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

In Sri Lanka, transport links between cities are well developed, and there are options that vary in budget and speed. The cheapest option is to ride on 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 kind of 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. Kurunegala-Anuradhapura fare 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 the new one, which looks like a regular bus stop with a bunch of buses, and then it goes to the old one, it's more organized, platforms and all. 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 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 were eating, a strong tropical downpour started outside, which ended as suddenly 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.

Sights 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 many langurs and palm squirrels appeared on the territory of the temple complex.

Stargate. Ranmasu uyana

Not far from the temple of Insurmuniya is the ruined archaeological complex of Ranmasu-uyana. Sri Lankans call it the Royal Pleasure Garden. 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 Insurmuniya is the 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 this is the oldest tree on Earth. 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.

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 locals prefer to eat pineapples 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 bed. It was planned that early in the morning we will go to Mihintale, inspect everything there before lunch, return and leave Anuradhapura ...

And again we are glad to see you on the pages. Today, having left the north of Sri Lanka, namely, we set off towards sacred Anuradhapura city with many ancient monuments of cultural heritage, it is also called old town, from where in 1950 all the inhabitants were relocated to a new part of the city. And since we are not too rich travelers, we will share with you the story of how we managed to see all the sights for free.

Bus: Anuradhapura can be reached by bus in 5 hours (it comes to the bus station in the New City).

• Option 1 - after the airport in Colombo we get to the airport bus station (on foot, “tuk-tuk”). There is no direct bus from this station to Anuradhapura, but from there you can get to Colombo itself and transfer there to a direct bus number 5.
• Option 2 - get to the bus station in Negombo, transfer to the bus to Anuradhapura or to Kurenegala (Kurunegala) where you can again transfer to another bus. The direct bus goes through Puttalam. You can also get with a change through Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala (Kurunegala).

Deciding to try public transport, we took a bus from Jaffna for 100 rupees (26 rubles).

Having reached the town of Kilinochi (from Kilinochi to Anuradhapura 144 km), we already hitchhiked, but you can use the train (280 rupees per person).

How to get to the holy city of Anuradhapura for free.

Since we got up early, we still had a lot of time left to hitchhike to the desired point and see more sights. In principle, all the most interesting of the city is located on one large territory, where a single entrance ticket costs 3200 rupees (800 rubles) or $25. After all, we still did not know how many passes on Attraction are, although I heard, in some cases very overpriced. And it's not at all that Sri Lanka has the most unique sights in all of Asia, it's just that the policy of the state here is too greedy for money.

Naturally, paying such crazy money for a couple of stupas is too “stupid”, so we walked around the territory a little to the side and climbed over a low fence. The first stop was a 120 meter stupa Jetavanarama, located on the ruins of Jetavana monastery.

Well, yes, a big, big stupa, of which we have seen enough in, differs from the rest only in that it is considered the largest in Sri Lanka. And it is necessary, it is not even stipulated, that it keeps a fragment of some “detail” of the Buddha. This time it's part of his belt.

In principle, even a little impressive in size, and for me personally, it seemed the most interesting attraction of Anuradhapura than all the other archaeological sites of the old city.

To get to the second stupa, we had to go through the secondary ticket control, which we, of course, did not suspect.

The guard, seeing two large backpacks from afar, immediately jumped up and waved his arms at us. Andrei did not even look in his direction, passing on, I followed his example. The guard, taken aback by our impudence, left his place and in three jumps appeared in front of us, blocking the way and shouting “Ticket! Ticket! I silently shifted my gaze to Andrei, who looked at the guard with a stupid look and, in turn, also waved his hands at him, pretending to be a deaf-mute. The uniformed man's face slowly stretched out and froze for a few seconds. I almost spoiled everything with the desire to laugh when I saw his confused look. Still in shock, he automatically pointed his finger in my direction, hoping that maybe I was "normal". However, I repeated the same "concert", smiling guiltily at the same time. This finally "finished off" the guard, waving his hand, he missed our smiling grateful faces further.

Picnic at the Ruvanvalisaya stupa.

Having walked forward a few meters, we allowed ourselves to have fun from the heart. In order not to run into another employee of the holy city of Anuradhapura, we walked around a large white stupa Ruvanvalisaya on the side.

I would say that it was from here that the best view of it opened.

Another "masterpiece" of Sri Lankan architecture is also known as Mahathupa, Swarnamali and Ratnamali Dagaba.

Here we temporarily left our backpacks to rest in the shade of the trees, sway on the long springy branches like monkeys, and stare at the birds.

By the way, there were enough monkeys here too, I can’t stand them since childhood.

We were not approached and okay.

Acquaintance at the sacred tree Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (Sri Maha Bodhi).

