Nature Lovers And Especially Those Willing To Spend Some Time
In The Parks In The Company Of Lovely Animals Can’t Miss Tissa Wewa Near Kataragama
In Sri Lanka. Located Near Anuradhapura, This Popular Artificial Lake Is Worth
Visiting. The Reservoir Is A Great Spot To Come Close To Nature. Built In The
3rd Century By Devanampiya Tissa, The Primary Aim Of Tissa Wewa Was To Ease The
Supply Of Water In The Nearby Region. Current Tissa Wewa Embankment Boasts Of
3.2-Kilometer Length And 7.6-Meter Height. The Royal Gardens In Tissa Get Water
Supplied From This Reservoir Itself. Visitors Witness The Presence Of Several
Rare Birds At This Place While They Spend Time Here.
Thanthirimale
One Of
The Best Places To Visit In Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, The Old Village Of Thanthirimale
Or The Tantirimale Is Sought After By The Tourists, Especially Buddhists Who
Are Seeking To Explore The Ancient Buddhist Temples.
Its Location
Near The Rocks Makes This Place Sought After Amongst The Tourists. Besides The
Old Village, Thanthirimale Stupa And Sri Maha Bodhi Plant To Bo Tree Et Al Are
Great Places For Exploration As A Tourist And A Devoted Buddhist. So, How About
Trying One Of The Most Unique Places To Visit In Anuradhapura.
Leaving Anuradhapura Without Exploring Any Dagobas Is Like A
Sin That You Might Not Want To Commit. This Colossal Dagoba Can Be Dated Back
To The 1st Century BC. The Original Height Of Abhayagiri Dagaba Was 100 Meters
Owing To Which It Was One Of The Greatest Structures In The World Then. After Reconstruction
And Preservation Of This Place, The Height Has Been Restored To 75 Meters. The Name
Of This Place Literally Translates Into The ‘Fearless Hill’ Or ‘Hill Of Protection’.
You Will Find A Slab With Buddha’s Footprint And Some Moonstones.
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Is Among The Most Ancient Trees In Sri
Lanka That Even Today Are Thriving In The Mahamewna Gardens Of Anuradhapura. This
Special Tree Is Said To Have Grown Out Of A Cutting That Was Brought Here From Bodh
Gaya In India. It Is Believed That It Has Been Brought From The Very Same Place
Where Gautama Buddha Had Attained Enlightenment, Thus Making It One Of The Most
Popular Places To Visit At Anuradhapura For Pilgrims And Spiritual Souls. It Was
Cared For By The Ancient Kings And Queens Of Sri Lanka, As Well As Many Buddhist
Leaders. Flourishing Even In The Harshest Of Conditions, This Tree Is Said To
Have Such Tranquil Beauty That It Instills A Sense Of Calm And Peace In
Visitors.
Ruwanwelisaya Stupa Is Among The Largest Stupas (Also Called
Dagobas) In Sri Lanka And One Of The Most Prominent Places To Visit In Anuradhapura,
Sri Lanka. Built Long Ago By King Dutugamunu, This Beautiful Stupa Is Nestled
Right In The Heart Of The Heritage City Of Anuradhapura. Also Called Maha Stupa,
This Adorned Structure Is Over 338 Feet Tall And Has Large Paved Courts As Well
As Platforms That All Add A Unique Architectural Touch To This Magnificent
Structure. Recent Renovations Have Earned This Shrine The Privilege Of Being
One Of The Most Revered Sanctums Of Worship In Anuradhapura.
The Monastery Of Jetavanaramaya Is One Of The Largest
Monasteries In Anuradhapura. In Fact, It Was Once The Third-Tallest Structure
In The Whole World. The Legend Surrounding This Ancient Sanctum Is That It’s
The Same Place Where Buddha’s Sash Or Belt Was Tied And Preserved For A Long
Time, And That Is What Fascinates Worshippers And History Geeks From Around The
World And Brings Them Here In Large Numbers Every Year. Luring In Travelers
With Its Enchanting Historical Significance, Jetavanaramaya Still Remains One
Of The Largest Holy Structures In The World And Is Home To About 10,000 Monks.
