Jetavanaramaya Stupa is a large brick monument located within the ruins of the Jetavana Monastery in the ancient city of Anuradhapura.

Construction: Construction of Jetavanaramaya began in the 3rd century CE during the reign of King Mahasena and was later completed by his son King Maghavanna I. The monument was built to enshrine a sacred relic believed to be part of the belt of the Buddha. Its establishment followed the destruction of the Mahavihara monastery and reflected historical tensions between Theravada and Mahayana traditions within the Buddhist monastic community of Anuradhapura.

Third-tallest structure in the ancient world: The stupa originally rose to about 122 metres, making it the tallest stupa of its time and the third-tallest structure in the ancient world, surpassed only by the Great Pyramids of Giza. Restoration carried out in the 12th century under King Parakramabahu I reduced its height to approximately 71 metres.

One of the Largest Brick Structures Ever Built: Jetavanaramaya remains one of the largest brick structures ever constructed, with historians estimating that around 93 million bricks were used in its construction. 

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred fig tree located in the Mahamewna Gardens of Anuradhapura. It was planted in 288 BCE and is widely recognized as the oldest living human-planted tree.

Arrival of the Sacred Bodhi Sapling from India: The tree grew from a sapling taken from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India, the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment, and the sapling was brought to Sri Lanka by Princess Sangamitta, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka. The sacred sapling was planted in Anuradhapura during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa.

Bodhi Tree: The tree stands on a raised terrace about 6.5 metres above the ground and is surrounded by a golden railing that serves as a protective boundary around the sacred site.

Protected the site: For more than 2,300 years, successive Sri Lankan monarchs maintained and protected the site by constructing surrounding walls, water canals, and other safeguards to protect the tree from environmental damage and animal threats.

Abhayagiriya Stupa is a prominent Buddhist monument in Anuradhapura, built in the 1st century BCE by King Valagamba after reclaiming his throne from foreign invaders.

Structure: Originally one of the tallest structures of the ancient world, the stupa is believed to have reached around 115 metres. Today, it stands at approximately 75 metres, with a square pedestal, known as Hatharas Kotuwa, preserved from the original construction.

Monastic Complex: The surrounding Abhayagiri Vihāra developed into a major monastic complex, home to over 5,000 monks, and served as a centre for Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist practices.

Archaeological Discoveries: Excavations at Abhayagiriya have uncovered artifacts including coins, jewellery, and the remains of a 20-foot jade Buddha statue, which was described by the Chinese traveler Fa-Hsien.

Samadhi Buddha Statue is a 4th-century granite Buddhist sculpture located in the Mahamewna Gardens in Anuradhapura.

Buddha Statue: Carved during the 3rd or 4th century, the statue shows the Buddha in the Dhyana Mudra meditation pose, standing about 2.2 metres tall, symbolizing deep meditation and inner peace.

Expression: The statue is famous for its calm and balanced facial expression, which appears to change subtly when viewed from different angles.

Bodhi Tree: Archaeologists believe it was once part of a four statues that stood around a Bodhi tree. While the other three statues and the tree are gone, this northern statue has survived.

Ruwanweli Maha Seya is the great stupa located in Anuradhapura, built in the 2nd century BCE by King Dutugemunu.

The Largest Collection of Relics: It is believed to house a "dona" of the Buddha’s relics, One-eighth of all the sacred relics that remained after the Buddha's passing.

Construction: It stands about 103 metres tall and has a circumference of roughly 290 metres. King Dutugemunu constructed the Ruwanweli Maha Seya in the 2nd century BCE, but he died before the stupa was completed, and his brother King Saddhatissa finished the construction.

The prophecy: Arahant Mahinda, the monk who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka, announced the site of the Ruwanweli Maha Seya is holy because it had been visited by four Buddhas in the past and predicted a large stupa would be built there to enshrine a large portion of sacred relics in the future.

Thuparama Dagoba is the first Buddhist stupa built in Sri Lanka after the introduction of the religion, located in the sacred city of Anuradhapura.

It was constructed in the 3rd century BCE by King Devanampiya Tissa under the guidance of Mahinda Thera.

The stupa enshrines the right collarbone relic of the Buddha, making it a major pilgrimage site.

Ancient chronicles describe the relic performing miracles upon its arrival, including rising into the air and emitting light and water before settling in the chamber.

Thuparama originally had a “heap-of-paddy” shape and was housed within a circular relic house, or vatadage, and while the wooden roof no longer survives, 41 stone pillars remain, evidence of the original structure, which is thought to have comprised 176 pillars arranged in four concentric circles.

The stupa now stands approximately 19 metres high with a bell-shaped dome, surrounded by the tranquil Mahamewna Gardens.

Lankaramaya Dagoba is an ancient stupa located within the Abhayagiriya monastery complex in Anuradhapura.

It was built in the 1st century BCE by King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya) and stands on a circular platform about three metres high.

The stupa was originally enclosed by a vatadage, a roofed structure supported by 88 stone pillars arranged in three concentric circles.

The site is associated with the location where King Valagamba hid while fleeing from invaders and is traditionally believed to enshrine a relic of the Buddha’s waist belt.

Local tradition also holds that the stupa contains jewellery belonging to Queen Soma Devi, who is said to have sacrificed herself to help the king escape.

Avukana Buddha Statue is a 5th-century rock sculpture located near Kekirawa in Sri Lanka’s Anuradhapura district.

Carved from a single granite outcrop, the statue stands over 14 metres tall including its lotus pedestal and is regarded as one of the finest examples of standing Buddha sculptures in the country.

Tradition links the statue to King Dhatusena, who built the nearby Kala Wewa reservoir, and local legend says it was created in a contest between a master sculptor and his pupil, with the master finishing the Avukana figure first.

The statue depicts the Buddha in the Asisa mudra, with the right hand raised sideways toward the shoulder and the left hand gathering the robe, and it faces east.

The carving is noted for its architectural precision, and it is said that a drop of water falling from the nose would land in a small depression carved between the toes.

Rathna Prasadaya, also known as the Gem Palace, is an Uposatha hall within the Abhayagiriya monastery in Anuradhapura.

It was first built in the 2nd century CE by King Kanittha Tissa and was later expanded into a multi-storey structure by Kings Mihindu II and Mihindu IV.

The site is renowned for its guardstone, or muragala, which depicts the Cobra King holding a pot of abundance beneath a seven-hooded cobra, with a small dwarf figure at his feet.

Ruins at the site show rows of large monolithic pillars, some about 22 feet tall, indicating the building once had several upper storeys and served as a major centre for monastic rituals.

Lovamahapaya, or the Brazen Palace, is a historic monastic complex in Anuradhapura, located between the Ruwanweliseya Stupa and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi.

It was originally constructed in the 2nd century BCE by King Dutugemunu as a nine-storey residence for monks of the Maha Vihara monastery.

The palace earned its name from the bronze tiles that once covered its roof, reportedly shining brightly enough to be seen from miles away.

Ancient chronicles describe the structure as containing around 1,000 rooms, with floors arranged according to spiritual rank, and decorated with precious stones, silver, and ivory.

Lovamahapaya was damaged and rebuilt several times over the centuries, with a major fire during the reign of King Saddhathissa leading to reconstruction, and later rulers carrying out further restorations and alterations.

Today, 1,600 granite pillars arranged in a 40 by 40 grid mark the site, remnants of a 12th-century restoration by King Parakramabahu I, and a small modern building in the centre serves as the Uposatha house for the resident monastic community.