Anuradhapura, located in the north-west of the country and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the capital of Sri Lanka from the 4th century BC until the early 11th century.
Considered one of the oldest cities in the world, its ruins cover an area of more than 40 km², found on the banks of the Malvathu Oya river. Its rulers built organised districts, irrigation systems to water the surrounding rice paddies and supply the city with water, and, of course, temples and monuments. As a result of the envy its prosperity provoked, the city was invaded by the Indian Chola in 1017, before being abandoned; its ruins, however, survived.
The city is also a major centre of Sri Lankan Buddhism: it is home to Mihintale, the site where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka, Jetavanaramaya, a stupa housing a relic of the Buddha and one of the tallest brick structures in the world (103 metres high with a circumference of 287 metres), and the granite statue of the Avukana Buddha, which stands 13 m tall.
Anuradhapura's ruins are best explored by bicycle or tuk-tuk.
