We left our hotel at just after 06:15 and we were driven in our bus to Polonnaruwa which is about 45 km south-east of Habarana and within the so-called Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka.
The road was very busy with heavy traffic in both directions. Many buses were in operation presumably transporting people to work and children to school. The school uniforms seem to be predominantly white for boys and girls and the many students we saw were very smartly presented as they queued for the buses. An interesting observation of the school students indicates that girls prefer to have long plaited hair. Of the hundreds of schoolgirls seen this morning only one did not have long plaits!
When we arrived at Polonnaruwa we had a quick snack from our individual breakfast boxes provided by the Cinnamon Lodge Hotel.
Our first activity was to join a local guide (Sunil) and stroll through the local parklands and observe the species of primates that frequent this region. Along the way we encountered some interesting bird-life too. A pair of red-capped woodpeckers were busy in a tree above us and we managed to get some photos of these beautiful birds before they scurried. We also saw two species of barbits, namely the brown headed and the copper-smith barbit.
Red capped woodpecker, Polonnaruwa
Lizard, Polonnaruwa
Brown-headed barbit, Polonnaruwa
Our local guide and his associate are employed as part of an international research programme investigating the primates of Sri Lanka. The research was initiated by a German biologist over 50 years ago and the information gathered during this time has provided a valuable insight into primate behaviour.
Torque macaque mothers & babies, Polonnaruwa
We observed at close range torque macaques and a number of the females were transporting babies that were clinging to their mother’s underside. As well as macaques we encountered grey langur monkeys as well as purple-faced langur monkeys.
Grey langur (male) Polonnaruwa
Grey langur (male) Polonnaruwa
Group with Sihal (our guide for monkey tour), Polonnaruwa
Torque macaque, Polonnaruwa
Torque macaque, Polonnaruwa
Grey langur, Polonnaruwa
Purple-faced langur, Polonnaruwa
At this stage of the day the mid-morning temperature was around 32°C and the humidity quite oppressive. Not surprisingly, most of the birds and other animals including the primates had sensibly sought cooler regions such as high within the tree foliage.
After a brief rest and rehydration, we moved to our next activity; inspecting the 900 year old Polonnaruwa ruins. These ruins are of the city of the Sinhalese Kingdom established by King Vijayabahu 1 in the early 11thcentury.
Ruins of the city of the Sinhalese Kingdom, Polonnaruwa
Ruins of the city of the Sinhalese Kingdom, Polonnaruwa
We started at the Royal Palace Group ruins where apparently a seven storey brick building originally existed. All that remains now are two high (2 storey) brick walls and some stairs. The vast palace had to accommodate the king and his three wives plus his 300 concubines and the king’s children.
The nearby Council Hall originally had a terracotta roof but now all that remains is an elaborately decorated raised terrace with a few columns. The decorations are of dwarfs (little people), lions and elephants.
Council Hall, Polonnaruwa
Stone book, Polonnaruwa
We then moved to the Quadrangle which is regarded as a highlight of a visit to the Polonnaruwa ruins because of its sacred monuments. The central monument is the Vatadage that at one stage housed Buddha’s tooth relic said to be now in Kandy. The relic house comprises a central dagoba on a raised terrace. Surrounding the terrace is a brick wall with entrances at each of the cardinal points leading up steps to Buddha statues.
Vatagada, Polonnaruwa
Hetagada, Polonnaruwa
Another impressive sight at the Quadrangle is the Stone Book. This is a single piece of inscribed rectangular sandstone about 15 m long, 1 m wide and 30 cm thick. It was transported to this site from a quarry 130 km away. Apparently elephants and logs as rollers were used to achieve this extraordinary feat.
We then visited the Rankot Vihara which is the fourth largest dagoba (stupa) in Sri Lanka but as it was so hot we declined the opportunity of doing the full circumnavigation of this impressive 50 m high structure.
Our group at Stupa, Polonnaruwa
Our enthusiasm for Buddhist monuments was fading a little but with it being the finale for the morning we trudged off in the heat to Gal Vihara and we weren’t disappointed.
This is a shrine consisting of four beautiful Buddha statues carved out of a single granite hillside (a mini Abu Simbel?). The main attraction here is the reclining Buddha with the polished granite carving being exquisite. There are also two other seated Buddhas and one in a standing pose.
Reclining Buddha at Galviharaya, Polonnaruwa
We then returned to our hotel for showers, rest and an opportunity to prepare for more action later in the day.
Our unit (upstairs) at Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
At 16:30 the two 4WD vehicles that we’d used yesterday arrived and the chief driver reported that there’d been a slight change of plan to the itinerary. Now the plan was to do a drive tour through forest and wetlands and no longer to climb the “rock outcrop” for sun-downers. This change of plan was due to rising water levels making access to the rock very difficult.
Our drive was along forest roads and around wetlands adjacent to a large lake. There were quite a few birds sighted but mostly at a distance. The kingfishers we saw were very shy and disappeared as soon as we approached.
Just before sunset we arrived at a pre-determined location to find trestle tables set up with drinks and snacks right at the edge of the lake.
Sundowners, Habarana
Warner with bottle of Arrack for sundowners, Habarana
Lion beer for sundowners, Habarana
We had a very enjoyable hour sitting, chatting and reminiscing of the day’s activities and the wonderful hospitality shown by the Sri Lankans.
We are very conscious of the fact that we’re amongst the very first tourists back to Sri Lanka since the Easter bombings. Many locals have said to us that they are suffering desperately from a lack of business and are delighted to see our presence as a hint of things returning to normality.