After a rest, the hike continued to the sacred tree Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, grown from the shoot of the same one under which enlightenment descended on the Buddha. Got it along the way Lovamahapaya (Lovamahapaya)- a building formed in ancient times by 40 rows, each of which contains 40 stone columns, which is a total of 1600 columns. The remains of the latter (and maybe a remake) can be seen right in front of the palace.

Suddenly, a young foreigner appeared in front of me, who greeted me in good English and asked where I was from. What else could I say if not the truth. The guy was from Germany, for the first time he got out of his country and somehow his choice fell on Sri Lanka. He asked where we were staying, noticing two backpacks next to me. He obviously lacked company, perhaps he hoped to join us. I said that we are hitchhikers and sleep in a tent or with locals. At first he was interested in this, and he even squatted down in front of me, but after a few of my stories, he realized that it was unlikely that we were on the way, saying goodbye as quickly as he appeared.

By that time, Andrey had finished examining the sacred plant behind the fence, and answered my questions briefly: “a tree is like a tree, nothing special. The fence is only fenced off from particularly curious eyes and mischievous hands.

The last attraction of Anuradhapura is the Mirisaveti Stupa.

Before leaving the old part of the sacred city of Anuradhapura, Andrey decided to turn to the next stupa Mirisaveti (Mirisaveti Stupa), built on the site of a scepter with relics of the same Buddha.

There was nothing else to do in the city, and we went in search of a bus to the nearest one, 16 km before which we paid 35 rupees (9 rubles). Where we had dinner and found shelter in one of the churches that accidentally remained open all night, but you will learn about these details a little later. Stay with us, subscribe to blog news and don't forget to share your pleasant impressions of what you read with your friends through the social buttons below :).

we went to Anuradhapura by bus as usual. The ride takes 3 hours, the cost of 2 tickets is 300 rupees. And, as usual, we were dropped off not at the station, but somewhere in the city. First of all, we wanted to go to the railway station. Until now, we have traveled around Lanka by bus. However, now they decided to use the services of the Sri Lankan railways. The fact is that the next point of our trip was Unawatuna. located almost in the south of the island. By e-mail, the hostess of the villa we booked in Unawatuna asked what time we would arrive. We reported that we were already in Sri Lanka and on the appointed day we would arrive from Anuradhapura in the evening. Having learned that we were planning to travel by bus, the hostess expressed great doubts about the success of our undertaking.

The Anuradhapura-Colombo-Unawatuna distance is not very large by Russian standards, and, in our opinion, it is quite surmountable in a daylight. But buses in Lanka are really not in a hurry, and the mistress of the house, although she was a New Zealander, has lived here for a long time. There is no direct railway connection from here to Unawatuna, you need to go through Colombo. We read that in order to get tickets for the 1st or 2nd class (some horrors were written about the 3rd class), you need to take tickets in advance. That's why we had to get to the station first. We started looking around, trying to get our bearings. We were quickly noticed by a tuker and offered to take us to the railway station for 100 rupees. We knew that there were two stations in Anuradhapura, but we did not know which one we needed. 100 rupees (40 rubles) is a small amount and, having specified that we need a station from which we can go to Colombo, we set off. At the station, we went to the window with the inscription "1, 2 class" and asked for two tickets for the day after tomorrow to Colombo in the first class. We were told that there were no first-class carriages for any train in this direction. And not only on the day we need, but in general. I had to take 2 tickets of the second class with departure the day after tomorrow at 9 am. The cashier took 1,800 rupees from us and gave us a half-A4 sheet perforated along the edges, where the date, time, carriage class and seat numbers C7, C8 were indicated. We checked with the cashier whether this inscription exactly means the numbers of our seats, and received an affirmative answer. The mood has improved: it means that we won’t have to stand in the aisle and fight for seats.

At the exit of the station, a heavy man in a shirt, sarong and sandals on his bare feet approached us. "Taxi, sir?" he turned to her husband. Taxi?! Is there really a taxi here?! Not a tuk-tuk, but a normal car with a trunk and even air conditioning?! Riding a tuk in any country does not give us pleasure. Driving in the heat, inhaling the exhaust gases of passing cars, dust, dying from the driver's pirouettes, and then figuring out why the price turned out to be higher than agreed is not the most pleasant experience. Taxi is always easier and more comfortable. Only so far we have not been able to see a taxi in Sri Lanka, except at the airport. Joyful, we threw our things into the trunk and plunged into the air-conditioned coolness of the car interior. Our hotel was located in the strip between urban development and expanses of rice fields. It was even called Heaven Upon Rice Fields - "Heaven over the rice fields." That's why I chose it, I liked the description and reviews. Our driver knew the object we booked. On the way he asked about our plans. We answered that today we would like to visit Mihintale and would be happy to do it by car. He literally jumped up on the seat and clapped his hands - he was ready to take us. Having unloaded the suitcases at the hotel and paid 200 rupees, we asked the driver about the price of a trip to Mihintale by car. He quoted a price of 2,500 rupees. As we knew from the network, the trip was supposed to cost no more than 1500. As a result, we bargained until 1700, agreed on the time of departure, we wanted to take a shower and have a bite to eat first.

