Ancient city of Anuradhapura

Without doubt the era of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura is one of the most important time periods in the history of Sri Lanka. The era began with the rule of King Pandukhabaya in 337 BC and ends with the reign of King Kassapa VII in 1055 AD.

Now a World Heritage Site, this ancient city of Anuradhapura is considered sacred to the Buddhist world. It is recorded in history that the kings and queens of the late Anuradhapura period strongly supported Buddhism and that Anuradhapura was a major intellectual center of early Theravada Buddhism, home of revered Buddhist philosophers such as Buddhaghosa (5th-century Indian Theravada Buddhist commentator, translator and philosopher).

When on tour there are so many sites to be visited in Anuradhapura. The following are the most popular and must visit sites and every one of these places are interwoven with history and never fails to keep one fascinated.

Atamasthana (Eight Sacred Places)

The Atamasthana in Anuradhapura are known to be the main sites visited by Lord Buddha during his three visits to Sri Lanka, marking them the most revered and important. The places consist of; Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisaveti Stupa and Lankarama.

Kuttam Pokuna

Also known as the Twin Ponds, the Kuttam Pokuna is a pair of ponds built from granite slabs for the monks. The ponds along with some of the man-made tanks such as Tissa Wewa, Nuwara Wewa and Nachchaduwa Wewa depicts the traditional hydrological engineering used by the ancient kings.

Isurumuniya

This Buddhist temple is famous for its beautiful Gupta-style carvings that are believed to be carved in the 6th century. The carvings depict Isurumuniya Lovers, Royal Family and Elephant Pond.
The Lovers in the carving are those of a prince and a low caste maiden (Saliya and Asokamala) whose love story is mentioned in the Mahawamsa and is relived with every visitor who comes to the temple.




Written By: Kavisha Perera