From the 4th century BC until the beginning of the 11th century AD Anuradhapura was the ancient capital of Sri Lanka; its decline began following the Chola invasion of the island. Polonnaruwa was then subsequently declared the capital city of Sri Lanka by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. His grandson Parakramabahu reigned through the golden age of Polonnaruwa when the arts, trade, science and civil engineering blossomed creating a fabulous garden-city. Whilst Europe was stuck in the dark ages this Singhalese kingdom was undertaking great feats of irrigation such that the whole of the island's dry zone was served by massive water-storage tanks allowing extensive agricultural projects -the prequisite for the development of a great civilisation (as it frees the populace from the mundane struggle to put food on the table giving more free time for the arts and innovative thinking!).

Polonnaruwa developed as the main seat of government, the site of the Royal Court, the main religious centre ( the initial site of the Temple of the Tooth) and as a seat of learning. Today the ruins of the old city still give some indication of its former splendours and have been declared an Unesco World Heritage site.