Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa පොළොන්නරුව பொலன்னறுவை
Town
Polonnaruwa Location in Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 7°56′N 81°0′E / 7.933°N 81.000°E / 7.933; 81.000
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	North Central Province
Polonnaruwa	Before 1070 AD
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Website	https://www.polonnaruwa.dist.gov.lk
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Ancient City of Polonnaruwa
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, vi
Reference	201
Inscription	1982 (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]