Open left menu anuradhapura. Anuradhapura Attractions - Old City Anuradhapura Holy City

The history of the founding of the city is lost for centuries. According to one version, after the South Indian prince Vijaya came to the island, among the seven hundred of his associates there was a man named Anuradha, who founded a small village. The village was named after him, and over time, the small settlement turned into a large one. According to another legend, the city was named after a star in the constellation of Scorpio - Anuradha. Which of the theories to choose, everyone can decide for himself, but one thing will remain unchanged. Anuradhapura is a holy city and the ancient capital of Sri Lanka for 1500 years. Every year, thousands of believers make a pilgrimage to holy places.

The period when Anuradhapura directly became the capital of the kingdom began with King Pandukabai, who approved the city as the capital in 380 BC. e. To the west of the city, he built the Basava Kulam reservoir to supply water to the growing population of the city, established a sewerage system, laid out parks, and built palaces.

Judging by the ancient chronicles and surviving monuments, Anuradhapura was built according to a certain plan. Four city gates were oriented to the cardinal points, and the defensive walls surrounding the city were already in the 1st century BC. BC. reached a height of about 2 meters. In the II century. BC. the walls of Anuradhapura were built on and supplemented with watchtowers. Ancient Anuradhapura consisted of the inner city, which formed the royal palace and the most important religious buildings, and the outer city that grew later. A park adjoined the inner city, which King Devanampiyatissa donated to the Buddhist community. It should be noted that during the heyday, the territory of Anuradhapura exceeded 12 km. in diameter, and more than 300,000 people lived in it.

Due to its location, Anuradhapura was a very vulnerable city to foreign invaders. She was constantly attacked and periodically under the influence of the kings of the Indian dynasties. One such Indian ruler was the Tamil prince Elara, who came from South India in 205 B.C. He managed to hold power on the island for 44 years until a little prince named Dutugamun grew up, who decided to expel the Indian invaders from Sri Lanka. About 15 years lasted his confrontation with Prince Elara, however, in 161 BC. the victory went to Duthugamunu.

The Indian army of the Cholas, who arrived at the end of the 10th century, led by Prince Rajaray the Great, destroyed Anurakhdapura, but after their overthrow in 1070, the city was restored. The capital of the island, transferred by the Cholas to Polonnaruwa, was left there. People slowly left Anuradhapura, which was eventually abandoned and swallowed up by the jungle, until 1980, when under the patronage world organization UNESCO, which recorded the ruins of Anuradhapura in the World Heritage List, began a comprehensive restoration of the ruins of the first ancient capital of Sri Lanka.

Anuradhapura is undoubtedly one of the most attractive places for both pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. Like many centuries ago, monks and believing Buddhists come here. Often come to ancient capital students and schoolchildren to once again remember their great story and better understand the present.

Built around two huge boulders below the Tissaveva reservoir, created by King Devanampiyatissa, the temple was part of the oldest monastic complex, founded in the 3rd century BC. BC, which includes a Buddhist temple in the rock, with a statue of the reclining Buddha, a pond and elephant bas-reliefs carved into the rock, preserved in their original form. Some of the sculptures remained in their places, but some of them were moved to a specially created museum nearby.

One of these famous bas-reliefs is the image of a girl on her knees with her beloved warrior. The work dates back to the 5th century. According to the locals, it depicts the son of King Duthugamunu, Salia, and his beloved Asokamala, a girl from the lower caste of the “untouchables”, for whom Salia relinquished the throne.

On the shore of Lake Tisza is Mirisaveti Dagoba, built of red brick with a broken point on top. This stupa was built under King Duthugamunu. According to legend, the ruler went for a swim, sticking a symbol of power into the ground - a royal yoke with the relics of Buddha. At the end of the bath, the king, with all his strength, could not pull the yoke out of the ground and, regarding this as a sign, ordered to lay a dagoba in this place. The work was carried out for about 3 years, and the height of the stupa reached 60 meters, but it was rebuilt in the 10th century.

To the right of the oldest reservoir, Basavakkulam, built during the reign of King Pandukabay in the 4th century. BC, with an area of ​​​​about 120 hectares, one of the most ancient and revered stupas of Sri Lanka, Ruvanvalisaya, laid, according to legend, by King Dutagamunu in the 2nd century BC, in honor of his victory over the Indian prince Elara, opens up. However, unfortunately the king did not live to see the completion of construction. Ruvanvelisaya is otherwise called the White Stupa or Mahatupa, which in Sinhalese means the Great Stupa, although it is only the third largest of all the stupas of ancient Anuradhapura and soars 55 meters in height.

The stupa was built on a foundation of golden gravel and is located, as it were, on a pedestal, on the outer wall of which 400 elephants standing shoulder to shoulder are carved. The significance of these elephants is explained in two ways. On the one hand, the elephants support the platform on which the dagoba stands, as if supporting the earth in accordance with Buddhist cosmology. On the other hand, they say that the elephants simply helped in the construction of the stupa and this is a tribute to the memory of the majestic workers. Unfortunately, after multiple restorations started in 1893, the stupa lost its original shape.

If you follow Ruvanvelisai clockwise around Ruvanvelisai, you will see a modern shrine with five statues of a standing Buddha. Four of them, made of limestone, date back to the 8th century and symbolize the four incarnations of the Buddha on earth, and the fifth modern statue symbolizes the future Buddha and is crowned with a tiara, and holds a lotus flower in her hand. Continuing around Ruvanvelisai, you will see a statue facing the dagoba. According to legend, this is the figure of King Datugamun himself, built by his son Siddatissa, who completed the construction of his father's stupa and placed his statue so that he could enjoy his majestic creation. Nearby you can see a small model of the original Ruvanvelisai stupa.