The Archaeological Museum Anuradhapura Holds Tremendous
Historical Significance Owing To The Range Of Ancient Artifacts, Intricate
Carvings, And Age-Old Domestic Items Extracted After Excavations In Anuradhapura
And Other Parts Of Sri Lanka It Has On Display. Established In 1947, This
Museum Is One Of The Best Places To Visit In Anuradhapura For History Geeks And
Those Who Love The Culture And Heritage Of Sri Lanka. Some Of The Items On
Display Here Are As Old As The Pre-Christian Era When Sri Lanka Was Home To The
Sinhalese Civilization. Other Items To See Here Are Buddha Statues,
Inscriptions, Paintings, Drawings, Coins, And Lankan Antiques.
Also Called The Brazen Palace, Lovamahapaya Is Almost 2000 Years
Old Palace And Was Built By King Dutugemunu In The 2nd Century B.C. The Most
Striking Feature Of This Palace Is Its Bronze Tiles That Add A Dashing Touch To
The Roof. The Other Prominent And Attractive Features Of This Palace Include
The 1600 Stone Columns That Are As Tall As 150 Feet And Support 9 Stories With
About 1000 Rooms. It Was Initially Used As A Residence For Buddhist Monks Who
Would Use It On The Days Of The “Poya” Festival. And Though It Now Lies In
Ruins, This Massive Palace Is Still A Testament Of A Bygone Age That Speaks
Volumes About Its Rich Culture And Heritage.
Avukana Buddha Statue Is A Great Masterpiece Of Sculpture Which
Explain The Competence Of Artist In Ancient Sri Lanka. It Is An Over 40 Feet
High Buddha Statue Carved Out Of A Great Granite Rock Face Built During
The Reign Of King Dhatusena (455
– 473 AD). It Is Located In The Vicinity Of Kala Wewa In Anuradhapura District
Of North Central Province, Sri
Lanka.
In This Is Statue The Lord Buddha Is Depicted In Asisa Mudra
Which Is A Pose Of Blessing. Originally This Statue Had Been Placed Inside An Image
House And Now You Can See Only The Crumbling Brick Walls Of It.
Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya
Onother One Of Attractive Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya Is An
Ancient Buddhist Temple Worshiped By Buddhist All Around The Country. The Temple
Is Located Closer To The Kala Wewa Inanuradhapura District Of NC Province , Sri Lanka. You Can Access This
Temple Through Kekirawa – Galewela Road And Only About 10km Away From The Kekirawa
Temple.
The Beginning Of The Vijithapura
Rajamaha Viharaya Is Not Clearly Identified. However, According To The Legends,
The History Of The Temple Goes Back To The Reign Of The King Dutugemunu (161 BC To 137 BC). The Invader King Elara Who
Conquered The Anuradhapura Kingdom During The 2nd Century BC Has
Established A Strong Fort At Vijithapura. Because Of That, The Vijithapura
Battle Between King Dutugemunu And Invader King Elara Was A Decisive And Major
Battle. And It Is One Of The Most Discussed Battles In The History Of Sri Lanka.
However, King Dutugemunu Has Won That Battle After A Great Effort. After Winning
The War, The King Dutugemunu Has Constructed A Stupa At This Location To
Commemorate The Vijithapura Battle. Later The Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya Was
Built Around This Stupa. And The Temple Has Been Rehabilitated Later By A
Number Of Kings.
During The Adverse Period Started After The
Reign Of King Parakramabau The Great (Polonnaruwa Kingdom) Has Been Left Behind
Like Other Places. And Again This Temple Was Renovated In The Latter Part Of
19th Century.