A palm squirrel jumped into our room through the open doors of the balcony.

We wanted to treat her, but she turned out to be so frightened that, after running for a minute along the eaves and curtains, she quickly jumped out. From the windows - really a view of the rice fields and Mount Mihintale, where we planned to go today.

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At the appointed time, a minibus drove into the yard. A completely different person came out of it and asked if we were going to Mihintal. We replied that we were really going to Mihintal, but we had already agreed with another driver. In response, he told us that Abi (the name that the previous driver wrote us) is his brother, and that he is currently busy. We approached the minibus and saw a guy and a girl in the cabin. To our question, the driver said that they were also going to Mihintale. But we didn't agree! We were going to go by ourselves, and not in the company of strangers, and did not want to either adapt ourselves to someone, or force someone to adapt to us. We resolutely turned back. The driver trotted behind us, convincing us that we would not interfere with each other at all. Then he said that he would make a discount of up to 1,500 rupees - "only for you." The time was 4 pm, the owner of the hotel said that he could, if necessary, organize a tuk-tuk for us. But knock-knock, not a car. Time was now more expensive, I did not want to waste it in search of another car. We agreed.

The couple in the minibus was from the Czech Republic. When asked what language they prefer to communicate in - English or Russian - they confidently chose Russian. The guy was from Karlovy Vary (probably the most “Russian” Czech city), understood Russian tolerably well and, although slowly and carefully choosing his words, he spoke quite well. He said that they came from Colombo, where they spent two days, and that Colombo is a boring and uninteresting city with absolutely nothing to do. We shared our impressions.

Now about Mihintal. It is located just 12 kilometers from Anuradhapura. Very atmospheric place, we recommend it for mandatory viewing. There were statements that Mihintale is even more interesting than Anuradhapura herself. It's hard to compare, but we really liked this place. It is known for the fact that it was from here that Buddhism began to spread across the island, the first teacher of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Mahinda, preached here. The complex includes three hills: Mango Plateau (Ambastala), Royal Hill (Rajagiri), Elephant Mountain (Anaikutti). Climbing Mount Mihintale is quite difficult: the height of the mountain is 305 meters and in order to get to the top, you need to overcome 1840 steps.

But by transport, you can drive up to the upper parking area, which will cut the path in half, although a couple of less interesting sights will remain unseen, as we read. But almost next to the parking lot there are 68 caves, and the ruins of Medamaluwa, and the Mango Plateau.

After getting out of the car, we parted ways with fellow travelers, without agreeing on when we would return to the car. We intended to take our time to examine everything that we had outlined.

It is better to climb here early in the morning, before it is too hot, or after the midday heat, as we did. Be sure to stock up on water and take socks with you (you will have to walk around the entire complex, as always in Lanka, without shoes). We did not seek to see all the ruins here. In addition to the Mango Plateau (tickets for two - 1000 rupees), other attractions of Mihintale are available for free, but are located quite far from each other.

Directly from the upper parking area, a narrow staircase leads to the right to the Kantaka Chetya Stupa (II century BC), which is one of the oldest structures in Lanka.

To the southwest of Kantak, Chetya are heaps of huge boulders, followed by a ridge of 68 caves.

A little higher up the stairs and to the side is Cobra Pond, a natural reservoir filled with rainwater. The edges of the Pond are lined with stones, and an image of a five-headed cobra with an open hood is carved on the rock. According to legend, Mahindu bathed here. But its main value was as a source for the irrigation system of the entire Mihintale complex.

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The mango plateau is the place where the main attractions of Mihintale are concentrated. It is a platform in the center of which the Ambasthala Dagoba Stupa (Ambasthala Dagoba) is installed, the columns around it previously supported the already unpreserved roof of the vata-da-ge (in Sinhalese - “round house of relics”)

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monkeys feast on lotuses on the altar.

Next to the stupa is a rounded piece of unworked stone embedded in the platform - the place where King Devanampiya Tissa first met Mahindu. The stone is protected by a fence and a roof, and strewn with money donated by the faithful.

behind rises the main hill of Mihintale - Aradhana Gala (Aradhana Gala), from which Mahindu read his sermons

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upstairs you need to climb the carved steps, and then the iron stairs. There are great views from there.

