Anuradhapura has been made royal capital by the king Pandukabhaya in 380 BC. It remained residence and royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AD when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some of the most famous as well as the tallest dagoba of Sri Lanka, remains from palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths and the temple of the holy Bo-tree. This tree was grown from a sapling of the very tree under which more than 2500 years ago the Buddha found enlightenment.
More than a hundred years before Tsin-Shee Hwang-Tee had set his millions of laborers at work on the great wall of China, ancient Anuradhapura was a flourishing city and the capital of Lanka, as the island was called by the ancients. It was a youthful contemporary of Babylon and Nineveh, greater than either in territorial area, and was in its glory and amplitude when Rome and Carthage were young.
Anuradhapura was to continue for over a thousand years as the national capital. During that time there were 123 kings. Archeological excavations in Anuradhapura confirm that people lived in the area as early as 500 B.C. According to the Mahavamsa, the Sinhala Buddhist chronicle, there were three "Anuradhas" for whom the city was named. The first and most likely, was a general of prince Vijaya, the north Indian rebel, who was considered to be the forefather of the Sinhala race. Anuradhapura remained the capital of Sri Lanka until the 10th century A.D. The city of Anuradhapura, in its heyday, was the greatest city of all. It covered some 20 square miles, and its population was estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The king lived in a palace with 1,000 rooms, in the center of the city. According to the Mahavansa the city was a model of planning. Precincts were set aside for huntsmen and scavengers and even heretics and foreigners. There were hostels and hospitals, separate cemeteries for high and low castes. A water supply was assured by the construction of reservoirs.
But internecine struggles for the royal succession grew, and it became more and more vulnerable to the pressures of South Indian political expansion. The city was finally abandoned and the capital withdrawn to more secluded areas.But the monuments of Anuradhapura’s heyday survive, surrounded by the solemn umbrage of trees, scions of ancient parkland.
Abhayagiri Dagoba, shown here, was founded as a monastery, about 88 B.C., by Sinhalese King Vattagamini. A hundred and fifty years before Vespasian had begun the great amphitheatre at Rome, Walagambahu, this Lankan king, had completed the Abhayagiria Dagoba, a monumental structure fifty feet higher than St. Paul's Cathedral, and containing an amount of solid masonry sufficient to build eight thousand houses large enough to accommodate forty thousand people.
Dagoba or Stupa: Most Buddhist shrines are near or associated with a "dagoba" or a "stupa." These are buildings that are built in a round shape with a point on the top. They are not places where one goes to worship inside. Rather they are places to store the ashes of monks. Every major Buddhist site as many of these shrines or temples. All monks are cremated at death. In fact, most Buddhist's would prefer to be cremated. However, in Sri Lanka (as in many countries) cremation is actually much more expensive than burial. Consequently, it is rare in Sri Lanka that anyone who is not a monk is cremated.
The weathered limestone statue of Samadhi Buddha, now under a protective canopy in a park-like setting, is the first important relic the visitor comes accross in the Abhayagiri complex. The image is depicted in the serene state of Samadhi, or deep meditation and is considered to be one of the best examples in the area. Note that the numerous lotus flowers or other offerings placed by the faithful at the stone bench in front of the Buddha. This is typical at all statuse of Buddha throughout the country.
This is the site of a large ancient Buddhist monastery at Anuradhapura, probably circa 700 A.D.. The long carved granite trough to the right of the tree was the "feeding" trough. It was the practice in those days that everyone living in the village would prepare their meals for their family and then take one portion to the monastery and place it in this trough for the monks. Then at the appointed time(s) the monks would come to the trough to take their meal (usually rice with some spices or vegetables). As you can imagine, the taste must have been interesting with each family bringing its own recipe for that meal.
