Anuradhapura

A Sacred City

The Sacred City of Anuradhapura stands equal to the Pyramids at Giza on an architectural level. This magical UNESCO World Heritage Site with enormous Dagobas, palaces, monasteries and monuments is evidence of one of the greatest civilisations in the world. The sacred city of Anuradhapura was the first Royal Kingdom and capital of Sri Lanka that lasted for 1,500 years until it was abandoned after the invasion by South Indian Cholas in 993. Today Anuradhapura is one of the world’s major archaeological sites in the world. It covers an area of about 40 km² and was established around a cutting from the ‘tree of enlightenment’, the Buddha’s fig tree, in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. The ruined city hidden away in dense jungle for many years was brought to life by The British in the nineteenth century.