Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka for around 1,300 years, from the fourth century BC. At its height it was one of the largest cities in the world, fed by a system of reservoirs and canals so sophisticated that parts of it are still in use. Today the ruins spread across forty square kilometres of forest, and every evening thousands of white-clad pilgrims move between them.
The Sri Maha Bodhi
A sacred fig grown from a cutting of the tree at Bodh Gaya under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, brought here in the third century BC by the nun Sanghamitta. It has been tended continuously ever since, which makes it the oldest recorded planted tree on earth. Go at dusk when the oil lamps are lit and the chanting starts.
The great dagobas
Ruwanwelisaya, brilliant white and ringed by a wall of stone elephants. Jetavanaramaya, built of red brick and once the third tallest structure in the ancient world after two of the pyramids. Abhayagiri, half-swallowed by forest, quieter and in some ways more affecting. Thuparamaya, the oldest, small and elegant.
Practical notes
- Hire a bicycle. The site is far too large to walk and too atmospheric to drive.
- The ticket covers the museums and most sites but not the Sri Maha Bodhi, which asks a small separate donation.
- Poya (full moon) days are extraordinarily busy and extraordinarily moving. Alcohol is not sold anywhere in the country on those days.