Sri Lanka's ancient first capital sacred stupas and a 2,300-year-old tree
For over a thousand years, Anuradhapura was one of Asia’s greatest cities, and its sacred city remains one of Buddhism’s most important places. Colossal white and brick stupas rise above the plains, some among the largest structures of the ancient world, while monasteries, moonstone carvings, and bathing ponds trace a civilisation of astonishing sophistication. At its heart grows the Sri Maha Bodhi, planted from a cutting of the Buddha’s own Bodhi tree and tended continuously for more than 2,300 years: the oldest documented tree on Earth.
Explore by bicycle in the early morning the ruins are spread wide and the flat roads are made for it.
The world's oldest historically documented tree
A vast white dome, sacred and serene
Once the third-tallest structure of the ancient world
Sprawling forest monastery complex
Elegant twin bathing ponds of ancient engineers
Rock temple famed for its lover carvings
Anuradhapura lies in the Anuradhapura District, in Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle region.
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