One of the shrines revered by Buddhists around the world, the Bo tree or bodhi. It is reputed to be the oldest plant on earth, and its age is about 2250 years. The tree grew from a seedling taken from the Buddha tree in India, under which, according to legend, Prince Gautama attained enlightenment. The seedling was brought to the island by Princess Sangamitta, daughter of the Indian emperor Ashoka and sister of Prince Mahinda, who brought the idea of ​​Buddhism to Sri Lanka. The original tree has not survived, but the sacred shoot in Anuradhapura still grows to this day, despite the fact that the city was regularly attacked and conquered by Indian invaders who destroyed the ancient capital. Numerous offshoots of this Bo tree have been planted throughout Sri Lanka, as well as in many countries. South-East Asia. Now the mighty branches of the tree growing at the top of the terrace support special gilded iron props that can be seen all around. When approaching the tree, all visitors should take off their hats and shoes in accordance with the customs of Buddhism, meaning respect for shrines.

To the right of the sacred Bodhi tree, you can see the Lohapasada Palace or "Bronze Palace", which is a strange and wonderful structure built by King Duthugamunu over 2000 years ago. The palace is a 9-storey building with 1000 rooms, the roof of which is supported by 1600 columns, about 4 meters high. In ancient times, all columns were decorated with silver plates, and the roof of the palace building, resembling a pyramid, was covered with bronze copper sheets, which gave it its name "bronze". Since the palace was built of wood, it was destroyed several times as a result of fires and restored first to the 7th floor, and after another fire in the 4th century, only up to the 5th. When Anuradhapura was captured by the Indian Chola army, the Bronze Palace was finally destroyed. The columns that have survived to this day were assembled from the remains of more ancient buildings by King Parakramabahu the Great in the 12th century.

At the exit from the Mahavihara monastery complex, consisting of the Bodhi tree, the Bronze Palace and Ruvanveli Dagobda, on the right is the Jetavanarama Monastery, on the central platform of which rises a gigantic stupa, about 120 meters high. On June 4, 2009, Jetavan Dagoba was inaugurated for visiting and conducting Buddhist ceremonies. Work on the restoration of the Dagoba began in 1981 and continued for about 28 years. Dagobah is equipped with a special lighting system of lights that allows you to highlight the stupa during religious holidays.

According to the main Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa, King Mahasena built this huge Dagoba, 112 meters in diameter, from red brick in the 3rd century BC. About 90 million bricks and a quarter of a century were spent on the construction. The stupa is a perfect circle. It is known that in ancient times, on the site where the stupa was built, there were Nandana Gardens, where Arahat Mahinda, the son of King Ashoka, who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka, read a sermon for seven days. Since then, the name Jetavana (changed from Jotivan) has gone, literally meaning "the place where the rays of liberation shone." In ancient records of the 13th century, it is said that a fragment of a sash was immured in the mortar, which was used to gird the Buddha.

The original height of the stupa was about 160 meters, which made it the third tallest building in the world after famous pyramids in Giza. During the conservation and restoration work, it was found that the foundation of the stupa went more than 8.5 meters into the ground rock and now the height of Jetavan Dagoba is 71 meters. However, it remains the largest stupa in the world built entirely of brick.

To the west of the stupa is the house of the image of the Buddha. Judging by the preserved doorway 8 meters high, it was an impressive building.

Returning to the road leading past the Bassavakkulam reservoir, you can see the oldest dagoba of Anuradhapura - Tuparama, which literally means "stupa". The Tuparama Stupa is the first religious building in Anuradhapura and the first stupa built in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC. King Devanampiyatissa as a token of his acceptance of Buddhism. Its height is only about 19 meters, and inside is a particle of the right collarbone of the Buddha. In the 6th and 13th centuries, the stupa was completed and even covered with a wooden roof, from which only numerous columns remained that supported it. The stupa that you can see today was restored and faced with white marble in 1862.

In the northern part of Anuradhapura is the monastery of Abyagiri, which covers an area of ​​about 235 hectares. The monastery was built in the 1st century. BC. King Valagambahu for a group of monks expelled for heresy from the Mahavihara monastery, who created a new trend of Mahayana Buddhism, which was more liberal, in contrast to the traditional strict teachings of Theravada. In the center of the monastery is the Abyagiri Stupa, built by King Gajabahu. In the 12th century, King Parakramabahu completed the dagoba to a height of 115 meters, which made it the second highest dagoba of the ancient capital, but today the height of the stupa does not exceed 75 meters. According to legend, the stupa was built over the footprint of the Buddha.

Statue of Samadhi Buddha in meditation posture. The statue was carved from limestone in the 4th century and, according to legend, the eyes of the statue were made from natural stones. Those who wish to come closer must remove their shoes and hats.

The unique building of the Abyagiri monastery is the Twins pools, built in the 8th century by monks. In fact, the pools cannot be considered twins because one of them is 28 meters long and the other 40. The uniqueness of the pools lies in the water purification system, which, before entering the pool, passes through a series of small depressions to the right of the structure, where the dirt settles to the bottom, and pure water enters a smaller pool through an opening crowned with a dilapidated lion's head. A stone statue of a snake next to it symbolizes good luck. The two basins are interconnected by a small diameter pipeline.

Traveler

Entrance fee: 25/12.5 $ or 4500/2250 adult/child.

The ticket is valid only during the day! But many Anuradhapura can be visited for free, so if you plan to visit it for more than one day, then it makes sense to visit paid places on one day - Abyagiri, the Citadel, Jetavanarama, museums and the main Architectural Museum, and on other days to see the rest. Ticket office are near Architectural Museum. Tuk tukers can offer to take you around the complex without buying tickets by paying them personally, but the amount is less than the cost of tickets.

The sights of Anuradhapura can also be seen in the evening when the lights turn on and the Sri Lankans come to religious sites for ceremonies. After 18:00, the box office is closed and you can walk around all the sights for free.

