Tour Destination
Anuradhapura
One of the ancient world's greatest cities, Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka's first capital for over a millennium and remains one of the most sacred Buddhist sites on earth.
One of the ancient world's greatest cities, Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka's first capital for over a millennium and remains one of the most sacred Buddhist sites on earth.
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Anuradhapura, founded in the 4th century BCE, was Sri Lanka's first capital and one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the ancient world. For over a thousand years it was the seat of 113 kings and the centre of Theravada Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia. Today the sacred city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a living place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from around the world.
The Sri Maha Bodhi is the most venerated site in Anuradhapura — a sacred fig tree believed to have grown from a cutting of the original Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in India. Now over 2,250 years old, it is the oldest documented tree in the world and is protected by golden railings, tended by devoted monks, and visited by thousands of pilgrims daily.
The city's archaeological zone is vast — containing monumental brick stupas that rank among the largest ancient structures in the world. The Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, completed in 140 BCE, is the most sacred, while the Jetavanarama Stupa (3rd century CE) was the third-tallest structure in the ancient world. Cycling or tuk-tuking between the monuments on a full day is the best way to absorb the scale and wonder of this extraordinary place.
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