Anuradhapura, the Sacred City

Anuradhapura served as a capital of Sri Lanka from around the 4th century BCE until the early 11th century CE. UNESCO notes it as a political and religious capital that flourished for some 1,300 years before being abandoned after invasion in 993.

The city grew around the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree traditionally said to have grown from a cutting of the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, brought to the island by the nun Sanghamitta in the 3rd century BCE. It is venerated as one of the oldest historically documented trees in the world.

Great monastic complexes — the Mahavihara, Abhayagiri and Jetavana — made the city a major centre of Buddhist learning.

The Ruwanwelisaya, its dome now gleaming white, was built by King Dutugemunu in the 2nd century BCE and remains one of the most revered stupas on the island.

Jetavanaramaya, built by King Mahasena in the 3rd century CE, is thought to have reached around 122 metres in its original form, making it one of the tallest structures of the ancient world and among the largest brick monuments ever built.

Kings of Anuradhapura built large reservoirs (wewa) such as Basawakkulama, Tissa Wewa and Nuwara Wewa. These tanks, linked by canals, stored monsoon rains for paddy cultivation and drinking water — an irrigation civilisation whose works are still in use.

Excavations around the Citadel have revealed evidence of early urban settlement, while the city’s guard stones, moonstones (sandakada pahana) and inscriptions are key sources for the study of early Sri Lankan art and history.