To the right of the trough is a set of stairs leading to the main dining room. There were probably tables here where the monks would sit to have their meal. It is believed that this monastery probably had over 5,000 monks (including the children). Children were brought into the monastery as early as 4 or 5 years old. Even today, children are chosen to be amonk by the casting of their horoscope. It is the interpretation of that horoscope that determines whether they should become a monk.
A little north-east of the statue of Samadhi Statue is a sight one might expect to see in an European setting, perhaps at Tivoli Gardens in Italy or Versailles in France. The pair of Ponds (kuttam pokuna) are in the Abhayagiri compound and were used as ritual baths by the monks who lived there. Notice the granite steps that go to the bottom of the pond - in an area where rains are few and far in between the changing water levels may have dictated such a design.
Our guide indicated that the hierarchy among monks (senior to junior) determined in what order they were to bathe. The youngest did not bathe at all in these large pools, they were only allowed to dip their toes in while sitting on the side. Notice the detailed carving of the stairs and other stonework that would normally be underwater. During the rainy season, the water covers up to at least a foot above the first seat.
This white dagoba — The Ruwanweli Seya (also known as the Maha Thupa or Great Stupa) — was constructed in the 2nd century B.C. by Emperor Dutugamunu. It is considered the greatest of the dagobas at Anuradhapura. Of the eight sites in Anuradhapura that are sacred to the Sri Lankan Buddhists, Ruwanweli Seya ranks second. Only the Sri Maha Bodhi (the sacred Bo Tree taken from the original Bo Tree in India) is considered more sacred. In popularity however, among the Sri Lankans as well as among the visiting tourists, Ruwanweli Seya leads the way by a considerable margin.
The original stupa was modeled in the shape of a pure "water bubble". On the south-west side of the compound there is a small dagoba that has this same shape. This may have been used as a model for the great stupa. The larger-than-life statue of the dignified man, respectfully watching the dagoba is considered to be Dutugmunu himself. On the west side of the compound, Basawakkulama tank dates back to the 4th century B.C. and is probably the oldest tank in Sri Lanka.
The base is supported by a ring of carved elephants, of which a few stone originals stand near the west door. The remainder are modern restorations.
The Jetavanarama, a marvel of the heretic King Mahasena, is the biggest dagoba in the world, currently only a little smaller than the Great Pyramid of Egypt. The massive monument covers 8 acres of land and originally rose to over 400 feet. It is estimated to have housed about 3000 monks. After finishing the reconstruction it is said that the crystal top will shine 152 m above the spectator. In other words the construction will be higher than the pyramid of Cheops in Gizeh.
The original Thuparama dagoba northwest of the Ruwanveli Maha Seya, is the oldest in the country. Built by King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century B.C., this dagoba, very sacred to buddhists all over the world, is believed to enshrine the right collarbone of Lord Buddha, which was a gift from Emperor Asoka after the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. The original dagoba resembled "heap of paddy" and built of earth alone. In 2nd century B.C. it was enclosed in a vatadage (round house) built of wood. In the 7th century the wood pillars were replaced with stone pillars, some of which are still standing today. The present day dagoba was built in the 1860's
Sacred Bo Tree - After the fall of Anuradhapura, the kings moved the capital to Polonnaruwa, and the once magnificent city was left to the will of the dry zone tropical jungle for about eight hundred years. During this time, only the sacred "Bo" Tree, started from a sapling of the ficus religiosa under which Siddhartha Gauthama attained enlightenment, was continually cared for. This sacred "Bo" tree is the oldest historically documented tree on earth. This tree has been tended devotedly for nearly 23 centuries, even after the city came under the rule of north Indian Dravidian conquerors
The branches of this sacred "Bo" tree, with a recorded history of more than 2,100 years, seems very slight and fragile. For this reason the branches are supported with iron crutches to prevent any mishaps during heavy rains or strong wind storms. The tree stands among other younger trees, on a special platform, protected by a gold plated railing. It is believed that most of the older Bo trees in Sri Lanka and some in other Buddhist countries are descendants of this sacred tree.