Sacred City of Anuradhapura World Heritage Site

Official name

Sacred City of Anuradhapura | UNESCO

Country

Sri Lanka | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

North Central Province, Anuradhapura District
8.3333° Lat, 80.3833° Lon | Map

Code

200

Time Zone

Asia/Colombo (+0530, +0530)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 1982. This sacred city was established around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment', the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years, was abandoned after an invasion in 993. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again.