✦ North Central Province
Anuradhapura
Sri Lanka's first great capital — vast stupas, ancient monasteries and the sacred Bodhi tree.
Photo: Z thomas / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Destination guide
About Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura was the political and religious capital of Sri Lanka for more than a thousand years, from around the 4th century BCE until the early 11th century CE. Its sacred city holds the Sri Maha Bodhi — a fig tree grown from a cutting of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment — and immense stupas such as Ruwanwelisaya, Jetavanaramaya and Abhayagiri.
The Sacred City of Anuradhapura was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and remains an active place of pilgrimage. Mihintale, where Buddhism is traditionally said to have been introduced to the island, is about 12 km away.
Why visit
- UNESCO World Heritage Site (Sacred City of Anuradhapura)
- Sri Maha Bodhi
- Some of the largest stupas of the ancient world
- Mihintale nearby
Things to do in Anuradhapura
- Cycle between the stupas and monasteries
- Visit the Sri Maha Bodhi
- Ruwanwelisaya at dusk
- Climb Mihintale
- See the Kuttam Pokuna twin ponds and the Samadhi statue
Tours that include Anuradhapura
Culture
Anuradhapura–Polonnaruwa–Sigiriya–Kandy
Ancient Kingdoms 8-Day Heritage Tour
Kings ruled from Anuradhapura for more than a thousand years before power shifted to Polonnaruwa and, much later, to Kandy. Trace that…
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Anuradhapura → Kandy
Heritage
Anuradhapura–Mihintale
Anuradhapura Sacred City 3-Day Tour
Barefoot pilgrims in white carry lotus flowers to the sacred Bodhi tree each day, and at dusk chanting drifts between brick dagobas…
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Anuradhapura → Anuradhapura
Culture
Colombo–Anuradhapura–Jaffna
Colombo to Jaffna 7-Day Cultural Road Trip
Roughly four hundred kilometres separate Colombo from Jaffna, and few drives in Sri Lanka show so much change. Travel up the west…
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Colombo → Jaffna
★ Featured
Culture
Anuradhapura–Mihintale–Ritigala–Kandy–South-west coast
Hela Wellness & Sacred Sites 7-Day Journey
Lamp-light beneath the sacred Bodhi tree, a quiet climb at Mihintale, a meditation session in the Kandy hills and a day of…
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Colombo airport → Colombo airport
Heritage
Jaffna–Anuradhapura–Polonnaruwa–Sigiriya
Northern and Ancient Kingdoms 8-Day Tour
Few journeys begin where this one does, among the palmyra palms and brightly painted kovils of Jaffna. From the Tamil north you…
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Jaffna → Sigiriya
Private
Negombo–Anuradhapura–Sigiriya–Kandy–Ella–Galle
Slow Travel Sri Lanka 10-Day Journey
Rather than a new hotel every night, this ten-day journey gives most places two. Linger by the Negombo lagoon, cycle between Anuradhapura's…
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Negombo → Galle
Where to stay near Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Palm Garden Village Hotel
A resort of villas spread across large green grounds on the Puttalam road outside Anuradhapura, where elephants, deer and other wildlife can…
Anuradhapura
Rajarata Hotel
City hotel convenient for exploring Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura
Uga Ulagalla
Heritage manor and villas set within a large private landscape.
Experiences in and around Anuradhapura
Culture
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Sacred City Cycle
Brick stupas the colour of old ivory slide past as your wheels hum along flat, shaded lanes. Pedal between the monasteries, reservoirs…
- 4 hours
- Year-round
Culture
Anuradhapura
Full Moon Poya Night in Anuradhapura
White-clad pilgrims, oil lamps and the great stupas under a full moon: an evening in the sacred city on a Poya night,…
- 3–4 hours (evening)
- Poya (full moon) days
Culture
Mihintale
Mihintale Sunset Visit
As the sun drops, the granite of Aradhana Gala gives back the day’s warmth and the plains below turn copper. This late-afternoon…
- 2–3 hours
- Year-round
Nature
Anuradhapura / Polonnaruwa
Paddy Field Cycling
Morning mist hangs over emerald rice fields as you pedal along narrow earth bunds, past ancient reservoirs and grazing water buffalo. Explore…
- 2–4 hours
- Year-round
Heritage near Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Abhayagiri Monastery
Abhayagiri Monastery is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Anuradhapura. It is presented as a travel and cultural…
- Ancient Anuradhapura period
★ Featured
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Isurumuniya Temple
Isurumuniya Temple is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Anuradhapura. It is presented as a travel and cultural…
- Ancient Anuradhapura period
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Jetavanaramaya
Jetavanaramaya is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Anuradhapura. It is presented as a travel and cultural reference…
- 3rd century AD
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds
Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Anuradhapura. It is presented as a travel…
- Ancient Anuradhapura period
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Lovamahapaya
Lovamahapaya is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Anuradhapura. It is presented as a travel and cultural reference…
- Ancient Anuradhapura period
★ Featured
Culture
UNESCO
Mihintale
Mihintale
Mihintale is a real Sri Lankan heritage site or cultural landmark in Mihintale. It is presented as a travel and cultural reference…
- Ancient Anuradhapura period
🍛 Local flavours
Food to try in Anuradhapura
- Rice and curry
- Kurakkan (finger millet) roti
- King coconut (thambili)
- Kavumtraditional oil cakes
Best time to visit Anuradhapura
- JanPossible, with more rain or heat
- FebPossible, with more rain or heat
- MarPossible, with more rain or heat
- AprPossible, with more rain or heat
- MayUsually the best months
- JunUsually the best months
- JulUsually the best months
- AugUsually the best months
- SepUsually the best months
- OctPossible, with more rain or heat
- NovPossible, with more rain or heat
- DecPossible, with more rain or heat
Hot all year — visit early morning or late afternoon; generally drier May–September
Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so when one coast is rainy the other is usually dry — weather varies from year to year.
Anuradhapura on the map
Destinations near Anuradhapura
References / Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Sacred City of Anuradhapura: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/200
- Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka: https://www.archaeology.gov.lk
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