Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura, the capital of the North Central Province, is Sri Lanka's most sacred and historic city located at the pinnacle of the Cultural Triangle. It contains numerous Buddhist monuments; enormous dagobas, monasteries that would have housed up to 10,000 monks, palaces, statues and a sacred tree that are overwhelming reminders of the city's magnificent past whose extent undeniably recognise Anuradhapura to be one of the greatest cities of its time.

A royal capital from the fourth century BC under King Pandukabhaya, Anuradhapura expanded significantly under the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa a century later who oversaw the arrival of Buddhism on the island. The daughter of the Indian King Asoka, Princess Sanghamitta, brought a cutting to the city of the sacred bo tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. The city grew around this tree, the Sri Maha Bodhi, venerated and visited by pilgrims worldwide, to become both the island's religious and political capital estimated to have been scattered over an extent of 25km.

Anuradhapura eventually fell in 993AD after 1,300 years of glory. It was abandoned in 1073 and left to ruin to the delight of the jungle that hid it until it was 'rediscovered' by the British in the 19th century, who made it a Provincial capital. In 1980 a huge UNESCO programme commenced to excavate the ruins and Anuradhapura was officially named a World Heritage Site in 1982.

It is an adventure to visit the island's premier historic city and an experience not to be missed. You could spend days seeking out all of the fragments of this royal kingdom trying your best to imagine it as it would have been all those years ago. Rather than go by foot, it is recommended to take a cycling tour so you may be able to take in a greater extend of these historic sights.