Thousands of visitors come to visit the once great kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Stupas, statues, tombs and temples are aplenty, making for an unforgettable experience. But there is more than history and ancient structures here; Polonnaruwa has the richest of stories among Sri Lankan history with hidden treasures strewn across the district and town.

We’ve uncovered 5 lesser known things about this magical old kingdom that might turn your trip into the best discovery ever.

1. No Bull Moonstones

Yes, you did read that right. There’s a strict no-bull policy that went into the sculpture and production of moonstones. Moonstones are the traditional semicircular base at the entrance to state and religious buildings, usually adorned with rows of animal figures. While its neighbouring kingdom Anuradhapura houses moonstones with cattle, the Hindu influence of the Polonnaruwa era shows to have removed the animal representing Lord Shiva’s mount, Nandi the bull from their entrances.

2. Disney Nature’s Monkey Kingdom

The critically acclaimed Monkey Kingdom released in 2015 by Disney Nature was shot entirely in Polonnaruwa. The film, narrated by Tina Fey follows a troupe of Macaques living in the ancient ruins in the Polonnaruwa jungles. The documentary is a breathtaking representation of Polonnaruwa and its world of hidden treasures. The legendary primatologist and Disney Nature Ambassador Dr. Jane Goodall also visited Sri Lanka, joining the crew in the Polonnaruwa jungles. When you visit the ruins, remember to watch out for the monkey whose kingdom this is today.

3. Duran-Duran in Polonnaruwa

The famed 80’s synth-pop band Duran-Duran spent a considerable amount of time in Polonnaruwa which went on to feature heavily in the music video of their 1982 hit Save a Prayer. The video features the band amidst the ruins – something you won’t be able to do now. Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and sacred to Sri Lankans.

4. Sri Lanka’s Lake District

Ancient Sri Lankan architecture isn’t the only element on historical wonder; our ancient engineering techniques are still revered among archaeologists and engineers today. Both elements feature in harmony in Polonnaruwa, so when you visit the ancient sites don’t forget to also visit the breathtaking vistas of the district’s many ancient, manmade lakes.

5. Jananathamangalam

Polonnaruwa was briefly called Jananathamangalam. In 1012 AD, Sri Lanka briefly fell under Chola rule at which point the kingdom absorbed many elements of Dravidian culture.  The Chola empire would refer to Polonnaruwa as either Jananatha Mangalam or Jananatha Puram and called Sri Lanka, Mummudi Sola Mundelam.

We know we’ve taken some time, but that’s because all of you are awesome!

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts together with SriLankan Airlines are gearing up to organize the Cinnamon Travel Blogger Awards as part of TBCasia 2016.

The Travel Bloggers Conference Asia- more commonly known as TBCasia, was initiated and conceptualized by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association  (PTBA). In 2014, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts together with Sri Lankan Airlines organized Asia’s first ever Travel Blogger Conference in Colombo Sri Lanka.

The second edition of TBCasia will be executed in June this year, but this time Cinnamon has integrated yet another component, namely Cinnamon Travel Blogger awards to recognize the contribution and role that travel bloggers play in the travel & tourism industry.

In the initial stage there was an overwhelming 700 applications for the awards, received from travel bloggers across the globe. This record number of applications is one of the highest ever documented for a travel blogger awards programme globally.

Preliminary screening was conducted using a series of statistical tools, equations for quantitative scoring and by meticulously analysing each proposal in order to evaluate them qualitatively as well.

100 applications were selected through this screening procedure and handed over to an independent judging panel for the final selection. An online judging portal was also created for the judges and the panel consisted of Mario Hardy – the Chief Executive Officer PATA; Jens Thraenhart – the Founder of Digital Innovation Asia (DIA); Jan Tissera – President – TravelClick International; Sally Davey – Founder Tripbod.com; Debbie Hindle – Managing Director – Four Communications and Dileep Mudadeniya – Head of Brand Marketing – Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts who played a moderator role in the judging process.

Once this was completed, 30 bloggers have now been selected and they will be hosted in Sri Lanka by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts for TBCasia 2016!

“We were simply overwhelmed by the surge of applications that came in for the Cinnamon Travel Blogger Awards and the amazing quality of travel blogging that was evident across all participants. We conceptualized this event as a second phase to the very successful TBCasia held in 2014, to attract the best bloggers to our destination and thereby showcase the best of Sri Lanka to a global audience.” said Dileep Mudadeniya, Head of Brand Marketing, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts.

“The PTBA is thrilled to be partnering with Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts to reward the best travel bloggers and travel blogging content out there with the Cinnamon Travel Blogger awards. Over the last few years, it’s been wonderful to see travel blogging transition from being a niche hobby to a professional career, and providing the industry and bloggers with education on how to work better together. Travel bloggers today are seen as trusted influencers by their readers, who often number in the hundreds of thousands. It’s about time that they were recognized with their own award!” said Laurence Norah, President of the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA).

Apart from the 30 nominations, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts will select a further 30 more bloggers to be hosted as a part of TBCasia 2016 and the Pre-Conference Tour. Apply now to be a tour participant at http://www.tbcasia.com/tour-participant-apply.php

The 30 nominated bloggers have been listed below. See you in Sri Lanka!