It is forbidden to use quadrocopters in Anuradhapura.

around the clock

4500/2250 rupees adult/child

Time for inspection - 4 hours

Anuradhapura from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Anuradhapura.

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Anuradhapura is the capital of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and one of ancient cities islands of Ceylon. For a long time, Anaradhapura, located in a strategically important place - at the intersection of two port areas - and hidden in the depths of the jungle, was the capital of the state - until 1017, when the city was seriously destroyed by the invaders from South India and abandoned by the inhabitants.

For almost a thousand years, the city stood in ruins, and only in the 19th century an English hunter accidentally stumbled upon it in the jungle.

Today, Anuradhapura has mostly been restored and is divided into two parts: the Old City, which is a non-residential protected area, and the New City, where the entire population of Anuradhapura lives (about 50,000 people) and there is a tourist area with hotels, restaurants and shops.

The city is quite far from coastline, therefore, tourists to Anuradhapura are attracted primarily worldwide famous monuments culture and history of Sri Lanka included in the List world heritage UNESCO.

How to get there

Anuradhapura is located 200 kilometers from the capital of the island - Colombo. You can get to the city by train (there are two railway stations here), as well as by bus in 5 hours (it comes to bus station in the New Town) or by renting a car along the A9 highway in 4 hours.

Search for flights to Colombo city (nearest airport to Anuradhapura)

Transport

Buses and tuk-tuks run around the New City, but the need for them is small - this small area can be easily walked from end to end in half an hour. But the security zone on the other side of the Malvathu-Oya River is very large in area - and you can’t do without a tuk-tuk here. However, in many places of the Old City, the movement of any transport, even tuk-tuks, is prohibited.

Popular hotels in Anuradhapura

Excursions, entertainment and attractions of Anuradhapura

As mentioned above, most tourists come to see the monuments of the Old City. Among them are the so-called dagobas (Buddhist religious buildings designed to store relics) Thumaparama, Ruanveli with the famous stone statues of Buddha, Jetavanarama, considered one of the tallest brick structures in the Ancient World, as well as the statue of Buddha Aukana and the sacred Bodhi tree, considered the oldest known tree, with the Mahabodhi temple built around it. And this is only a small part of the monuments that await travelers in the Old City of Anuradhapura.

Anuradhapura

In the New Town, there are many hotels, restaurants and shops, there is also a market where you can buy souvenirs.

It is worth remembering: although alcohol is sold in tourist-oriented establishments, public drinking of alcoholic beverages in Sri Lanka is not welcome.

• Where to stay: on one of mountain resorts Ceylon, where even in colonial times the British hid from the heat, namely in Kandy or in Nuwara Eliya. In addition, you can stay in the country's capital, Colombo, or on one of beach resorts southeast coast of Sri Lanka.
• What to see: one of the oldest cities in Ceylon

Hello friends. We talked about the ancient first capital of Sri Lanka. But it’s not enough to tell - you always want to know what interesting things you can see and where to look in a new place. In it - Old city representing unusual place. On the one hand, this is an archaeological zone, on the other hand, it is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of Buddhists. Numerous tourists do not lag behind believers. What is here? All the main attractions of Anuradhapura. We will tell about them today.

I will say right away that the territory of the old city is huge, if you want to see everything, you should take a tuk-tuk and move around on it. Drivers know where it is best to drive up to drop you off, where you can park without a fine, where to meet us. It's comfortable. We did just that. After a little haggling (this must be done), we agreed on $10 and off we went.

As you can see, the main, fully restored objects of the old city are:

• Isuruminia rock monastery
• Temple and Bodhi Tree
• Museum
• Stupas

But of course, there are more interesting objects. Old Anuradhapura is a huge area of ​​about 20 by 20 km. Walk - do not bypass. But since the sights of Anuradhapura belong to the Sinhala Buddhist culture we don't understand much. Well, dagobas and dagobas, I saw one - you know everything. However, it was interesting for us, including observing people. For believers, everything here is full of meaning.

In the IV century BC. Buddhism came to the island. At the same time, a branch of the Bo tree appeared here.

Isurumuniya Vihara

English Isurumuniya Vihara (Originally Meghagiri Vihara)

Here begins the territory of the old city. In 1950, all residents from this territory were relocated to the New City.

The rock palace was built in 307-267 BC. for 500 monk boys from the upper class. Located in the rocks, next to Lake Tisza. Transferred to the disposal of the community of monks. The Isurumuniya temple was one of the buildings of the largest monastery in Anuradhapura.

Here are:

• two temples - old and new

buddha statues

• mortar

• Lake Tisza
• sculptures

• museum

bodhi tree

Full name: Mahabodhi Tree (Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi)

One of the most famous Buddhist shrines all over the world. The Bodhi Tree, or simply, the Bo Tree is very old, it is 2250 years old. It is grown from a branch of a tree (ficus) in the city of Bodh Gaya, under which Prince Gautami became an enlightened Buddha.

In the 19th century, the main trunk of the Mahabodhi tree in Anuradhapura was cut down by an English fanatic, but a small trunk remained, which is now revered and held up with golden props.

The monks tending the tree take young shoots and grow new trees. There are many Bodhi trees on the temple grounds.

Bronze Palace (Loja Pasada)

Another name is Lovamahapaya. The palace is located next to the sacred tree. Built for monks.

This amazing building is 2000 years old. It was built under the legendary Anuradhapura ruler Dutugamunu.

Everyone writes that the temple has 9 floors, but I have no idea how high they should be if the height of the entire temple is 4 meters. The temple has over 1000 rooms. Now we hardly see them. There are 1600 columns along the perimeter. Here it is, please. True, while the columns are concrete, they make a strange look, but it's impressive. Once upon a time, the columns were decorated with silver slabs.