Eth Pokuna (Elephant Pond)
Eth Pokuna Or Elephant Pond Is A Huge Man Made Ancient Pond Located In The Sacred
City Of Anuradhapura District In NC
Province. It Is 52.7 M In Width And 159 M In Length. The Depth Of The Pond
Is About 9.5 M. Supplying Of Water To The Pond Has Been Done By Underground
Channels From The Periyakulam Tank. This Water Supplying Channels Are Still In
Working Condition Even After Hundreds Of Years.
The Pond Is Surrounded By Number Of Ruins Belongs To The Abhayagiri
Monastery. Therefore This Pond Also May Be Built For The Use Of Monks Belongs
To This Monastery.
Sandakada Pahana (Or Moonstone) Is A
Semi-Circular Stone Slab Usually Seen At The Bottom Of Staircases Of
Ancient Religious Places As Well As Some Ancient Royal Palaces In Sri Lanka. It
Is A Unique Creation Of Ancient Sinhalese Architectures. The Moonstone Located
In The Mahasena’s Palace Is The Finest And Best Preserved Moonstone Found In Sri
Lanka. This Palace Is Located In The Sacred City Of Anuradhapura In NC Province, Sri Lanka.
Kuttam Pokuna
“Kuttam Pokuna” Or “Twin Ponds” Is A Unique Creation Of Ancient
Architecture And Considered As One Of The Significant Achievement In
Hydrological Engineering In Ancient Sri Lanka. The Pond Is Located In Sacred
City Of Anuradhapura In NC
Province, Sri Lanka. As The Name Suggests, There Are Two Ponds In This
Creation. It Has Been Identified That These Ponds Were Used To Collect Water
For The Abhayagiri Vihara Monks To Bath.
The Two Ponds Are Not Identical And Also One Seems To Be Older
Than The Other. The Width Of The Ponds Are Same And It Is 51 Feet. The Bigger
Pond Is 132 Feet Long And The Other Is 91 Feet Long. There Are A Number Of
Staircases To Get Down To The Ponds And One Pond Have Two Staircases While The
Other One Having Three Staircases.
The Beginning Of Staircases Is Decorated With The “Punkalas” Or
Pots (The Symbol Of Prosperity In Ancient Buildings) Increasing The Aesthetic
Beauty Of This Creation.
There Are Evidence That The Water In The Ponds Has Been Supplied
Using Underground Pipes And After Going Through A Number Of Filters. The Water
First Enters The Northern Pond Through Another Special Design Called “Makara
Kata” (Mouth Of A Dragon). Then The Water Flows From To The Other Via A Duct At
The Ground Level. The Water From Both Ponds Is Drained Out From A Small Outlet
Located At The Bottom Of The Small Pond. Many Creations Including This, Suggest
Us That There Would Have Been An Advance Irrigation Technology Existed During
The Anuradhapura Kingdom.
Lankaramaya
The Lankaramaya Stupa Is One Of The Eight Sacred Places Known As
“Atamasthana”. The Stupa Was Built During The 1st Century B.C. By King
Walagamba . (89 B.C. – 77 B.C.). It Is Located Inanuradhapura District Of NC
Province, Sri Lanka.
According To Chronicales, This Place Was Also Known By
Names Silasobbakandaka And Galhebakada. Initially, This Stupa Was
Known As Somarama Stupa In Commemoration Of Queen Soma Who Saved The Life Of
The King.
There Are Three Rows Of Stone Pillars Can Be Seen Around The
Stupa And It Is Evidence That There Had Been A House Built Encircling The Stupa
(Called “Vatadage” In Sinhala) To Protect It.
Thuparamaya
Thuparamaya Is Considered To Be The First Stupa Built In
Anuradhapura After The Introduction Of Buddhism To Sri Lanka. It Is Also
One Of The “Atamasthana” (8 Most Sacred Places Of Buddhist In Sri Lanka). The
Stupa Was Built During The Reign Of King Devanampiyathissa (307 Bc To 267 Bc).
