# Visiting Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: Top Sights on Foot **Things to do in Anuradhapura: what to see in Sri Lanka’s ancient capital** The best things to do in Anuradhapura centre on its ancient Buddhist monuments, sacred tree and archaeological museums. Once the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom for more than a thousand years, the city is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with remarkably preserved ruins. Neywo has a free audio guide for Anuradhapura with 9 narrated places, available in 11 languages. Anuradhapura lies in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malwathu Oya river. According to the *Mahavamsa*, it was founded in 437 BCE, although the area had been inhabited earlier. Its long history makes it one of Asia’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and one of the most important places to visit in [Sri Lanka](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka.md). ## What to see in Anuradhapura The main sights are spread across the ancient city, where stupas, monasteries, museums and pilgrimage sites reveal the scale and importance of Anuradhapura’s past. ### Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum The Anuradhapura Archaeological Museum, also known locally as Puravidu Bhavana, is the oldest and largest museum belonging to Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology. It occupies the old Kachcheri building in the cultural triangle between Ruwanwelisaya and the Brazen Palace. The museum was established in 1947 through the efforts of Senarath Paranavithana. Its collection brings together discoveries from different parts of Sri Lanka, including Buddha statues, inscriptions, maps, figurines, coins, ornaments and beads. A model of the Vatadage at Thuparama offers an idea of how that distinctive circular structure may have looked. ### Sri Maha Bodhi Sri Maha Bodhi is one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist sites. It is a living tree descended directly from the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, where Siddhartha Gautama is believed to have attained enlightenment. According to Sri Lankan tradition, a cutting from the original tree’s southern branch was brought to Anuradhapura in 236 BC by Sangamitta, a Buddhist nun and daughter of Emperor Ashoka. It was planted in the Mahamewuna Garden during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa. The tree stands on a terrace approximately 6.5 metres above ground level. Four lower terraces contain other Bo trees, known as Parivara Bodhi, which were planted around it for protection. The site has developed into a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination. ### Ruwanweli Maha Saya Ruwanweli Maha Saya, also called the Great Thupa, is one of Anuradhapura’s most revered monuments. It is traditionally associated with the largest collection of the Buddha’s relics anywhere, making it an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists. King Dutugemunu built the stupa around 140 BC after defeating the Chola King Elara and uniting Sri Lanka under his rule. It originally stood at about 55 metres, before being renovated and enlarged by successive kings. Today, the monument is described as 103 metres high, with a circumference of 290 metres. The *Mahavamsa* gives a detailed account of its construction and inauguration. After becoming covered by wilderness by the 19th century, the stupa was restored through the efforts of a bhikkhu and financial support from devotees. ### Jetavanaramaya Jetavanaramaya stands within the ruins of the Jetavana monastery. When it was first built, the stupa reached 122 metres, making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world and the third tallest structure on Earth after the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre. King Mahasena initiated its construction after the destruction of the Mahavihara of Anuradhapura, and his son Kithsirimevan completed it. The monument is believed to enshrine part of a belt tied by the Buddha. After Anuradhapura was abandoned as a capital in the 11th century, the stupa was overtaken by jungle. King Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa renovated it in the 12th century, rebuilding it to its current height of 71 metres. Although it is no longer the world’s tallest stupa, its base covers approximately 233,000 square metres, and its construction is estimated to have used around 93.3 million baked bricks. ### Abhayagiri Vihara Abhayagiri Vihara is one of the largest ancient monastery complexes in the world and one of Anuradhapura’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. The complex covers about 235 acres and includes ancient walls, bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones. At its centre is Abhayagiri Dagaba, the stupa that once served as the monastery’s focal point. It was also the original custodian of the Buddha’s Tooth Relic on the island. Founded in the 2nd century BC, Abhayagiri grew into an international institution by the 1st century AD. It welcomed scholars from distant regions and included different Buddhist traditions, including Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. The monastery was also known as Uttara Vihara, or the Northern Monastery, and was the largest of Anuradhapura’s five major monasteries. ### Anuradhapura Folk Museum The Anuradhapura Folk Museum is a small museum near the Archaeological Museum. Established on August 22, 1971, it focuses on everyday life in Sri Lanka’s rural communities. Its collection includes cultivation tools, kitchen utensils, medical equipment and musical instruments. Together, these objects provide a picture of how people in village communities lived, worked and celebrated. ### Mihintale Archaeological Museum The Mihintale Archaeological Museum brings together archaeological discoveries from Mihintale and the surrounding area. Built in 1984 and maintained by Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology, it contains bronze statues, ancient tools and utensils, as well as fragments of murals and painted artwork. Among the notable objects are a palm-leaf manuscript with gold lettering dating from the 9th century and a model of a memorial casket discovered inside a Buddhist temple in the area. ## Explore Anuradhapura with a self-guided audio tour Neywo’s free Anuradhapura audio guide lets you explore the sacred city independently. The app offers one walking tour and one bike route, both following the principal monuments of the ancient city: - **Stupas and the Sacred Tree: Ancient Anuradhapura**: a 5.51 km walking tour lasting 104 minutes, with 5 narrated stops. - **By Bicycle Through the Sacred City**: a 4.2 km bike route lasting 21 minutes, with 5 narrated stops. Both routes visit the Anuradhapura Museum, Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanweli Maha Saya, Jetavanaramaya and Abhayagiri Vihara. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo and explore Anuradhapura while the app explains the history and significance of the monuments around you. ## Places with an audio guide in Anuradhapura 7 places in Anuradhapura with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it. - Anuradhapura Museum - Anuradhapura - Abhayagiri vihāra - Sri Maha Bodhi - North Central Province - Jetavanaramaya - Ruwanweli Maha Saya ## Self-guided tours in Anuradhapura 1 tour in Anuradhapura, free in the Neywo app. Each stop tells its story as you reach it. - [By Bicycle Through the Sacred City](https://app.neywo.com/tours/anuradhapura/by-bicycle-through-the-sacred-city?lang=en) — Bike ride, 4.2 km · 31 min · 5 stops: Anuradhapura Museum, Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanweli Maha Saya, Jetavanaramaya, Abhayagiri vihāra ## Walk Anuradhapura with Neywo Neywo turns Anuradhapura into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it. ## More in Sri Lanka - [Batticaloa](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/batticaloa.md) - [Colombo](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/colombo.md) - [Ella](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/ella.md) - [Galle](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/galle.md) - [Jaffna](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/jaffna.md) - [Negombo](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/negombo.md) ## Elsewhere in Sri Lanka - [Dambulla](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/dambulla.md) — Central Province - [Kandy](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/kandy.md) — Central Province - [Nuwara Eliya](https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/central-province/nuwara-eliya.md) — Central Province --- HTML: https://neywo.com/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura App: https://app.neywo.com Español: https://neywo.com/es/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura.md Français: https://neywo.com/fr/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura.md Deutsch: https://neywo.com/de/destinations/sri-lanka/anuradhapura.md