The roof is shaped like a pyramid, its vaults were decorated with copper tiles to make it shine in the sun.

The legend says that appearance building taken from the vision of the monks.

A group of monks saw the temple while meditating. They sketched what they saw with red arsenic and brought the drawing to the king.

The first temple was built of wood and burned down during one of the fires. Today, only the mention of him and the columns remain.

Around the Bodhi tree is the historical territory of Anuradhapura. Long Alley - the ancient street of the city comes from the temple of the Bo tree.

Along it are huge religious buildings, shaped like a bell. These are dagobas or stupas.

Dagoba or Stupa is a Buddhist architectural and sculptural monolithic monumental and religious building with a hemispherical outline. Initially, the stupa was a reliquary, and then became a monument erected in honor of some event in Buddhism. Historically, it goes back to burial mounds built for the burial of kings or leaders. Wikipedia

Mirisaveti Dagoba

English Mirisaweti Stupa

The legend tells: King Dutugamunu with a harem went to Lake Tisza, where the Water Festival was held. He stuck his staff (scepter) into the soft earth, in which the relic was hidden (most likely a piece of Buddha's bone).

Some time later, while preparing to return to the palace, the king found that neither he nor any of his retinue could pull the staff out of the ground - it took root and grew into the ground. Dutugamunu regarded this as a sign from above - the relic should remain in this place, and decided to build a dagoba over the staff.

Mirisaveti

The construction of the building took 3 years. The stupa was rebuilt in the 10th century.

You have already understood that inside each stupa there is a reliquary in which some kind of shrine is kept. It can be a piece of Buddha's bone, his alms bowl, a belt, even a footprint or. The Dagobah may be a monument to the event.

English Ruwanwelisaya Stupa

To see the next stupa, you need to go to the Basavakkulam reservoir.

Ruvanveli Dagoba was built in the II - I centuries AD.

The most famous building of King Dutugemunu. It is also called the White Stupa or Mahatupa, which means "great stupa".

The stupa houses the Buddha's begging bowl.

The building is huge. It covers an area of ​​120 hectares.

At present, its height is more than 90 meters, and the diameter at the base is 91 meters.

And this is how the stupa looks on a holiday:

We watched the embellishment take place. This can be seen in the photo report.

Ruvanveli Stupa

The foundation of the stupa is made of golden gravel. It is placed on a pedestal. It looks impressive, solemn and mysterious - there are bas-reliefs of 400 elephants on the pedestal. The symbolic and cosmogonic meaning is that the World stands on Elephants.

Elephants participated in the construction of the Ruvanveli dagoba. Each elephant's leg was tied with a leather cloth.

The king personally supervised the work. He watched how the relic chamber for the Buddha bowl was created and watched how the bowl was hidden inside.

During the construction, delegations from various parts of India came to the stupa, 30,000 monks from Alexandria (in the Caucasus) led by the Indo-Greek monk Mahadharmarakshita (Mahadharmaraksita).

In 1839 the dagoba was rebuilt.

Sanctuary

Near Ruvanveli there is a sanctuary with 5 statues telling about the incarnations of the Buddha. Refer to one of them Special attention. This is a statue of a meditating Buddha. It is believed that she is a portrait of King Duthugamunu. (I have told quite a lot about Datugumunu in the previous article).

Nearby is a smaller copy of the entire sanctuary.

The legend of the stupa and the death of Dutugamunu

King Dutugamunu did not see the completion of the work - the complex was completed after his death by the son of the king. But the Sri Lankans tell a touching story about the last hours of Duthugamun's life.

Ruvanveli Stupa is the favorite brainchild of the king. He dreamed of seeing the building completed, but his health was getting worse and the king held on to the last of his strength. Feeling his imminent death, he hurried his brother, who was now in charge of the construction. And the brother said that there was not much left, although unexpected difficulties delayed the completion of the building.

Seeing that the king was dying, and wanting to make him happy, the brother announced the good news - the stupa was ready. The king was so inspired that his strength returned for a while and he decided to see the creation before his death.

The palanquin with the king was moving towards the dagoba, on the way the king met his old friend, who has now become a monk. They talked about the mortality of old men and how rulers are reborn in the celestial sphere of Tushita immediately after death.

The king died happy, never knowing that his brother Tissa went to deceit: knowing that the king's eyesight had become very weak, the brother pulled the purest white fabric over the frame. Dutugamunu was sure that the stupa was completed.

In fact, it was only half built.

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Jetavana Dagobah

English Jethawanaramaya Dagoba

If you leave the complex and go through the Jetavanarama monastery, you will see another huge stupa.

This is Jetavana Dagoba, the highest stupa in Sri Lanka. Built in the III century BC. where the Nandana gardens were. Here, for seven days, the son of King Ashoka, Prince Arahat Mahinda, who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka, read a sermon.

Jetavana is the changed indian word Jotivan. It translates as "the place where the rays of liberation shone."

Each stupa holds a shrine. Inside this stupa is the belt of the Buddha.

Jetavana Dagoba is the tallest brick building in the world. Of the ancient structures, only two pyramids in Giza are higher than it.

The stupa was completely destroyed. Restoration work began only in 1981. Since then, the dagoba has been open to pilgrims, and services are held here.

If we consider the main historical document of the Sinhalese kingdom - the chronicles of Mahavasma, then we will find out the details of the construction and features of this dagoba.

At its base is an ideal circle with a diameter of 122 meters, which is difficult to do without special measuring tools.

It is known that the construction of this dagoba took about 90 million bricks.

Thuparam Stupa

Anngl. Thuparama Dagoba

Anuradhapura's oldest dagoba. Built in the III century BC.

Located next to Jetavana Dagoba. The oldest dagoba of Tuparam.

