This sacred city was established around a cutting from the 'tree of
enlightenment', the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century
B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns.
Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital that
flourished for 1,300 years, was abandoned after an invasion in 993.
Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its
palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again.
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| Thuparamaya |
The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95)
lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing
some 370 m high (the 'Lion's Rock', which dominates the jungle from all
sides). A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a
gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the
site.
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| Ancient City of Sigiriya |
Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of
Anuradhapura in 993. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built
by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created
by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.
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| Circular Relic Shrine |