It Is Believed That The Stupa Enshrine The Right Collarbone Relic Of The Lord
Buddha.
Isurumuniya Temple
Isurumuniya Is A Buddhist Temple Located Inanuradhapura District
Of NC Province Sri Lanka. The History Of
This Temple Dates Back To Reign Of King Devanampiya Tissa (307 BC To 267 BC).
Later This Has Been Renovated By The King Kasyapa I (473-491 AD).
Isurumuniya Is Most Famous For Stone Carvings, Especially The “Isurumuni
Lovers” Carving. In Addition To That There Are Many Other Stone Carvings Can Be
Seen In This Temple.
Jathika Namal Uyana
The Jathika Namal Uyana Is Located
In Anuradhapura
District Of NC Province This Can Be
Accessed Through Madatugama Pubbogama Andiyagala Road And 6.5km Away From The Kandy-Jaffna
Highway (See The Below Map For Exact Location).
This Is The Largest Ironwood Forest In Sri Lanka And Where Asia’s Largest Rose Quartz Mountain Is Located In. The Jathika Namal Uyana Had Been A Sanctuary For Buddhist Monks During The Era Of King Devanampiyatissa. Later It Had Been Used As A Prison Camp Where The Punishment Was To Plant Na Trees.
This Is The Largest Ironwood Forest In Sri Lanka And Where Asia’s Largest Rose Quartz Mountain Is Located In. The Jathika Namal Uyana Had Been A Sanctuary For Buddhist Monks During The Era Of King Devanampiyatissa. Later It Had Been Used As A Prison Camp Where The Punishment Was To Plant Na Trees.
Mirisaweti Stupa
The Mirisaweti Stupa Is Located In Anuradhapura District Of NC
Province. The Stupa Has Been Built By The King Dutugemunu (161BC – 137BC) After
Defeating South Indian Invader King Elara.
According To The Legends, One Day The King Dutugemunu Had Gone
To Tissa Wewa For A Bath Leaving The Scepter Here. Once He Returns To The
Scepter, It Is Said That It Could Not Be Moved From That Place. As A Result,
The King Has Constructed This Stupa On The Place Where The Scepter Stuck.
It Is Also Said That It Had Been A Practice Of The King
Dutugemununu Offering Foods To Buddhist Monks Before He Consumes Them. However,
One Day He Has Forgotten To Offer A Food Made Or Of Chilly. As An Apology
For This, The King Has Named This Stupa As Mirisawetiya (The Sinhala Word “Miris”
Has The Meaning Of Chilly). The Stupa Has Been Renovated Later By A
Number Of Kings.
Samadhi Buddha Statue
Samadhi Buddha Statue Is A Sitting Buddha’s Statue And It Is
Considered As One Of The Best Sculpture Created During The Anuradhapura Era. It
Is Located In Anuradhapura District Of NC Province Sri Lanka. The Statue
With The Height Of 7 Feet And 3 Inches Has Made With Dolomite Marble. In This
Statue, The Buddha Is Depicted In The Position Of The Dhyana Mudra, The
Posture Of Meditation Associated With His First Enlightenment. Some Scholars
Say Samadhi Statue Belongs To 3rd Century BC And Others Say It Belongs To 2nd Or
3rd Century
Ranmasu Uyana -Anuradhapura
Ranmasu Uyana Is Pleasure Garden Of
The Ancient Royals Of Sri Lanka. It Is Located In Between Thissa Wewa And Isurumuniya
Temple In Anuradhapura District Of NC Province. The Garden Is Spreaded Over 40 Acres. This Is
A Good Example Of Ancient Sri Lankan Garden Architecture.
Ritigala Ruins Anuradhapura
Ritigala Is A Mountain Range Located
In Anuradhapura Of NC
Province Sri Lanka. The Mountain Contains
Ruins Of Ancient Buddhist Monastery. The History Of The Monastery Is Date Back
To 1st Century BC.
0 Comments