A Visit to the Ancient City of Anuradhapura

(Where Gumbo Was #447)

This week Gumbo was visiting Anuradhapura — congratulations to George G, who was the only one who solved where Gumbo was.

The ancient cities on the small island of Ceylon are among its greatest attractions. Notable among these are Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, and Polonnuruwa, which form the so-called “cultural triangle”. All are located in the northern half of Sri Lanka, a minimum of a half day’s drive from Colombo.

(One of the many guardian stones you’ll find at this site)

My favorite of these historic cities is Sigiriya, whereon the 5th century king of Sri Lanka ruled from the top of a large stone monolith. It is truly unique. But all of these ancient sites are interesting and worth seeing.

(Some color in one of the pools of Anuradhapura)

I’d only visited Anuradhapura once before my most recent trip to Sri Lanka, and remember being very impressed by its many historic sites. I decided another visit was in order.

Anuradhapura is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the oldest and longest inhabited of Sri Lanka’s cities, and its best known ancient site. The archaeologic attractions you’ll visit contain the kind of ruins you’d expect of Sri Lanka, including huge dagobas (stupas), temples, and ancient water reservoirs.

Anuradhapura was founded around the 5th century BC (although archeologists find evidence of human habitation as early as the 10th century BC), and was the capital of Sri Lanka from the 4th century BC until the 11th century AD, when invaders from India forced the capital to be relocated to Polonnuruwa. While Anuradhapura was never completely abandoned, the ancient city was largely forgotten and reclaimed by the jungle. The British rediscovered it in the 19th century and began excavating it. It has since become an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and tourist attraction.

The ancient city is expansive and it’s helpful to have a car to get around. It’s hard to see all of the ancient city in one day, so here’s a list of what I thought most interesting to share with you.

The Sri Maha Bo (Bodhi) Tree

Probably the most sacred relic in Anuradhapura is this tree, which was planted around 245 BC. The tree is a graft of Bo tree in Bihar, India, under which Buddha attained Enlightenment. The tree is ancient and spindly, requiring metal supports for its branches. It is more than two thousand years and the plaza in which is located is a place of meditation, prayer and worship for the many Buddhists who visit it. It is a truly special place, especially to the faithful.

(Entrance to the sacred bodhi tree)

(The tree itself, with many metal braces supporting it)

You’ll likely to see hundreds of pilgrims at this special place, many praying and chanting:

Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds)

These rectangular ponds are quite lovely, with stone moldings and stairs leading down to the water level. The ponds were likely used by Buddhist monks for bathing. The design is such that water is filtered and cleaned before it flows into the ponds.

The ponds are thought to have been built in the 6th century A.D.

Ruwanwelisaya Stupa

One of the iconic structures in the landscape of Anuradupurna is this lovely white stupa, the center piece of the Great Monastery (Maha Vihara). It was built in the second century B.C. and is also a very sacred site.

Jetavana Dagaba

The largest structure in Anuradhapura, and one of the largest buildings in the world at the time it was built. This brick dagaba was constructed in the third century AD to a height of 400 feet (120 meters); the only taller buildings at that time were both Egyptian pyramids built several thousand years before this structure.

The Samadhi Buddha

Dating from the 4th century AD, this statue of Lord Buddha shows him in a Samadhi state of deep meditation. It is carved from granite, is 8 ft high, and is considered one of the finest Buddha statues in Sri Lanka.

There’s a lot more to the story of Anuradhapura and much more to see at the archaeologic site. This blog has barely scratched the surface and has hopefully stirred your wanderlust a little in that direction.

There are lots of people who visit the Anuradhapura archaeologic site every day, but no one actually lives here except these primates. You’ll find dozens and dozens of gray langur monkeys all through the site. I like these creatures, which are gentle and seemingly easy going. The fellow in the top photo (below) seems to want to give a hand in the construction efforts.