Poḷonnaruwa, (; ) 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. 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.
Etymology
The name Polonnaruwa is of unknown origin. Its Tamil form, Pulainari, is mentioned in Tamil inscriptions of the Chola dynasty found at Polonnaruwa. The name was perhaps a contraction of its ancient name Pulastya nagara or Pulatti nakaram meaning city of the Hindu sage Pulastya. The place was later known as Vijayarajapuram as mentioned in the records of Jayabahu I, which probably was derived from the name of Vijayabahu I.
Demographic
Polonnaruwa has a Sinhalese majority. Muslims form the second largest group. There are also small numbers of Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils. Others include Burgher and Malay.
Ethnicity according to Thamankaduwa DS Division (2012)
Source:statistics.gov.lk
History
Polonnaruwa was first established as a military post by the Sinhalese kingdom. Raja Raja Chola I built Vanavan Mahadevisvaram, a Shiva temple at Polonnaruwa named after his queen, which presently is known as Siva Devale. The temple among other contained Ganesha and Parvati statues of bronze. During this period, the northern and central regions of Sri Lanka were directly governed as a Chola province under Rajendra Chola I. However, after 1070 AD, Chola rule on the island came to an end, and Polonnaruwa was captured by Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa, also known as Vijayabahu the Great.
Starting from Mahanagakula on the south of the Walawe river, Vijayabahu dispatched three armies to attack Polonnaruwa from three fronts. One army was sent along the western shore of the country to the port of Mahathittha to deal with any reinforcements arriving from South India. Afterwards, part of this army moved towards Polonnaruwa and attacked from the northwest. A second army was sent from the east across Magama to attack Polonnaruwa from the east. The third and main force advanced across the country, led by the king. Surrounded by these three armies, Polonnaruwa was besieged for seven months before king Vijayabahu I's forces entered the city. In 1070, Vijayabahu I became the ruler of Polonnaruwa. At that time Sri Lanka was known as Thambapanni.
Trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of King Parakramabahu the Great, the renowned grandson of Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa, who insisted that not a single drop of water falling from the heavens should go to waste, ensuring that every drop contributed to the development of the land. Hence, irrigation systems that are far superior to those of the Anuradhapura period were constructed during Parakramabahu I'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 which was also used as a large sea-going ship anchorage via the Mahaweli River.