What is it really like?
Journey to Polonnaruwa; ancient Capital City of Ceylon and seat of power of Parakrama, High King of a Majestic era. Beside the banks of the Parakrama Samudra Reservoir, (the second largest inland body of water) surrounded by lush foliage, and serenaded by birds…. You will encounter “Hotel Sudu Araliya” situated on the banks of Parakrama Samudraya – a heaven for the discerning traveler.
Where is it?
Hotel Sudu Araliya is situated on the banks of Parakrama Samudraya at Polonnaruwa and 216km away from Colombo, easy access to archaeological sites and national parks.
What is the style of accommodation?
Come experience the comfort amidst star class hospitality! Hotel Sudu Araliya, with 50 air-conditioned rooms each nestling amongst flora, all with hot water, mini bar, pipe music, Telephones, Television, and some rooms with bath tub and balcony. Although the hotel is located in the north central province of the country, you will find splendid greenery in and around the hotel premises.
Witness wildlife in its many wonders, the hotel arrange Safaris to minneriya, kawdulla, and wasgamuwa Natinal Parks. view Elephant herds, splendid Bird Life and wandering monkey troops. If you enjoy Boating in the lake, night Camping, fishing or exploring Archeological sites you will find this and so much more at Hotel Sudu Araliya.
What are the available services?
The Restaurant
The restaurant is open to the garden with a panoramic view of the Parakrama Samudra Reservoir, serving Eastern& Western cuisine and specializing in exotic typical Sri Lankan dishes special Theme nights. BBQ nights & Special buffet.
Bar
A well stock wine seller with variety of our own cocktails to make your stay much more enjoyable & dazzling.
Coffee Shop
A spacious and comfortable Coffee Shop situated right in the middle of the hotel lobby – it is well laid out and serves excellent coffee along with cakes, pastries etc.
Swimming Pool & Pool Bar
The Swimming pool is surrounded by the large landscaped garden and the pool bar is stock with range of alcoholic and normal beverages.
Banquet and Conference Hall
The spacious air-conditioned Banquet and conference hall is equipped with facilities required for conference and seminars and have a seating capacity of 300 to suit any function.
Business Center
Business center is equipped with Facsimile, IDD, Internet & e-mail facilities
Landscaped Garden
The large landscaped garden is a unique natural resort and planted with tropical and dry zone trees. Well laid down and spacious garden is used for various occasions such as weddings, meetings, private gatherings etc.
Ayurvedic Centre
Head Massage (Sirasa Abhyaanga)
A special herbal oil treatment, which relaxes stress, stimulates sensory and motor nerve functions, thus providing a sound, calm and comfortable sensation to the head.
Face Massage (Vaktra Abhyanga)
Special herbal oil or an herbal cream is used in this treatment which improves the complexion and luster of the facial skin providing a rich and pleasant look to the face. It is effective against facial paralysis, problems with mastication etc..
Body Massage (Shareera Abhyanga)
Body massage improves blood circulation relaxes the entire body from fatigue, muscular pain and strain. It will nourish the nervous system gives a beautiful luster to the skin. It is effective against the wastage of muscle etc. It is a rejuvenation therapy and preserves youthful qualities.
Intensive Massage (Sandhi Abhyanga)
This involves massaging of small and large joints of the body, which reduces pain in the joints, improving the activities of them and effective against swelling, pain and arthritic conditions.
Massage with Seeds and Herbal Leaves (Panda Sweda)
In this treatment a bolus (pottani) made of fresh herbal leaves or seeds is used for fermentation which is followed by an application of herbal oil over the entire body or selected areas of the body.
This therapy is successfully used to cure large and small joints pains, swellings, arthritic affections and etc..
Foot Massage (Paada Abhyanga)
A very effective treatment to reduce the pains and muscle strains and tightening of the foot. It will stimulate the nervous centers of the brain and plexus of the body, providing a complete relaxation and light sensation.
Siro Dhara (Royal Bath )
In this treatment slightly warm herbal oil is poured to the centre of the forehead as a stream from a paatra(pot) hanged over from a suitable distance from the head. This therapy is effective for insomnia (sleeplessness), emotional and tensional headaches, stress, restlessness and to claim down the mind.
