Things to do in Anuradhapura

During your visit to the sacred city of Anuradapura, enlighten your stay with attractions to reflect the country’s proud cultural and religious heritage that range from the sacred Dagabas, reservoirs, temples, carvings and much more. Therefore, it is an ideal city to visit if you value the cultural heritage, as you will have a number of places to visit within this historical city.

If you are a Buddhist, the most valued place to visit is the “Sri Maha Bodiya” which is regarded as one of the oldest trees in the world recording a history of 2500 years. It is a branch of the sacred Bo tree in which the Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. Situated closely to the Bo Tree is the “Ruwanveliseya”, built by “King Dutugemunu” famous for his devotion in maintaining the sovereignty of the Anuradapura kingdom. Apart from the Dagaba, you can also find two stone statues considered to be the statues of King DutuGemunu and King Bhatiya.

 The ideal place to visit in the evening is the “Isurumuniya temple”, also famous for its stone carving of “The Pair of Lovers’ and pond. Once you climb the rock that is to the right of the temple, the beautiful scenery of the “Thisa Wewa” constructed by King Devenempiyatissa” can be seen. Visit this serene location to take in the beauty of nature as you  feel the fresh wind blowing swiftly across the lake.

Keep your day free to visit the “Jetavana Dagaba” the largest Dagaba of Sri Lanka that has an original height of 400ft situated withing the Maha Vihara premises. Second only to Jetvana Dagaba by means of height, Abeyagiriya Dagaba stands tall at 350ft.

The other religious attractions are the Thuparama, Miriswetiya Dagaba, Samadhi Statue, and Miriswetiya Dagaba. If you value the cultural heritage do not forget to visit these places of cultural value. The  Sandakada Pahana (The Moon Stone), Kuttam Pokuuna. (The Pair of Ponds), Stone Bridge, Ran masu Uyana, Aeth Pokuna (Elephant Pond) and much more. It is of no doubt that these places will enhance your knowledge and understanding of the Anuradapura civilization.