Polonnaruwa
| Polonnaruwa පොළොන්නරුව |
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|---|---|
| Town | |
Royal Palace
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| Nickname(s): පුලතිසිපුරය | |
 Polonnaruwa
පොළොන්නරුව |
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| Coordinates: 7°56′N 81°0′E / 7.933°N 81.000°ECoordinates: 7°56′N 81°0′E / 7.933°N 81.000°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | North Central Province |
| Polonnaruwa | Before 1070 AD |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) |
| Ancient City of Polonnaruwa | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
 |
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| Location | Sri Lanka |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, vi |
| Reference | 201 |
| UNESCO region | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1982 (6th Session) |
Poḷonnaruwa (Sinhalese: පොලොන්නරුව, Poḷonnaruwa or Puḷattipura, Tamil: பொலன்னறுவை, Polaṉṉaṟuvai or Puḷatti nakaram) is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Kaduruwela area is the Polonnaruwa New Town and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader.
The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site.
Currently the new Polonnaruwa is undergoing a major development project known as the "Awakening of Polonnaruwa" under the concept of President Maithripala Sirisena. It envisions the development of all sectors in Polonnaruwa including roads, electricity, agriculture, education, health and environment will be developed comprehensively.
While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered significant, the real "Hero of Polonnaruwa" of the history books is actually Parakramabahu I. It was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa. Trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of the king, who was so adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to be wasted and each was to be used toward the development of the land. Hence, irrigation systems that are far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu's reign - systems which to this day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the scorching dry season in the east of the country. The greatest of these systems is the Parakrama Samudra or the Sea of Parakrama. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu's reign.
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Wikipedia