Steam Bath (Vaashpa Sweda)
Exposure to the vapor of fresh herbal leaves and dry herbs in a sealed wooden cabin for a limited period. This treatment is highly effective against muscular and joint pains, toxic-congestion of interior environment. It reduces the fat deposits from abdomen, thigh, breasts and back etc..
Herbal Bath (Avagaha Sweda)
Medicated herbal water with leaves and dry herbs are used in this treatment. It is effective to remove dead cells from the skin and increases the action of the sweat glands and sebaceous glands. Regular use of this treatment is effective against most of the skin diseases.
Flower Bath
Scents and essential oils of the natural flowers have a way of taking us closer towards wholeness. The preparation of scents and essential oils of natural flowers is tightly linked to the other channels of perception-taste, color and also memory. The oils and scents profoundly influence our inner state, rubbed into the skin by massage are absorbed into the deeper layers of the body tissues, lymphatic glands to boost blood circulation, The perception of the scents goes to our brain and to the limbic system which governs motivation, sympathy, memory and creativity. In a flower bath containing natural flowers to acquire the whole effect…. The wholeness….
What else is there to do nearby?
SAFARI
Minneriya Natinoal Park
45 minutes drive from the hotel.
The park consists of mixed evergreen forest and scrub areas and is home to favourites such as sambar deer, leopards and elephants. However the central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built in 3 rd century AD by King Mahasena). During the dry season (June to September), this tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants who come to bathe and graze, as well as the huge flocks of birds that come to fish in the shallow waters.
Wasgamuwa National Park
Wasgamuwa National Park located in the districts of Matale and Polonnaruwa and bordered by the ‘Mahaweli' and ‘Amban' rivers, stretches an impressive 36,948 hectares. It was declared a National park in 1984, making it the only one in the Central Province . Home to a huge variety of flora and fauna (23 species of mammal – including elephants and bears, 143 birds, 8 amphibians, 17 fresh water fishes, 17 reptiles, 50 butterflies and 150 plants), this park is truly a paradise for the nature lover. With many small scale ancient tanks and several other ruins and ancient religious sites the park also has significant historical importance. For keen hikers, it is also home to the ‘Sudu Kanda' mountain range (about 470m above sea level).
Maduru Oya National Park
The Maduru Oya National Park is located in the Dry Zone and is 265 km. away from Colombo and 58,849 hectares in extent. A wide variety of wildlife including some endemic birds species and reptiles are found here. Maduru Oya is rich in ancient ruins found in different places and its southern parts provide veddhas, indigenous people their living environment. Endemic purple monkey is among the important animal species that can be seen in addition to Sambhur, a member of the cat family etc. There is some endemic avifauna also found within this Park.
Kaudulla National Park
Opened in 2002 just before the massive Wilpattu reopened, KAUDULLA is Sri Lanka 's newest National Park. Situated around the ancient Kaudulla tank, the park provides a 6656 hectare elephant corridor, only 6 km from off the main Habarana–Trincomalee road. With fantastic opportunities to see many elephants at close range, the park has become a popular destination for wildlife safaris that also take in leopards, sambar deer and the occasional sloth bear! As an additional novelty, you can go for cataraman rides on the tank
HERITAGE TOURS
Polonnaruwa Museum & Cultural Site
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered significant, the real Polonnaruwa Hero of the history books is actually his grandson, Parakramabahu I. It was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, when trade and agriculture flourished under the patronage of the King, who was adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to be wasted, and each be used toward the development of the land; hence, irrigation systems far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu'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, of course is the Parakrama Samudraya or the Sea of Parakrama, a tank so vast that that it is often mistaken for the ocean. It is of such a width that it is impossible to stand upon one shore and view the other side, and it encircles the main city like a ribbon, being both a defensive border against intruders and the lifeline of the people in times of peace. The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu's reign.
Dambulla - Cave Temple
Of all the cave temples in Sri Lanka, the five caves that form the Raja Maha Vihara at the village of Dambulla, by far is the most impressive. Dambulla is about 12 miles south west of Sigiriya, on the Matale-Anuradhapura Road. The largest cave carries some 48 statues of Lord Buddha alone, with statues of some Hindu gods, (Vishnu and Saman). The statues of the Hindu gods date back to the 12th century, when Hinduism took root in Sri Lanka and started influencing the arts. The history of the caves themselves dates back to the 2nd or 1st century B.C., when King Valagam Bahu who was escaping the invading army that drove him out of Anuradhapura, took refuge in these caves
Sigiriya - Rock Fortress
Sigiriya, the spectacular 'Lion rock' fortress, stands majestically overlooking the luscious green jungle surroundings, and is one of Sri Lanka's major attractions.
