Anuradhapura is one of the major cities up to date in terms of its size, ancient ruins, and demographics. This Day-tour is specifically designed to take you around the city to give you an unforgettable experience on its opulent culture, pilgrimages and people. You will be given a guide with excellent local knowledge and communication skills. Language specific guides can be provided upon special request as well. For people who are in love with culture and history, this is the ideal tour to enlighten your spirit.
The great kingdom: Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is one of the seven kingdoms in the history of kingdoms in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest, the biggest, and the most prosperous one of them all. It was named a kingdom in 377 BC and King Pandukabhaya made it a prosperous one. It is still considered the capital of the North Central Province. It is a must-see in your trip as it can give you a broad perspective of our history.
The series of sacred places: Atamasthanaya
This little island is full of nature, culture, history and food. This tour will be educational and informative to all tourists. The guides will guide you through important historic ruins and places where the story behind it will also be explained. Leaflets or brochures are available at the entrance of most places.
There are eight significant icons that represent Sri Lanka’s connection to Buddhism and all of them are situated in Anuradhapura, thus calling this collection ‘Atamasthanaya’, meaning ‘eight sacred places.’ There is a unique story or history connected to each one of them. Most of them are built by kings that ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom.
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Sri Maha Bodi
This is a fig tree that was planted in 288 BC and is considered sacred because it is believed that Buddha achieved enlightenment while meditating under this tree.
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Ruwanwelisaya
It is a ‘stupa’ that is built by King Dutugamunu and is one of the biggest completed ones up to date.
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Thuparamaya
It is the oldest ‘dagoba’ in Sri Lanka, and possibly the oldest visible one in the world.
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Lovamahapaya
The significance of this building is that the roof was once covered in Bronze tiles.
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Abhayagiri
It is one of the biggest viharas in Anuradhapura. It was monastery of 5000 monks.
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Jethavanaramaya
It is a sacred world heritage and had accommodated 3000 monks at the time. It is also quite similar to Abhayagiri.
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Mirisavetiya
This stupa was built by King Dutugamunu after defeating King Elara.
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Lankaramaya
This is also built by a king called King Valagamba in the Anuradhapura Kingdom times and is one of the eight sacred places in the city.
There are plenty of other places to see and enjoy. Join us with this Day Tour to see the biggest contributor of Sri Lankan history. Your love for culture will be expanded after seeing the richness of the city.
Anuradhapura Day Tour with Mahaweli Tours & Holidays
You can plan your Anuradhapura Day Tour with us. Here are the more details;
Possible Starting / Pick-up Locations:
Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Colombo, Negombo, Tincomale, Nilaveli, Kandy (You can let us know your exact location for us to check and confirm the possibility)
Duration: It takes around 03 hours to complete the visit of the Anuradhapura ancient city. You can walk or we can arrange some bicycles if you prefer some cycling.
Tour Type: A private tour. Vehicle and the Guide / Chauffer guide are dedicated to you / your group. Safari tour will be done by an off road vehicle and traveling to the starting point and back will be done by Comfortable Car / Van / Mini coach.
(Cover Image Source: Spin The WindRose from Pinterest)