Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka’s second great ancient capital, flourishing between the 10th and 13th centuries as a centre of political power, Buddhist scholarship, and architectural achievement. The UNESCO World Heritage Site contains some of the best-preserved ruins on the island, including the Gal Vihara, where four giant Buddha figures have been carved into a single granite face. The Parakrama Samudra, a vast ancient reservoir still in use today, reflects the engineering sophistication of the ancient Sinhalese kingdom.