Sri Lanka’s history dates back to more than 2500 years. The ancient cities and their glorious remains that are temples, fortresses, statues and irigation feats still have the ability to make people gaze at them with reverence. Ancient sites are considered to be archeological gold mines because they are evidence to a very rich civilization. Most of the places are declared as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. The oldest and the largest ancient city is Anuradhapura.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is one of the ancient cities in Sri Lanka, well known for its ruins depicting early Sri Lankan civilization. It is very famous among Buddhists pilgrims. Anuradhapura was earlier the capital of the Island (in ancient times) and most of the Kings who ruled Sri Lanka resided in this vast city. The city is now named as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
The historic city of Anuradhapura is an essential stop on any tour of Sri Lanka. This city, located around 205 kms north of Colombo, is one of eight World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Anuradhapura currently serves as the capital city of the North Central Province, and is considered the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Its vast network of ancient Buddhist temples, monasteries and places of worship which cover over 40 sq kms has made it a sacred site to Buddhists around the world.
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa is the Island’s 2nd largest kingdom. Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned Archeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom’s first rulers. Its beauty and serenity was captured in the Duran Duran music video Save a Prayer in 1982. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The Lankathilaka temple and a colossal statue of the Buddha made from stone is located here.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya also known as the Lion’s Rock is a rock fortress and a palace located in the Matale district of Sri Lanka. This ruin is surrounded by gardens, ponds and other structures. Sigiriya was built by King Kassapa and it is included as a World Heritage site. Sigiriya is the best preserved city centre in Asia.
Dambulla
One of the major places for buddhist pilgrimages and tourist attractions. Situated in the Matale District. It is home to the largest cave complex in the entire island. It also has the largest rose quartz in the entire South-east Asia. However the caves take precedence when it comes to attractions in Dambulla, the rock is more than 160m high. The cave temple contains a lot of statues and painting depicting buddhism in a very fundamental level that can make an individual speechless by the mere sight of it. There is a total of 153 buddha statues. The murals themselve’s cover a very vast area on the insides of the cave and are very well preserved for an ancient site. The UNESCO named the cave a World Heritage
