Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

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• published: 21 Nov 2013
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Video with images of Anuradhapura an ancient city established in the fifth century BC by king Anuradha. From the fourth century BC it was the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until the beginning of the eleventh century AD. With the introduction of Buddhism in the third century BC Anuradhapura gained more prominence. In this period king Devanampiya Tissa engaged in a large-scale building program for religious monuments and so did many of his successors. Because of its many temples and monasteries Anuradhapura was considered sacred to the Buddhist world. In the eleventh century the capital was troubled by invasions from South India. Because of these threats, the inhabitants left the city. In the thirteenth century several royal sovereigns of the kingdom in Polonnaruwa renovated the most important monuments. Later on the city was abandoned and the tropical rain forest took over the place. Southeast of Anuradhapura is the village of Avukana at the border of an artificial lake. In a far corner of the lake is a rock formation with a twelve meters high statue of Buddha. The statue was made in the fifth century AD by the order of king Dhatusena. The statue stands free from the rock with the exception of a small strip on the back. The Buddha is standing on a throne in the form of a lotus plinth. The siraspata or burst of fire above his head represents the power of total enlightenment. The folds of his garment are delicately carved and emphasize the shape of his body. The garment hangs over his left shoulder. The right shoulder is bare. With the left hand Buddha holds his garment tight at the shoulder. He lifts his right hand upwards as a sign of blessing. Once the statue was in a large image house. A part of the brick wall still remains. In the southern part of Anuradhapura is the Isurumuniya Vihara in a cliff between two rocks. It. At the foot of one of these rocks is a pond with water from the nearby artificial lake. The original rock temple was built in the third century BC by king Devanampiya Tissa as a part of the Vaisyagiri Vihara monastery. In the fifth century AD it was renovated by king Kassapa who decorated the walls and the platforms with sculptures. The rock was engraved with an image of elephants cheerfully splattering with water. Near the temple is a relief of a young man at rest and the head of a horse. This relief shows a style which is characteristic of the Pallava empire in South India. It demonstrates the cultural contacts between the two empires in this period. Southeast of Anuradhapura center is the Jetavanarama dagoba on a large square platform. The outer platform is covered with sand and the inner platform is paved with stone slabs. In the past the dagoba was the largest brick monument of the world. The dagoba was part of a monasterial complex which was built in the third century AD by king Mahasena. The Jetavanarama Vihara monastery had three thousand monks. Many remains of the monastery are from the ninth and the tenth century when the monuments were built or restored. In the center of Anuradhapura is the Loha Prasada of king Dutugemunu from the second century BC. It was a part of the Maha Vihara monastery with more than one thousand monks and servants. The building has changed in appearance in the course of time. The present grey pillars are from the time of king Parakramabahu in the twelfth century. Once the building had nine floors. The upper floors were made of wood and the roof was made of copper. Not far from here is the Thuparama dagoba built in the third century BC by king Devanampiya Tissa. It contains according to reports the right collarbone of Buddha. The white dagoba stands on a terrace with a large number of pillars in four concentric circles. Once the pillars carried a conical wooden roof according to some scientists. The palace of king Mahasena is a monasterial building from the third century AD with a fine carved moonstone at the entrance. Nearby is another monasterial building with a fine sculpted guard stone from the eighth century AD. It was part of the Abhayagiri Vihara monastery which had more than five thousand monks. Some of them were sent to other countries to spread the word of Buddhism. The monks of Abhayagiri Vihara used to bathe in two tanks the Kuttam Pokuna with smoothly polished stones.