Sri Lanka's ancient sacred city — a UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist capital, the world's oldest living tree, and rice and curry served on banana leaf since the 4th century BCE
Anuradhapura is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and Sri Lanka's first capital — a city that was the administrative and religious centre of the Sinhalese kingdom for over 1,400 years, from the 4th century BCE to the 11th century CE. The ruins of this ancient capital extend over 40 square kilometres and include some of the most extraordinary Buddhist monuments in Asia: massive white dagobas (stupas) that rival the pyramids in scale, ancient pools, palace complexes, and the Sri Maha Bodhi — a sacred fig tree grown from a cutting of the original Bodhi Tree under which…
Anuradhapura was founded as the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom by King Pandukabhaya in 380 BCE. The city became a centre of Theravada Buddhism after Emperor Ashoka's son Mahinda brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka in 247 BCE, and the Sri Maha Bodhi was planted the following year. The city reached its architectural peak under kings Dutugemunu (161–137 BCE) and Mahasena (277–304 CE), who built the massive dagobas that still dominate the skyline. The city was abandoned as capital after repeated South Indian Tamil invasions in the 11th century CE and was swallowed by jungle for nearly 1,000 years bef…