Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa
පොළොන්නරුව
பொலன்னறுவை
Polonnaruwa is located in Sri Lanka
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa
Location in Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 7°56′N 81°0′E / 7.933°N 81.000°E / 7.933; 81.000
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceNorth Central Province
PolonnaruwaBefore 1070 AD
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Websitehttps://www.polonnaruwa.dist.gov.lk
Official nameAncient City of Polonnaruwa
CriteriaCultural: i, iii, vi
Reference201
Inscription1982 (6th Session)

Poḷonnaruwa, (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව, romanized: Poḷonnaruva; Tamil: பொலன்னறுவை, romanized: Polaṉṉaṟuvai) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

The second oldest of all Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first established as a military post by the Sinhalese kingdom.[1] It was renamed Jananathamangalam by the Chola dynasty after their successful invasion of the country's then capital, Anuradhapura, in the 10th century. The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site.[2]

Modern Polonnaruwa is undergoing a major development project known as the "Awakening of Polonnaruwa," championed by former President Maithripala Sirisena. It envisions the development of all sectors in Polonnaruwa including roads, electricity, agriculture, education, health and environment.[3]

  1. ^ Sastri, K. A (2000). The CōĻas. University of Madras. pp. 172–173.
  2. ^ "Ancient City of Polonnaruwa". World Heritage Convention, UNESCO. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  3. ^ "President commences "Pibidemu Polonnaruwa" – The official website of the President of Sri Lanka". www.president.gov.lk. Retrieved 2015-11-16.