The Gal Vihara, where four Buddhas were carved from a single granite rock face in the 12th century, is the centrepiece of this compact and unusually well-preserved medieval capital. The Royal Palace complex, the Sacred Quadrangle and the Vatadage are all within comfortable cycling or tuk tuk distance of each other. Polonnaruwa rewards travellers who give it a proper morning rather than a rushed transit stop, since the layout still reads as a functioning city rather than isolated ruins.