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SITE
The sacred city of Anuradhapura, the first capital of Sri
Lanka, was founded in 437 BC by King Pandukhabhaya. As early as the third
century BC its fame had spread to the Roman-Hellenistic world of the Mediterranean
and by the first century AD its rulers had established trade routes and
diplomatic relations with China. Evidence of these trade links with both
the east and west can be seen in the number of foreign artefacts uncovered
at the site.
The city's proximity to India resulted in its eventual adoption of Buddhism. According to written records, in the third century BC the missionary Mahinda, son of the North-Indian emperor Asoka, brought the teachings of Buddha to Anuradhapura, which has influenced Buddhism in Sri Lanka ever since.
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Anuradhapura remained the royal seat of more than 119 successive Sinhalese kings for over 1,400 years and was the cultural and religious capital of the country. Several magnificent dagobas, monasteries, temples, ponds, and irrigation tanks were constructed during these centuries, bearing testimony to a technically advanced civilization. According to historical chronicles such as the Mahavamsa - the Sinhala Buddhist document written by monks - the city utilized sophisticated urban planning techniques. Individual precincts were established for hunters, as well as heretics and foreigners. There were hospitals and hostels, and separate cemeteries for high and low castes. The Mahavamsa also gives us a complete, unbroken record of the rise and fall of the Sinhalese Kingdom. Trade, coupled with advanced irrigation systems resulting in successful rice cultivation and production, led to the initial rise of the city. At its peak the city was home to half a million inhabitants.
Throughout its 1,400-year history the Sinhalese rulers of Anuradhapura were regularly challenged by the Hindu Tamils, and on a number of occasions the Tamils were able to usurp power for at most a few decades. It wasn't until the tenth century that the Tamils succeeded in their bid for power. Under the reign of Rajaraja the Great (AD 985-1018) of the Chola empire, Tamil forces were finally able to sack Anuradhapura, leaving the city in ruins and relocating the capital.
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Present day Anuradhapura is merely a shadow of its former self. Many of the monuments are in a sad state of decay, having been partially destroyed by the thick, surrounding jungle, which has wreaked havoc on foundations and walls, as well as the encroachment of modern settlements and farming land. As many of the buildings were built of wood and clay, few have survived intact, or at all. The site is now haphazardly littered with stone pillars, remains of walls from palaces, monasteries and temples, and the only structures that have survived in relatively good condition - the dagobas.
ARCHITECTURE
The present day city of Anuradhapura is dominated by four great dagobas
(also called stupas). A dagoba is a solid dome of earth and brick
built over a Buddhist relic, which could be the Buddha's bodily remains
or articles used by him, such as an alms bowl or other objects of veneration.
Dagobas come in various sizes, usually built on a pedestal with a spire
on top crowned with a pinnacle. The earliest dagobas had a stone or wooden
roof on top of the dome in place of the spire.
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The first dagoba built in Anuradhapura, and the oldest in Sri Lanka, is the Thuparama. It was built during the reign of King Devanmpiyatissa (3rd century BC) to enshrine the Buddha's right collarbone - a gift from the Emperor Asoka. Originally the dagoba was much smaller in size but was extensively renovated and rebuilt over the centuries, most recently in 1862. The graceful monolithic pillars that surround the dagoba once supported a circular wooden roof.
The most impressive of the dagobas in Anuradhapura, if only for its enormous size, is the Ruvanweli. Built by King Dutugemunu who ruled the country in 2nd century BC, the structure now measures 55 metres in height, although originally it may have reached almost twice that height. The structure is supported by the so-called "Elephant Wall" - a ring of carved elephants, of which a few originals remain.
The largest of the dagobas on the site is the Jetavana. When it was constructed, by King Mahasena in the 3rd century AD, it reached a height of 120 metres, making it the third highest building in the world at that time, and the tallest dagoba in the world. It stands on a large concrete base, the foundations of which go 12 meters deep into the ground. The Jetavana Dagoba was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and its superstructure is currently undergoing restoration.
The Abhayagiri Dagoba is the second largest monument of its kind in Sri Lanka, built by King Vattagamani Abhaya (103 -102 BC) adjacent to a footpath allegedly used by Buddha. When it was constructed the monument stood almost 110 metres high with a diameter of 95 metres, although now its height is only 75 metres. The dagoba was both repaired and enlarged by later kings. Around the Abhayagiri Dagoba stood a monastery complex with a community of about 5000 monks. The exterior is adorned with elephant reliefs and to the north of the building stands a stone slab with the imprint of what is believed to be the Buddha's footprint. Inside, the dagoba houses a sacred tooth relic of the Buddha plus Buddhist scriptures inscribed in gold.
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The most sacred spot in all of Anuradhapura is the site of the Sri Maha Bodhi, or the sacred Bo tree. The right branch of the Bo tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment in North India was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC by Princess Sanghamitta, daughter of Emperor Asoka and sister of the saint Mahinda. King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BC) planted the branch in Anuradhapura and it has been venerated as a sacred site and pilgrimage destination ever since. It is the oldest historically documented tree in the world, and now stands upon a special platform, a bodhigara, encircled by a gold plated railing.
The Loha Prasada or the Brazen Palace was founded in the 2nd century BC by King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC), only to burn down 15 years later. Originally the building had nine storeys, 1,000 rooms and a roof of copper tiles. What remains are 1,600 stone pillars all in close proximity, which once supported the building.Two other important monuments are the Samadhi Buddha and the Kuttam Pokuna. "Samadhi" means in a state of deep meditation, and the image of this Buddha in a posture of meditation, considered by most experts a masterpiece of sculpture, is the work of an anonymous master-sculptor working the 4th century AD.
The Kuttam Pokuna, or Twin Ponds, are two magnificent ponds exemplifying both artistic and architectural achievement in the field of hydraulic engineering. Two flights of steps lead up to the ponds, which are surrounded by stone mouldings. Apart from their beauty, the ponds are also functional. Water that has been cleaned and purified several times eventually gushes into the ponds through a lion-headed spout.
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CONSERVATION
Anuradhapura was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982. A 1998 Conservation
Report stated that an official map of Anuradhapura indicating the boundaries
of the city had excluded important areas of the World Heritage Site. The
World Heritage Committee subsequently required that all maps be submitted
to the Committee for review, to ensure that all endangered areas of the
Sacred City were in fact being protected and maintained.
In 1994 the Department of Archaeological Sciences at Bradford University in England conducted a research project at Anuradhapura in order to help the Government Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka define the full extent of the ancient city to ensure it would be adequately protected and managed.
LOCATION
Anuradhapura is situated on the banks of the river Malwatu Oya, 205 kilometres
north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka.