Ruvanvalisaya

Simply known also as the Great Stupa, the Ruvanvalisaya was constructed by Dutthagamani after he became king in 161 BCE.  This was his most ambitious project and it is said that one of the architects designed the dome to resemble a bubble of milk.  Sadly, the king did not live to see the completion of the stupa.When it was finally completed, it was one of the wonders of the ancient world, with a diameter of 90 metres at the base and a...

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Avukana

Avukana Buddha statue Near the village of Avukana, located in the Anuradhapura district, stands the tallest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka.  The Avukana Buddha statue is almost 12 metres high and is carved out from a granite cliff.  It is almost free-standing, being joined to the cliff by just a narrow piece of rock.It is commonly believed that this statue was constructed sometime in the 5th century, during the reign of King Dhatusena. ...

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Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura Located in the north-west of the island, Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka for 1,400 years.  It is slightly more than 200 kilometers from Colombo and a drive of around 6 hours.  Anuradhapura gained much greater prominence with the advent of Buddhism on the island, after which many significant buildings and monasteries were constructed.The three greatest monasteries of Sri Lanka, the Mahavihara, the Abhayagiri and the Jethavana, were all located in Anuradhapura.  Visitors will see mainly the ruins of these monasteries...

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