Travel to Anuradhapura

home of the renowned Bodhi Tree Temple

The town of Anuradhapura is located in northcentral Sri Lanka.

Although the modern town only has a population of around 50,000 people, it is of great historic and spiritual importance.

Anuradhapura was established around 400 BC and was the first Buddhist capital of Sri Lanka. Set on the banks of the Malvathu River, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island.

The ancient city blossomed into a great metropolis, with hundreds of temples, an extensive irrigation system and a trio of dagobas (domed structures designed to contain holy relics) which were only rivalled in size by the great pyramids at Giza.

Lying to the north of the modern town, an extensive compound contains all manner of temples, ruins and gardens, which are a pleasure to explore on foot.

The area is best known for the Sri Maha Bodhiya (Bodhi Tree Temple), a religious compound which is centred around a sacred tree, believed to have been grown from a cutting taken from the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment around 450 BC.

Within the sacred compound, visitors can mingle with white-gowned pilgrims and red-robed Buddhist monks, whilst langur monkeys play amongst the ruins.

Other highlights include various bell-shaped dagobas housing various Buddhist relics, the elaborately carved moonstone of Mahasen’s Palace, ancient bathing pools and the statue of the serene Samadhi Buddha.

Around 12 km to the northeast lies a second holy site, Mihintale, a mountainous outcrop believed to be the spot where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka. Pilgrims flock here to climb the steep steps to the top, from where there are excellent views of the surrounding plains.

The best time of year to visit the Anuradhapura area is generally considered to be during the Jun-Sep northeast dry season and, to a lesser extent, the Jan-Mar southwest dry season.

Temperatures are more or less constant year round, with daytime temperatures around 30C/86F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures up at a potentially uncomfortable 20C/68F.

The main issue is rainfall, which is highest Oct-Dec and has another smaller peak Apr-May. These periods are therefore usually best avoided, although lower visitor numbers provide some compensation.

Getting there

The Anuradhapura area is usually reached by road. For our guests, this means combining it with various other locations on the island in a private guided overland safari, travelling in the company of an expert driver-guide. Popular connections include …

Colombo : 4-5 hours
Wilpattu : 1 hour
Trincomalee : 2-3 hours
Sigiriya : 1 hour
Kandy : 2-3 hours
Wasgamuwa : 2-3 hours

The Anuradhapura area also has a train service, connecting from Colombo and Kandy in the south and heading onto Trincomalee and Jaffna further to the north. If you specifically want to include a rail journey in your trip, then it should be possible for you to take the train, whilst your driver-guide drives on to meet you at the far end.

Where to stay

Although there’s not many options of places to stay in the Anuradhapura area, at least two of them are so attractive that they may require you to linger for two or even three nights, rather than just visiting the sacred compound when driving between other locations …

Another option is to visit the Anuradhapura area when travelling between other areas. On a safari-focused trip this would most likely sit between Wilpattu and Wasgamuwa.

usually visited between Wilpattu and Wasgamuwa