeniya Viharaya is famous for its door decorations in particular, which are the best-preserved paintings from the Gampola period. The so-called flower maiden and the trumpeting Kinnara have become a sujet often imitated.

Kirimalai in the very north of the Jaffna Peninsula is famous for one of Sri Lanka’s four most sacred temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the supreme deity venerated by Tamil Hindus. The Naguleshwaram Kovil, also known as Thiruthambaleshwaram Kovil, attracts pilgrims from India, too, particularly in the Tamil month of Aadi. Hindus believe, that the Keerimalai springs have curative properties due to their miraculous origin. Indeed, it’s a natural phenomenon to find such an amount of freshwater only a few meters from the ocean. Legend has it, that the sage Nagula Muni had had a face that likened that of a mongoose (Kiri in Tamil), but was cured from it when taking a bath in the pond. The original Naguleshvaram temple of Kirimalai was destroed by Christian fanatics during the Portuguese colonial period. The sanctuary was revived during the period of Hindu revivalism of Jaffna Tamils in the late 19th century.

Read our detailed report about Kirimalai here...