Anuradhapura
The ancient capital of Anuradhapura reigned supreme for over a millennium as one of the greatest monastic cities of the ancient world famed for Buddhist culture and architectural achievements across Asia and Europe.
Ruled by 113 successive kings and four queens, Anuradharpura was a majestic sprawl of magnificent palaces, ornate pleasure gardens, exquisite sculptures and vast Buddhist temples. The three main ‘dagabas’ are amongst the biggest architectural creations of the ancient world smaller in size only to the pyramids at Giza. The ancient rulers also created impressive feats of engineering, building great reservoirs to preserve the monsoon rains and irrigation systems to produce great harvests of paddy. Anuradhapura was founded in 377 BC by the third king of the Vijaya dynasty, Pandukabhaya, and was much fought over. Abandoned in 1073 when the capital was transferred to Polonnaruwa, it was ‘reclaimed’ by the jungle and rediscovered by British explorers in the 19th Century. Today, the surviving ruins are still spectacular even after thousands of years, and the ‘sacred city’ of Anuradhapura remains on the ‘must visit’ list of locals and tourists alike.
Abhayagiri and Jetavana Stupas
Often mistaken for each other, the Abhayagiri Dagoba and Jetavanarama Dagoba are two very distinct ancient Buddhist temples, both of which have very interesting stories behind them. The Abhayagiri Dagoba was built in the 1st or 2nd century BC and was once the focal point of an extremely large monastery which is said to have included 5000 monks. The monastery was established by King Vattagamini Abhaya but the Abhayagiri Dagoba was built by King Valagamba during his second reign. An excellent example of ancient large scale construction, the dagoba was said to have been 115m in height and 110m in diameter. Ancient Chinese traveller Faxian (also known as Fa Hsien) is said to have visited this stupa in 412AD.
Jetavanarama Dagoba was built in the 3rd century by King Mahasen and is said to have originally been over 100m in height with a diameter of 114m. At the time of its completion, Jetavanarama Dagoba was said to have been the third tallest monument in the world behind the Great Pyramids of Giza. However, this vast religious monument, which is a true testament to the quality and expertise of ancient labourers, had fallen in to disrepair and was covered by scrub jungle until 1909. Today the dagoba stands at 70m which is similar to the Abhayagirl Dagoba.
Thuparama Stupa
The Thuparama Dagoba is the oldest dagoba in Sri Lanka and has great historical significance. It was built by King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd Century BC shortly after the teachings of Lord Buddha were brought to the island by Mahinda Thera, an envoy sent by King Ashoka of India. The Thuparama Dagoba is a sacred place of worship to Buddhists the world over as it is said to contain the right collarbone of Lord Buddha – a gift from India and a testament to cordial relations between the two countries at the time. The Dagoba was destroyed on many occasions during the islands illustrious history and was restored in 1862AD to the more conventional bell shaped stupa which is seen today.
Lovamahapaya
Lovamahapaya or the Brazen Palace is said to have had a bronze roof, which is how it got its name. It is located close to the Sri Maha Bodhiya and Ruvanaveliseya and was built by one of Sri Lanka’s greatest leaders, King Dutugemunu, almost 2000 years ago. This amazing structure was said to have been 9 stories high with the ability to house a 1000 monks and attendants. Unfortunately, the building was completely destroyed during the reign of King Saddhatissa, who was King Dutugemunu’s younger sibling, and was renovated on several occasions during the illustrious Anuradhapura period. The Great King Parakramabahu I of the Polonnaruwa period restored it last in the 12th century and all that remains to be seen today is 40 rows each with 40 stone pillars for a total of 1600 pillars, which is still a pretty spectacular sight.
The Ancient Bridge of Stone
The Ancient Bridge of Stone in Anuradhapura or Gal Palama as it is known in Sinhalese, is located close to the Kuttam Pokuna or Twin Ponds and belongs to the Anuradhapura period. The remains of two such Gal Palama’s can be seen and are simply known as Gal Palama 1 and Gal Palama 2. The first Gal Palama or stone bridge is the one across the place where the ancient Yoda Ela used to run. This by no means is the great waterway of yesteryear, but is now in fact a small newly built waterway for irrigation of nearby paddy fields. A short distance down the same road is Gal Palama 2 which is a more impressive bridge crosses the Malwattu Oya. What you see today is possibly only a partial area of the bridge with a series of stone slabs across rows of three stone pillars.