The first stupa meant that the king of Sri Lanka had adopted Buddhism.

In the 19th century it was faced with marble.

Abhayagiri dagoba

English Abayagiri Dagoba. It is also called Abyagiri Dagoba.

In the north of the complex are the ruins of the Abhayagiri monastery. It was built specifically for the monks who were expelled from the main monastery.

The monks were declared heretics, but in fact they created the Mahayana Buddhist movement, more liberal than the mainstream.

Abyagiri Dagoba is the center of this current.

This is what Abhayagiri Dagaba looked like quite recently

Inside the monastery there is another interesting dagoba.

During its foundation (XII century) it was the second highest in the Capital.

Tradition says that it was built right above the place where the Buddha's foot touched the ground.

Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Pools)

There is a unique building on the territory of the Abyagiri monastery. These are twin pools built by the masters of the ancient capital.

The name should not confuse you, the pools are not identical. The length of one is 40 meters, the other is only 28 meters. But this is not the main thing: the local water purification system is much more interesting, because the water in the pools is clear and clean.

The pools are considered an example of significant achievements in the field of hydro-engineering and architectural-artistic creations of the ancient Sinhalese.

Before entering the tanks, the water passes through a series of narrow underground channels, is filtered by sand and earth, entering the pool completely cleaned of dirt and debris.

For the pools, granite slabs were cut to include the bottom and sides of the pool. And around the pool, a wall is built that encloses and secures the connection.

The entrance to the pool is decorated with a lion's head and an image of a snake, on the walls of the bowl of abundance.

Real live turtles are splashing in the pools themselves.

Finally, we want to give you some useful tips:

Show respect for other religions. A famous scandal erupted in Anuradhapura a few years ago when our tourist was put in jail. She wanted to take a memorable photo in front of the sacred ancient Buddha statue. They say she turned her back, but I think it was something more serious.

This is the statue of Buddha.

• Dagoba needs to be bypassed in a certain direction - clockwise. This is a ritual bypass, corresponding to the culture of Buddhism.

By the way, in Hinduism it is customary to make a detour as well - clockwise. It is believed that witches and sorcerers, for the sake of their black deeds, go counterclockwise.

• To visit any religious places in Sri Lanka, we recommend dressing modestly, in accordance with Buddhist requirements: legs are covered (not shorts), shoulders are covered (not a T-shirt).
• Take off your shoes in front of the temple and leave them in a specially designated place or put them in a bag and carry them with you.
• Enter the temple barefoot. If the stoves are very cold or vice versa - they are hot in the sun, go in socks, but without shoes.
• When visiting sights that are far from the noise and roads, be careful: there may be snakes and monitor lizards in the grass.

Anuradhapura - famous city ancient monasteries located in the northern part of Central Sri Lanka. The ancient monuments of Anuradhapura were discovered in the 19th century, and later entered into. This ancient city is called the most big city monasteries in the world. In the capital, where 113 kings ruled, where Buddhists make a pilgrimage, there are greatest monuments, palaces and monasteries of Sri Lanka. Other famous cultural attractions of Sri Lanka are the majestic rock, cave temple And amazing temples.

Anuradhapura, ancient capital of Sri Lanka

The foundation of the city of Anuradhapura almost coincided with the spread of Buddhism in Ceylon. According to legend, the Sinhalese ruler Devanampiya Tissa (3rd century BC) and his entourage got acquainted with the new creed thanks to the son of the Indian king Ashoka, Mahinda. Soon Buddhism became the official religion of the Sinhalese, and the first stupa (dagoba) of Tuparam and the Buddhist monastery of Isurumuniya were built in Anuradhapura. During this era, the city experienced its heyday.

The ancient Sri Lankan chronicle "Mahavamsa" testifies: "The great and wise king ordered to lay in this wonderful city streets, and thousands of houses barely three stories high were built on them. Everywhere in the city there were shops full of all kinds of goods. Elephants, horses and carriages passed without delay through the streets, every day teeming with people who took part in the solemn festivities. The whole strip of land near the coast was like one continuous workshop, continuously occupied with the construction of ships ... "

Having existed for more than 1200 years as the capital of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura was destroyed at the end of the 10th century, when the troops of the South Indian state of the Cholas invaded northern part islands. The capital of the island was moved to Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura turned into a city of great past, revered as the sacred capital of the island.

Sights of Anuradhapura

The majestic ruins of Anuradhapura, occupying a circle with a diameter of more than 12 km, are located a four-hour drive from the modern capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. This city-museum is impossible to get around in its entirety and inspect even in a few days. Meanwhile, perhaps the most significant cultural monuments of the “Lion Island” are concentrated here.

Ancient chronicles tell that Anuradhapura was once surrounded by high walls with gates facing the four cardinal directions. There were many reservoirs and parks in the city, thousands of sweepers went out daily to clean the streets. The royal palace and numerous Buddhist monasteries (viharas) and stupas (dagobas) were grandiose structures made of stone and wood. In ancient times, there were more than 3 thousand monks here alone.

At the same time, each ruler of Anuradhapura sought to build a dagoba, if possible exceeding in size and splendor those that were erected by his predecessors. In particular, the Jetavana dagoba, lying in ruins, but partially restored, reached 80 m in height - i.e. was taller than many Egyptian pyramids.

Typical and extremely characteristic of Ceylon, examples of Buddhist art are the so-called "moonstones". Eight of them have been preserved in Anuradhapura. Usually they were placed in front of the entrance to the "House of the Image". "Moonstones" are semicircular granite slabs with ornamental images carved on them. In the outer semicircle, various animals and birds were located in a clockwise direction.

The next half ring was a wreath of lotus leaves. The sun was depicted in the center. This symbolism is associated with ancient cosmogonic ideas, and entered the island from India along with Buddhism. The images themselves on the "moonstones", however, are inspired by Hindu mythology, but new content is embedded in them. The lion, for example, is associated with the Buddha, lotuses - with detachment from everything earthly.

