Its archaeological park is worth exploring as Polonnaruwa was a capital 800 years ago. Many temples, Buddhist and Hindu, are left with stone pillars and religious statues. It is common to see a pair of guard stones and a single moon stone at the beginning of stairways. There is a huge 12-century inscribed slab of high propaganda value but minimal historic facts. Most beautiful is Gal Vihara, 3 Buddha statues, sitting, standing and reclining, are well-preserved. In one of the temples, there are the only survival Polonnaruwa murals. Without the help of a care-taker and flash light, it's hidden in the total darkness.