Sri Lanka

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura served as the capital of Sri Lanka from the 4th century BCE to the 11th century CE and was, for much of that period, one of the largest cities in the ancient world. Its Buddhist monuments are extraordinary in their scale and age.

The Sri Maha Bodhi — the sacred fig tree planted from a cutting of the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in approximately 245 BCE — is widely considered the oldest historically documented tree in the world. It stands in a walled enclosure in Anuradhapura and is tended and venerated continuously.

Three colossal stupas dominate the Anuradhapura landscape. The Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, built by King Dutugamunu in the 2nd century BCE, has a base circumference of nearly 300 metres. The Jetavanarama Stupa, built in the 3rd century CE, once stood at over 120 metres — making it the tallest structure in the ancient world at its time of construction. The Abhayagiri Stupa, equally massive, housed a monastic complex that engaged with both Theravada and Mahayana currents. Anuradhapura is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kandy and the Tooth Relic

Kandy, in the central highlands, served as the last capital of the Sinhala Buddhist monarchy until the British annexation of 1815. Its most significant Buddhist site is the Dalada Maligawa — the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic — which houses what is venerated as a tooth of Buddha. The relic was reportedly brought to Sri Lanka from Kalinga (eastern India) in the 4th century CE, concealed in the hair of a princess.

The Tooth Relic has been the most politically and spiritually significant object in Sri Lankan history: its possession was long considered evidence of legitimate sovereignty. The Esala Perahera, the annual festival of the temple held in July or August, is one of the grandest processional events in Asia — ten nights of dancers, drummers, fire performers, and ceremonially caparisoned elephants parading through the streets of the old city.

Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa replaced Anuradhapura as the capital in the 11th century CE and flourished particularly under King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century. Its monuments include the Gal Vihara — a rock-face bearing three extraordinary carved Buddha figures: a seated figure in meditation of approximately five metres height, a colossal standing figure of fifteen metres, and a reclining figure forty-six metres in length, one of the finest sculptures in Sri Lanka. The entire complex is carved from a single granite outcrop.

Mihintale

East of Anuradhapura, the rocky hill of Mihintale is identified in the tradition as the site where Mahinda first encountered King Devanampiyatissa while the king was hunting. A conversation between them led to the king’s conversion. Mihintale is now a complex of rock-cut stairs, caves, monks’ cells, and small stupas ascending to the summit — one of the most evocative pilgrimage environments in Sri Lanka.