Today from architectural structures ancient Anuradhapura is the best preserved dagoba. The gigantic stone masses withstood despite the ravages of time.

The largest among the dagobas of Anuradhapura is the Ruvanvelisaya dagoba, a masterpiece of Sri Lankan architecture. It is often referred to as the "Great Stupa" - "Maha Thupa". A round snow-white stone mass 54 m high rests on a square base, framed on all sides by reliefs depicting elephant heads. The spire, pointing to the sky, once sparkled with gold.

The Ruvanvelisai Stupa is about two thousand years old, and the history of its construction is described in detail in the ancient Ceylon chronicle Mahavamsa. The construction of the dagoba was begun by King Dutthtagamini, one of the most famous lords who ruled in Anuradhapura. Having reigned on the throne, he found a golden plate hidden in his palace with an order to build a dagoba. Then the king summoned five hundred of the best architects, showed them the plate and asked what form the dagoba should be built. One of the architects suggested a bowl turned upside down as a model.

Dagoba was built with extreme care. Even the sand intended for construction was repeatedly sieved and then rubbed between the stones. The foundation was trampled down by elephants, whose feet were wrapped in skins. The inner sanctuary of the dagoba was decorated with silver and gold. A model of the sacred bo tree made of gold and silver with pearls and gems was installed here. Especially famous was the statue of Buddha, cast from pure gold, located here.

Shortly before the completion of construction, the king fell ill. Feeling the approach of death, he asked his brother Saddhatissa to see to it that the construction was completed. Saddhatissa promised to fulfill his request. It was he who ordered the dagoba to be painted white, which it retains to this day, although the coloring has to be regularly updated: Subsequent kings also decorated the dagoba in all available ways.

In the middle of the XIX century. this building was threatened by the fate of many other buildings in Anuradhapura. The dilapidated dome resembled a natural hill, overgrown with trees and shrubs, in which monkeys galloped and jackals hid. Restoration work has been going on for almost a hundred years. Only during the Second World War, the Ruwanvelisaya pagoda was finally restored.

Among the most ancient monuments of Buddhism in Ceylon is the Tuparama Dagoba, built in the 3rd century BC. BC. Devanapiya Tissa - the first Sinhalese ruler who converted to Buddhism. According to legend, the clavicle of Buddha is immured in this stupa, thanks to which Tuparama is a particularly revered shrine. The height of this graceful, surprisingly proportional structure. resembling a bell, is about 17 m.

One can only be amazed at the skill and artistic taste of the Sinhalese masters who created this magnificent structure more than twenty-two centuries ago. Dagoba is surrounded by stone pillars, which once served as a support for a tent over the heads of worshipers.

The spire of another dagoba, Abhayagiri, seems to rise from the bowels of a huge mountain. This mountain is actually nothing more than a dome overgrown with grass (also restored in last years). The very name "Abhayagiri" is sometimes translated as "Mountain where there is no fear."

At the foot of the dagoba, a sculpture about two meters high has been preserved, depicting the Buddha Samadhi immersed in nirvana (IV or V centuries). The figure is carved rather roughly, but the face is very expressively worked out with an accentuated absent expression.

However, a much more interesting Buddha statue has been preserved in Anuradhapura, which is the oldest in Sri Lanka - it was erected 1800 years ago. The Chinese traveler Fa Xian, who visited Anuradhapura in 411, wrote: “Here ... there is a hall of the Buddha, decorated with gold, silver and precious stones, where is his statue of green jade, more than fifty feet high, sparkling with seven treasures, but in a pose of seriousness and indescribable dignity. In the palm of his right hand lies a priceless stone.

This statue, which has survived to this day, is actually carved not from jade, but from granite. The Buddha is depicted in a meditation posture. sitting cross-legged. His face expresses serenity, the deepest peace of all wisdom that has comprehended.

Another ancient monument Anuradhapura, preserved from the time of King Devanampiya Tissa, is the Isurumuniya monastery, cut into a large rock. Later restorations significantly changed its original appearance. Several bas-reliefs carved in the rock monolith dating back to the time of Devanampiya Tissa have been preserved. Among them is a composition depicting a group of elephants, as well as the famous bas-relief "Lovers in stone", depicting a girl sitting on the lap of her beloved warrior.

The construction of Lohapasada - the Bronze Palace, began in the middle of the II century. BC. King Dutthagamani, the same one who built the grandiose dagoba of Ruvanvelisaya. The liberation of the north of Sri Lanka and the capital of the island of Anuradhapura from the dominion of South Indian invaders is associated with his reign. Uniting the entire island under his rule. Dutghagamani began extensive construction in his capital. His life was not enough for this, and the construction of the Bronze Palace was completed already under his younger brother.

Stories about the new miracle of Anuradhapura spread far beyond the island. Legend has it that it was built "in the image of the sky". The palace had nine floors and a thousand rooms decorated with wood carvings. In the throne room was an ivory throne, on which the sun, moon and stars made of gold, silver and pearls sparkled. The rooms of the palace were also decorated with pearls, gold and silver. The Mahavamsa says that "precious stones were inserted into the cornices ... The ringing festoons are made of gold." And its name - Bronze - the palace got because of the bronze sheets covering the roof.

The bronze palace died, as they say, “due to a penny candle”: once a burning oil lamp fell on the floor, and the fire completely destroyed all this splendor. The building was partially restored, but subsequent wars and the desolation of Anuradhapura led to the fact that today only a platform is left of the legendary palace, lined with a whole forest of granite columns - there are up to 1600 of them here!

But Kuttam, the “Double Bath,” built in the 9th century, has been perfectly preserved. and about 8 m deep. At the edge of the bath is a skillful sculptural image of a cobra.

In Anuradhapura, many architectural monuments have been preserved, deservedly enjoying worldwide fame. Perhaps no less famous is the thousand-year-old bo tree growing near the dagoba Ruvanvelisai. It was planted over 2250 years ago by the first Buddhist king, Devanampiya Tissa, and is probably the oldest tree on earth today. It survived almost the entire history of Sri Lanka, now captured in the ruins of Anuradhapura.

The tree seedling was brought from India, from the sacred city, and, according to legend. is an offshoot of the same bo tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. The branch, placed in a golden pot, was delivered to Anuradhapura by the nun Sanghamitta, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka. With the greatest solemnity, the precious branch was planted in the park in front of the royal palace. Then it was predicted that the tree would bloom and turn green forever.

It is said that seven days later a miraculous rain fell, and the branch immediately launched eight shoots, which in turn were taken to other parts of the island. Today, in almost any Sri Lankan Buddhist monastery, you can see the bo tree, which is the "grandson", "great-grandson" or even more distant descendant of the "Sri Maha Bodhi" - the "sacred great bo" from Anuradhapura.

A huge ancient tree is carefully surrounded by a cast-iron fence. Its thick branches, full of vital juices, indicate that this tree will not die soon. There is hardly a Buddhist in the whole country who has not made a pilgrimage to this tree at least once in his life. Students come here before exams, business people come before making important deals, ministers before making political decisions. On the day when the anniversary of the conversion of the Sinhalese to Buddhism is celebrated (this holiday is called "poson"), thousands of pilgrims come to Anuradhapura. Here they pray and light candles by the sacred tree.

And having gained strength, we had to move to Anuradhapura - the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. In terms of the number of attractions, Anuradhapura ranks first in Sri Lanka and we planned to spend a couple of days on it, but everything turned out quite differently ...

How to get from Negombo to Anuradhapura.
There seem to be no direct buses from Negombo to Anuradhapura, so you must first get to Kurunegala, and then transfer to a bus to Anuradhapura. At 6 o'clock in the morning we got up, packed our things, had a bite to eat, paid off the owners of the guesthouse and caught a passing tuker, with whom we agreed to get to the bus station for 250 rupees. At the bus station, we were kindly told the number of the required bus, we threw our bags next to the driver's seat and waited for the departure.

Sri Lanka transport.
Sri Lanka is well developed transport connection between cities, and there are options that are different in terms of budget and speed. The cheapest option is to take old red buses, but they stop at every stop and drive very slowly, literally squeezing the last remaining strength from millions of motors. The second option, which we used most often, is the same large buses, but usually white. They rush from station to station at full speed. This driving is on the edge and how they are still alive is beyond me. At the beginning of each trip, buses stop near small houses with Buddha figurines. There, the controller leaves a small amount as a donation and takes some white powder, smears it on his forehead, the forehead of the driver and the steering wheel of the bus. Perhaps the secret of survival is precisely this. Or maybe in another - all the way the driver and the controller chew betel. These are the leaves of a local plant, which are sold on every corner, and according to the Sri Lankans are an excellent tonic. Teeth rot from it, and eyes become glassy, ​​but still they chew. The third option is to use the services of a high-speed minibus called "express". These are minibuses with exclusively seating places, they go fast, but the price is higher. In all buses, the controller accepts payment and even issues tickets. The driver only turns the steering wheel. Also, some use the services of tuk-tuks to move between cities, but this, in my opinion, is a mockery. They drive slowly, and the sound of the roar of the engine can drive you crazy on long journeys.

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Kurunegala.
In order to get to Kurunegala, we used the services of a large white bus, sat behind the driver. Usually these places are reserved for monks, but tourists are often put there too. For 2.5 hours and 190 rupees for two, we reached the Kurunegala bus station. They asked the bus drivers there, quickly found a bus to Anuradhapura, and at 9 o'clock we were already driving in the direction we needed. The fare for Kurunegala-Anuradhapura is Rs 140 per person (big white bus). At 11.30 we were at the Anuradhapura bus station. It is worth noting that there are two stations in Anuradhapura, a new one and an old one. First, the bus pulls into a new one that looks like a regular bus. bus stop with a bunch of buses, and then he goes to the old one, everything is more organized there, platforms and all that. Buses for long distances mostly depart from the old station.

Anuradhapura.
Near the old bus station, we turned to tukers with a question about housing. I wanted to find something in the region of 1500 rupees per night. While the tukers were arguing among themselves, a man drove up on a scooter and offered to check into his home guesthouse for 1200 rupees. We agreed to go and see his place. The owner of the guesthouse offered to use the services of one of the tukers. Here we made a mistake and did not agree on the price for a tuk-tuk in advance, we relied on a peasant. As a result, having reached the guesthouse that we liked, the tuker said that money for delivery was not needed and began to offer his services in organizing a tour of Anuradhapura and trump tickets that are not needed at all anywhere except for the Insurmuniya temple. We refused his services and he asked 400 rupees for delivery to the guesthouse, which is twice the expected price for a tuk. On objections, he began to cry that Sri Lanka was from e-tar country, vi ar pur people and vi hev but mani. The usual story is shorter. They paid him 300 to fall behind, having learned a lesson for the future - always negotiate a price in advance. By the way, when negotiating a price in guesthouses, also always ask if there are any additional taxes or fees, otherwise it may turn out to be a surprise later.

Tuker left, the owner said that the Buddha would punish him for such prices. And we settled in, asked him where you can have a bite to eat, what the weather is like and how long it takes to visit all the main attractions. In the process of communication, a friendly Sri Lankan offered us a tour of all the temples and dagobas for 4,000 rupees for two. For this money, he promised a tuk-tuk, his guide services and the notorious "tickets". Without thinking twice, we agreed that the price is not so high, but there is an opportunity to quickly see everything without bothering with the question of how to get to one place or another. We agreed on 4 pm and went to look for food.

