Polonnaruwa, also known as Pulatisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The modern Polonnaruwa city is also known as the New City and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of Polonnaruwa Kingdom.
The second oldest of all kingdoms in Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa was first established as a military outpost by the Sinhalese Kingdom. It was named Jananathamangalam by the Chola dynasty after its successful conquest of Anuradhapura, the then capital of the country, in the 10th century. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa has been designated as a World Heritage Site. There are many ancient places of interest for tourists to visit.