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on the left is the statue of the Buddha (Buddha Statue), it does not represent historical value, but adds appropriate color to the environment

on the right - the white stupa Mahaseya Dagoba - the largest in Mihintal, its construction belongs to the king Mahadathika Mahanaga (beginning of the 1st century). According to legend, Buddha's hair is immured in it.

view from the platform next to the stupa

bodhi tree

endemic birds of Sri Lanka feast on candle wicks without any reverence

pond with fish and turtles

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Mahindu Stupa (Mihindu Seya) (on the map), where the ashes of Mahindu himself are kept.

If you walk along the path between the Stupa Ambastala and Aradhana Gala, you can go to the Cave of Mahinda, where he lived and meditated. There you can see the so-called bed of Mahinda - a flat rock slab.

Mihintale is saturated with some goodness and peace. Whether this is somehow connected with Buddhism (there is a small functioning temple in the middle between the stupas) or just a natural place of power, I don’t know. But from the visit there was a feeling of received spiritual strength and health. We were very pleased with the visit.

It took us about two hours for a leisurely inspection of everything, but, I repeat, we did not examine the numerous ruins below the parking area. In general, we are of the opinion that one should not be too tired and make extra efforts when sightseeing. Museum or archaeological complex - after 3 hours, fatigue and dullness of perception sets in, and then the effect and impressions are not at all the same. Too little is always better than too much, in my opinion.

When we returned to the minibus, it turned out that the Czechs were already there. Their bored look said that they were obviously waiting for us for more than five minutes. It turned out to be half an hour. We were a little uncomfortable, but it was not to refuse to view everything that we wanted in a mode that was comfortable for us ... Here is the result of a joint trip of different people. True, then the guy, apologetically, asked us to let the driver first take them to where they could buy beer, and only then to the hotel. We gladly agreed, compensating them for their time of waiting.

In our hotel, dinner was ordered, because judging by the reviews, it’s better not to take risks here, but to eat at your hotel. Moreover, it cost 600 rupees per person, everything is very tasty (curry with another variety of sauces). In general, we really liked the hotel and the owners (young family). I have a review on booking

In the evening we asked the owner of the hotel to call our friend Abi and order a car for us to see Anuradhapura. The objects are located far from each other, and it is best to inspect the complex, and even in the heat, by transport.

In the morning, at the appointed time, a minibus drove into the courtyard of our hotel - another one again - not the same as yesterday. The driver was different. Young guy. From a conversation with him, it turned out that he had come for us, and Abi was his uncle. In general, a family clan. This time there were no fellow travelers, it was possible to comfortably inspect everything that was interesting to us, cooling each time in the saving air-conditioned atmosphere of the car after the next object under the scorching sun.

We had a printout of the map of Anuradhapura tourist sites. At the beginning of the trip, we considered the Abhayagiri monastery complex as an object to visit (1 ticket 30 dollars). But already now we decided to refrain from examining it for the time being, or, in any case, to leave it for last. The driver, when asked if it was worth going to Abhayagiri, shrugged doubtfully and said that "Abhayagiri is not very important." In addition, the following opinion was met on the Internet: “Many tourists generally refuse to buy a ticket, go around the sights on their own, without entering the territory of Abhayagiri, visiting only free ones. Paid and free dagobas are generally the same, and you will most likely get bored after the third or fourth.

Anuradhapura is the first ancient capital of the Sinhalese kingdom. The main tourist sites in the city are stupas. Some of them are just gigantic. One of them is brick Jetavana. It is really just huge, visible from afar. It is the highest brick dagoba in the world (originally 122 m, III century). The belt of the Buddha is allegedly immured inside.

The rest of the stupas are also quite interesting and completely free. Particularly liked Ruvanvelizia. The most revered of all the other stupas, because it contains the most relics.

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The stupa is located on a platform decorated with bas-reliefs of more than a hundred elephants (elephants participated in the construction of the dagoba).

Around the stupa are located: a sanctuary with 5 statues of Buddha and frescoes,

4 mini-dagobas, a model of a dagoba in a glass cube and a sculpture of King Dutugemunu.

The height of the stupa is 92 m, the diameter is 90 m. Almost nothing remains of the original appearance. We even saw the next restoration work, in which both the monks and the local population participated.

Thuparam Stupa(Thuparama Dagoba) - the very first stupa in Sri Lanka, dedicated to the emergence of Buddhism.

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The clavicle of the Buddha is immured in the Stupa, around the remains of the destroyed buildings of the old 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 over time was abandoned and swallowed up by the jungle, until 1980, when, under the patronage of the world organization UNESCO, which recorded the ruins of Anuradhapura on the World Heritage List, a comprehensive restoration of the ruins of the first ancient capital of Sri Lanka began.

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. Students and schoolchildren often come to the ancient capital to once again remember their great history 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 monastery 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 of Southeast 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 the 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 completely 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 of 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 the 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 take off 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 surmounted by 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. The ticket office is located near the 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