Anuradhapura:

The first capital of Sri Lanka

During school holidays, all of you may be keen to go on trips. We know that Anuradhapura tops the list of places to visit.

Anuradhapura or ‘the city of Anura’, situated 205 km from Colombo, is the earliest capital of Sri Lanka and was home to the royal court from 437 BC to 1017 AD. However, it is not just a city, but one of the great centres of Buddhism in South Asia, visited by thousands of pilgrims and tourists each year.

This sacred city was established around the Sri Maha Bodhi - “tree of enlightenment”, brought there in the Third Century B.C. by Sanghamitta Theri.

The religious site consists of a central ten-metre high mountain covered in jungle, marking the old urban core, surrounded by over thirty square kilometres of Buddhist monasteries and huge reservoirs.

Among the most spectacular of the Buddhist monuments are four great stupas, solid domes of earth and brick built over a Buddhist relic, which reach heights of over eighty metres and dominate the landscape of paddy fields and coconut trees.

According to the Mahavamsa, the Sinhala Buddhist chronicle, the city was a model of planning. There were hostels and hospitals, separate cemeteries for high and low castes. A water supply was assured by the construction of reservoirs.

Anuradhapura was to continue for six hundred years as the national capital. But struggles for the royal succession grew. The Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years, became more and more vulnerable (open) to the pressures of South Indian political expansion. The city was finally abandoned after an invasion in 993 and the capital was withdrawn to other areas.

Anuradhapura has now been classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Now let us tell you about some of the main attractions in Anuradhapura:

Sri Maha Bodhi Tree: The right branch of the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in India, under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment, was brought to Sri Lanka in the Third Century BC by Sanghamitta Theri, the daughter of Emperor Asoka.

It was planted in Anuradhapura and is venerated to this day by Buddhists from many countries of the world.

This is the oldest recorded tree in the world whose exact age is known.

Thuparama Dagoba: Thuparama is the first dagoba to be built in Anuradhapura during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa (Third Century BC.) It enshrines the right collarbone of the Buddha, His alms bowl and other relics.

Ruvanveli Dagoba: Built by King Dutugemunu who ruled the country in the Second Century BC, this is a huge dagoba, measuring 103 metres in height with a circumference of 287 metres.

Jetavana Dagoba: Was built in the Third Century AD by King Mahasena.

It is an enormous brick structure standing in the centre of a large monastic complex measuring 3.2 hectares in extent and is rated as the largest and tallest brick-built monument in the world. The structure has been declared a World Heritage Site.

Abhayagiri Dagoba: This dagoba built by King Valagam Bahu (First Century B.C.) is Sri Lanka’s second highest dagoba. It was at the Abhayagiri complex that the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha brought to Sri Lanka was first housed.

Samadhi Buddha: This Fourth Century AD statue of the Buddha in meditative pose is a world-famous Buddha statue and is acknowledged as a masterpiece.

Isurumuniya: It is a picturesque rock temple built in the Third Century BC. The beautiful stone sculptures seen at the temple are considered the most beautiful works of art in Anuradhapura.

Mihintale: Thirteen kilometres from Anuradhapura is the sacred mountain of Mihintale, the site of the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the year 247 BC. The world’s first fauna and flora sanctuary was believed to have been established at Mihintale in the Third Century BC. Today the peak of Mihintale, approached by a grand stairway of 1840 granite steps, has many temples, lodgings for monks and several grand statues of the Buddha.

Each full moon Poya Day in June, there is a pilgrimage commemorating the date when Arahat Mahinda Thera first preached the Buddhist doctrine in Sri Lanka; many thousands of pilgrims flock from all over Sri Lanka to meditate on the holy peak.

Awkana: Located 51 km southeast of Anuradhapura, this site is famous for the 12-metre tall granite statue of the Buddha.

Hewn out of solid rock in the standing posture on a lotus pedestal, the statue was built during the reign of King Dhatusena in the Fifth Century AD.