Private Day Tour & Evening Culture Walk in Anuradhapura

What's included

What you'll see and do

1. Vessagiriya Ruins

   Welcome to Rajarata ! (The King’s County or The Land of Kings) We will commence our day from Vessagiriya Forest Monastery, which is one of the two oldest Buddhist Monks living dwellings in the island. At Vessagiriya, the guests will start to deep dive into the Ancient Sinhalese Civilization nourished with Buddhism, Agriculture, Fine Arts, Architecture, Trades, International Relations, and Spellbinding Engineering Marvels and there you get an idea of how Anuradhapura looked like in its golden era from its very beginning.

   90 minutes here

2. Sri Maha Boodhi Temple

   The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree or The Sacred Bodhi Tree ( A Fig or Pipal Tree scientifically known as the Ficus Religiosa) is regarded as the first of the eight sacred places in Anuradhapura. This is recorded to be the right wing branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya in India under which the Ascetic Siddhartha attained Enlightenment, and was sent by Emperor Ashoka through his beloved daughter, The Buddhist Nun Theri Sanghamitta, on request of Sinhalese King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century BCE. From this point onwards it came to be venerated by successive Kings, Monks, Nuns, and the Lay Buddhists since it is a living connection to the Gautama Buddha. Particularly, it is generally accepted that it would be the oldest human planted living tree in the world with the longest written records and at present nearly 2300 years old.

   20 minutes here

3. Lovamahapaya Brazen Palace

   To the north or the Sacred Bodhi Tree, we can witness a huge collection of standing granite pillars which has been identified as the dilapidated building of the ancient Brazen palace which was once served as the administrative Center of the ancient Maha Vihara Monastery Complex constructed under the guidance of Great King Gamini Abhaya in 2nd Century BCE, a grand son of King Devanampiyatissa. It was a nine-storey building with 1000 different chambers. The name, Brazen Palce derives from the fact that its roof was thatched with copper tiles.

   10 minutes here

4. Ruwanweli Maha Seya

   Ruwanveliseya stupa also known as the Ratnamali or as the Mahathupa ( Th Great Stupa) was constructed under the guidance of Great Kind Gamini Abhaya in the second century BC. The chronicles fantastically describes of the inauguration ceremony of this Stupa as great festival that was held in Anuradhapura with the participation of Invited Guests even from other countries as diplomats. However it was destroyed during Chola Invasion by 10th century AC and was restored the stupa to its original glory in the 12th century AC by King Parakkramabahu the greatest. Then anyhow what we see today is the most recent restored form which was completed by Ratnamali Stupa Development Society in 1940, what was firstly initiated by Ven. Naranvita Sumanasara Thero in 1873 as he wanted to restore it to its former glory.

   20 minutes here

5. Twin Baths (Kuttam Pokuna)

   This picturesque pair of Ponds built on the low ground are undoubtedly exquisite specimens of land scape architecture and of course a wonderful hydraulic system showing not only the talents but the aesthetic sense of these magnificent people.

   10 minutes here · Admission not included

6. This is really somthing like a modern steam bath, but this was not merely to enjoy steam bathing with warm water but of a well-developed sinhalese medication which performed in 4th century AC onwards. At there we can discuss how it was functioned and how Sick monks in Abhayagiriya University cured their skin deceases.

   10 minutes here · Admission not included

7. Main Refectory of Abayagiri Monastery

   There we will again see a large granite trough in the shape of canoe stands with an amazing intaglio in the refectory premises of the Abhayagiriya Monastery. The Chinese monk Fa-hsien who was studying at the Abhayagiriya University in 5th Century AC recorded that there were 5000 Buddhist monks in the Monastery and this particular trough could hold sufficient rice for such a number.

   10 minutes here · Admission not included

8. This is one of the finest works of art in Sri Lanka dates back to about the 8th Century AC. And this masterpiece is preciously showcasing the aesthetic sense of the ancient craftsmen and how incredibly they have put their knowledge, ability, talents, feelings into practice.

   10 minutes here · Admission not included

9. Eth Pokuna

   This is popularly known as the Eth-Pokuna to the locals or the Elephant Pond in English, situated to south-west of the Refectory is perhaps the largest Man made pond in the Asia that was built in the 3rd century AC. It is said that this is three times bigger than a modern day Olympic swimming pool. The miracle here is not only its enormous size but the underground conduits which still functions and have been supplying water to the pond from nearby reservoirs and in the south west corner we can note a cistern sluice which suggests that water was distributed to other relatively smaller ponds in the vicinity depicting the superb hydraulic engineering skills of the ancient Sinhalese.

   15 minutes here · Admission not included

10. Moonstone or Sandakada pahana

    The moonstone is another most beautiful and breathtaking creation of the ancient sculptor. It serves as a doormat at the foot of a flight of steps to a Buddhist shrine, but the sculptor transforms it into a work of art far excellence.

    10 minutes here · Admission not included

Where it starts and ends

Before you book

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Languages

en

Ticket

Mobile Only

Runs on

Every day

Group size

Up to 10 travelers per booking

Operated by

Lucky Lanka Expedition

Know before you go

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Photos

Traveler reviews

64 verified traveler reviews for Private Day Tour & Evening Culture Walk in Anuradhapura. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.