From misty mountains to golden coastlines - discover the best of Sri Lanka with Lisence to Travel Lanka.
The island's oldest capital and holiest Buddhist city, home to towering ancient stupas, a sacred fig tree said to be over 2,000 years old, and ruins spread across a vast, tranquil archaeological zone shaded by giant trees.
Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka's capital for well over a thousand years, from around the 4th century BC, and remains one of the most sacred sites in the Buddhist world. Its brick stupas — some among the tallest ancient monuments on earth — rise out of parkland and forest, and the whole sacred city is UNESCO-listed for the scale and continuity of its ruins. Unlike Polonnaruwa's compact palace core, Anuradhapura's sites are spread wide, giving the whole visit a slower, more contemplative pace.
We build Anuradhapura in as a half-day or full-day stop on the cultural triangle route, timed to take in the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, the great white dome of Ruwanwelisaya, and the towering brick mass of Jetavanaramaya, with time for a quiet walk through the shaded monastic ruins in between.
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