This was built by King Kassyapa, a son of King Dathusena, by a palace consort. As legend goes, King Datusena was overthrown and walled in, alive by Kassyapa in 473 AD. Mogallana, Datusena's son by the true queen fled to India, vowing revenge.
Kassyapa fearing an invasion built this impregnable fortress at Sigiriya.
When the invasion finally came in 491, Kassyapa rode out to battle in his war elephant.In an attempt to out-flank his half-brother, Kassyapa took a wrong turn, where his elephant got stuck in the mud. His soldiers, thinking Kassyapa was retreating fled abandoning him, and he took his own life.
Anuradhapura - the Ancient Capital of Sri Lanka
The city of Anuradhapura is situated one hundred and twenty eight miles (205 km) north of Colombo in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka on the banks of the Malwatu Oya. Founded in the 4th century BC it was the capital of the Anuradhapura Kingdom till the beginning of the 11th century AC. During this period it reminded one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. It was also a wealthy city which created a unique culture and a great civilization . Today this ancient city of Sri Lanka, which is sacred to the Buddhist world, which its surrounding monasteries covers an area of over sixteen square miles ( 40 sq km) and is one of the world's major archaeological sites.
Avukana - Stone Image of Load Buddha
The approach road to Avukana passes along the bund of the Kaluvava one of the biggest in Sri Lanka which was built by King Dhatusens in about 470. This bund is nearly four miles long, 40 feet high and holds back 72,687 acre feet of water. The Kalavava was able to irrigate about 7,000 acres of rice fields. A short distance on the left from where the road turns off the bund are the remains of the huge sluice and spillway of this hydraulic marvel. Continuing further on the pilgrim will arrive in Avukana. The various caves around Avukana have inscriptions dating from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE which shows that the place was a monastery from at least that time. Avukana's ancient name is unknown and so is the king who made its fine statue. In the 18th century the place was called Kalagal which in Pali would be Kalasela. A place called Kalasela the mentioned in the Culavamsa as containing an image for which King Dhatusena (455-73) had a diadem made. As Aukuana's statue dates from around the 5th century BCE it may well be the place mentioned in the chronicle.
Somawathiya - Ancient Stupa
The Somawathi Chaithya is located by the bank of the Mahaveli River within the Sanctuary named after it and nearly 20 km north east of Polonnaruwa. The flood plains of Mahaveli River have been inhibited by a large number of wild animals ranging from elephants, wild buffalo, deer and other grass-eating animals fed by the luxuriously growing grasslands. The animals are protected by the declaration of Wasgomuwa Strict Natural Reserve, Flood Plains National Park, Trikonamadu Natural Reserve and the Somawathi Chaithya Sanctuary all located to embrace low laying banks of the mighty river.
The ancient place of Buddhist worship lying within the Polonnaruwa District was a casualty of war and had been deserted for 15 years. When the villagers and the temple priest flew the area in fear, the restoration work of the Chaithya had to be abandoned.
BEACH SAFARIS
Kalkudah & Passekudah
Kalkudah & Passekudah are two very fine beaches in the East Coast. Kalkudah Bay, a 2 km long wide stretch of beach-located 32 km north of Batticaloa-is well protected from the monsoon by an off shore reef. Passekudah Bay is another wide beach 4 km long, just south of Kalkudah. The two beaches form an ideal stretch for bathing, windsurfing and water skiing. The combined area of Passekudah and Kalkudah was declared a National Holiday Resort in 1973.
Nilaveli
Nilaveli-situated at a distance of 271 km from Colombo-is a prime beach resort on the East coast. The beach has ample water sports facilities including fishing and sea angling. Nilaveli is ideally suited for sun bathing and diving. A few metres from the coast is a small rocky island good for snorkeling.
FISHING & BOAT RIDES
Located at the shores of the largest man made reservoir (Parakrama Samudra) in the ancient Sri Lanka . Take boat excursions exploring the many islands inhabited by birds; try your skill at fishing or for the adventurer in you wind surfing is provided.
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