Anuradhapura Maha Sthan

Anuradhapura — ancient Buddhist capital of Sri Lanka

Tradition · Buddhist

Period · 4th c. BCE (foundation by Pandukabhaya) – 10th c. CE (end of Anuradhapura period); revived 19th–21st c. as Buddhist pilgrimage center

✓ Guardian-reviewed

Historical Period4c BCE

4th c. BCE (foundation by Pandukabhaya) – 10th c. CE (end of Anuradhapura period); revived 19th–21st c. as Buddhist pilgrimage center

3000 BCE4th century BCEPresent

Sacred Facts · At a Glance

Element: air

Primary Scriptures

0 sources

No primary scriptures are catalogued for this entry yet. If you know of scriptural references we have missed, please contribute them.

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✦Wisdom Graph: Divine Associations✦

🛕 Principal Temples

Ruwanwelisaya Stupa2nd c. BCE (King Dutugemunu)
📍 Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
8.3500°, 80.3833° — view on map
Festivals: Poson Mela (June)
One of the great dagobas of Sri Lanka; holds relics of Buddha
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi288 BCE
📍 Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
8.3467°, 80.3917° — view on map
Sacred fig tree — oldest historical tree in the world (with continuous documented lineage)
Abhayagiri Vihara1st c. BCE
📍 Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
8.3583°, 80.4050° — view on map
Monastic complex of the Abhayagiri school; great library; 500+ monks
Mihintale3rd c. BCE
📍 Mihintale (near Anuradhapura), Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
8.3667°, 80.5167° — view on map
Where Mahinda (son of Emperor Ashoka) first preached Buddhism to King Devanampiya Tissa

🎊 Festivals

Poson Mela
June (Poson) · 5 days
Vesak
May (Vesak) · 3 days

Sources & provenance

📜 3 Primary🎓 2 Scholarly

📜
Primary sourceBook
Buddhist monks / unknown. Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle) (400)
📜
Primary sourceBook
Buddhist monks. Cūḷavaṃsa (Minor Chronicle) (1300)
📜
Primary sourceBook
Sinhala chronicles. Deepohamsa and Rajavaliya (1600)
🎓
Scholarly sourceBook
Senaka Batugoda. The University of Anuradhapura (1998)
🎓
Scholarly sourceBook
M. D. Raghavan. Ancient Ceylon (1951)

Sacred Index

Knowledge Connections

Cite this Entry

"Anuradhapura Maha Sthan." ELGODS: Spiritual Encyclopedia of India, Deities, https://elgods.jambudweep.tech/explore/deities/anuradhapura. Accessed August 22, 2026.

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✦Wisdom Graph: Divine Associations✦

🛕 Principal Temples

🎊 Festivals