The weather turned bad. In general, it rains at regular intervals in the center of the country. On the way from the guesthouse we met a lot of different animals - langur, palm squirrel and some kind of heron.

We were heading to the Food City supermarket, which we noticed while riding a tuk to the guest house. He was close and we reached him on foot. A little further down the road was a new bus station. In general, our location was very convenient. In the market we bought groceries for the evening, and on the second floor we ate fried fish in a Chinese restaurant. Portions are huge, prices are outrageous. For 1100 rupees, they ate from the belly. While they ate, a strong one charged outside tropical downpour which ended as abruptly as it began.

We returned exactly at 4 o'clock, in the courtyard of the guesthouse a tuk-tuk hired by the owner was already waiting for us. The weather seemed to have dispersed and we went to see the city.

Landmarks of Anuradhapura.
The first point of our tour was a Hindu temple. It was not included in our itinerary, but passing by, we asked to stop and have a look. In the temple, by a lucky chance, some kind of rite of purification was carried out. A family of parishioners sat on the floor, ministers walked around them with incense and sang songs. Our guide prayed, put white dots on our foreheads and told us about different Hindu gods. It was pretty interesting.

Vessagyria.
Then we went to the caves of the Vessagiriya monastery. This is a complex of several huge boulders and caves under them. The monks hid here from the rain and meditated. There are ancient inscriptions on the walls everywhere. And at the top there is a delightful view of the surroundings, everything is green and the spiers of various dagobas are everywhere. Immediately we spotted a few macaques and saw a flying peacock for the first time.

Insurmunia.
We arrived at the Buddhist temple of Insurmuniya in the rain, which charged with renewed vigor. We bought tickets for 200 rupees, left our shoes in front of the entrance (as is customary in all Buddhist temples) and went to “walk through the puddles”. Wet to the skin almost immediately, despite the presence of 2 umbrellas. The whole complex is very beautiful. On a small rise is an altar with lunar guard stones in front of the entrance. To the right is a small pool with elephants engraved on the rock. On the left is a small extension to the rock, inside which is the reclining Buddha. There is also a small historical museum dedicated to the temple of Insurmuniya nearby. And from the back of the temple is a staircase leading to the very top. Here is the main attraction of the temple - the footprint of the Buddha. By tradition, they throw a coin there and make a wish, which we took advantage of. By this time, the rain had stopped and the territory temple complex many langurs and palm squirrels appeared.

Stargate. Ranmasu-uyana.
Not far from the temple of Insurmuniya is the ruined archaeological complex of Ranmasu-uyana. Sri Lankans call it royal garden pleasures. Not far from each other there are 2 pools, one for women, the other for men. Approaching the complex, our guide asked if we believe in aliens and took us to a place where, according to legend, aliens left their marks on the stone. The figure shows something like a map of the universe.

Behind Ranmasu-uyan and Insurmunia is beautiful lake Tissa Ueva, which sparkled with all the colors in the sun, which came out after a heavy rain.

Stupa Mirissaveti.
The next point of our excursion was the stupa of Mirissaveti. Huge white dogoba. Its dimensions are simply unimaginable. To be honest, before planning a trip to Sri Lanka, I did not even suspect the existence of such architectural structures. Inside the dagoba or stupa (as it is also called), there is usually some kind of relic, but there is no entrance inside. We walked around it, took pictures and went to the next destination.

Sri Maha Bodhi
The sacred fig tree in Anuradhapura, grown from the sprout of the Bodhi tree, under which Prince Gautama attained enlightenment and became a Buddha. The Sri Lankans say that oldest tree on the ground. Some branches rest on golden supports, and below is a temple where thousands of pilgrims converge. We arrived just in time for the evening service. Musicians beat drums, music played, believers brought flowers to a tree and prayed. The Sri Maha Bodhi tree is considered one of the main shrines of Sri Lanka.

Dagoba Ruanveli.
Behind the Sri Maha Bodhi tree is a wide alley. We walked along it to the dagoba Ruanveli. A huge white stupa, like Mirissaveti. It is considered the largest and oldest dagoba of Anuradhapura. Around it, in a single ensemble, there are 4 small stupas and a small temple with a reclining Buddha, inside which the monk told some story to the parishioners.

Thuparamaya Dagoba.
We approached this most beautiful dagoba, surrounded by pillars and small altars, already in the dark. Inside the Thuparamaya dagoba, a piece of the body of the Buddha himself is kept. Despite its modest size, this is one of the most beautiful stupas I have ever seen.

Jetavana Dagoba.
We did not get to this huge brick mortar. Night fell and they saw her only from afar. Tooker drove us as close as possible to take a photo, but without a tripod it was impossible. During the evening we saw so many dagobas that I think we didn’t lose anything.

Satisfied and full of emotions from what they saw, they went home, on the way they bought fruit at the night bazaar. By the way, the bananas here are small, half the size of those we are used to seeing, but they are sweet. And pineapples locals prefer to eat with salt and pepper. Upon returning to the guesthouse, I asked the hostess to peel and cut the pineapple. At my request, she also sprinkled half of the slices with salt and pepper. Delicious of course, but to be honest, I liked the slices without spices more. There will be an opportunity to try.

It was a very interesting day and we did not regret at all that we took our host as a guide. We ourselves would have walked here for 2 days and were pretty tired. So do the same if possible. The city is large and attractions are far from each other.

Before going to bed, we asked the owner of the guesthouse how to get to, a town not far from Anuradhapura. Everyone found out and went to sleep. It was planned that early in the morning we will go to Mihintale, inspect everything there before lunch, return and leave Anuradhapura ...

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