Anuradhapura History
About
Anuradhapura is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies 205 kilometers north of the current capital of Colombo in the North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malwathu Oya.
History Of Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies 205 kilometers (127 mi) north of the current capital of Colombo in the North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malwathu Oya. The city is now a World Heritage Site famous for its well-preserved ruins of the ancient Sinhalese civilisation.
While Mahāvaṃsa places the founding of the city in 437 BCE, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement on the island for almost three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Asia. It is the cradle of the Hydraulic Sinhalese civilisation, Theravada Buddhism, and the longest-serving ancient capital of Sri Lanka that has survived for 1500 years. Moreover, It was the first capital of the Sinhala Kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara. Anuradhapura was also the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries and has been a major Buddhist pilgrimage site with ruins of many ancient Buddhist temples, including the famous Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest still-living, documented, planted tree in the world and that is believed to have originally been a branch of the sacred fig tree at Bodh Gaya (Bihar, India), under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. These vast networks of ancient temples and monasteries now cover over 100 square kilometers (40 sq mi) of area of the city today.
The city was mostly destroyed and largely deserted after 993 CE, with the Chola invasion from South India. Although several attempts were made by later Sinhalese kings to return the capital to Anuradhapura, it was not reestablished as a major population centre of the island until the British colonial era in the 19th century CE. Despite its political decline, Anuradhapura remained a vital pilgrimage site for Buddhists throughout the medieval period and continues to be an important spiritual destination to this day. The revival of the current city began in earnest in the 1870s. The contemporary city, much of which was moved during the mid-20th century to preserve the site of the ancient capital, is a major road junction of northern Sri Lanka and lies along a railway line. The city is the headquarters of Sri Lanka's archeological survey, and tourism is a significant factor in its economy.(more details...)
Etymology
According to historical records such as Mahavamsa, the origin of the name Anuradhapura is traced to the minister named 'Anuradha' in the court of Prince Vijaya (543–505 BCE), the first Sinhalese king of the island. According to the legends related to Vijaya, his minister named 'Anuradha' established the settlement that later became Anuradhapura. However, the finding of earlier settlements in the citadel area of the old city dating back to until 10 century BCE would doubt this claim.
The name 'Anuradhapura' means the 'city of Anuradha' (Anuradha+pura), where "pura" stand for 'city' in Sinhala, Sanskrit, Pali, and Tamil. However, before Anuradhapura was considered a city, it was called the 'Anuradhagrama,' meaning the 'village of Anuradha,' from "Anuradha" and "grama". This older name was also mentioned in the work of ancient Greek and Roman scholars such as Strabo and Claudius Ptolemy.In Ptolemy's world map from 2 century CE, the place was named 'Anourogrammoi.' Thus, It is believed that the expansion of this earlier smaller settlement called Anuradhagrama into a city during the reign of Sinhalese king Pandukabhaya (474–367 BCE) in 437 BCE caused the change of the name to Anuradhapura.
- Significant milestones in the development of the name
Naming the earlier smaller settlement after the minister 'Anuradha' in the court of Prince Vijaya as Anuradhagrama (6th century BCE).
Anuradhagrama stand for 'village of Anuradha' (Anuradha+grama).
Changing the name into Anuradhapura due to the expansion of settlement into a city during Sinhalese king Pandukabhaya (437 BCE).
Anuradhapura stands for 'city of Anuradha' (Anuradha+pura).
Travel Places
- Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree
- Ruwanwelisaya Stupa
- Jetawanaramaya
- Isurumuniya Temple
- Samadhi Buddha statue
- Abhayagiri Stupa
- Sandakada Pahana ( Moonstone)
- Lankarama stupa
- Abhayagiriya Museum
- Thuparamaya Dagoba
- Kuttam pokuna ( twin pond )
- Awkana Buddha statue
- The Ancient Hospital
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