Anuradhapura: The Sacred City Where Theravada Buddhism Took Root

What Is Theravada Buddhism?

Theravada means "the teaching of the elders". It is the oldest surviving school of Buddhism, and it follows the Pali Canon — the Tipitaka, or "three baskets" of the Buddha's teachings, monastic rules and philosophy. Today it is the main tradition in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Visitors from Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan usually follow the Mahayana tradition. Both grew from the same roots, and many pilgrims find it moving to see how the earlier tradition is still practised in Sri Lanka: monks in saffron robes, daily offerings at the stupas, and chanting in Pali.

How Buddhism Came to Sri Lanka

1. ERA1

   4th century BCE · A royal capital

   Anuradhapura becomes the capital of the island's kings, and remains so for well over a thousand years.

2. ERA2

   3rd century BCE · Mahinda arrives

   Arahat Mahinda, son of the Indian emperor Ashoka, meets King Devanampiya Tissa at Mihintale and teaches him the Dhamma. The king accepts Buddhism and founds the Mahavihara monastery in Anuradhapura, which became the centre of Theravada learning.

3. ERA3

   3rd century BCE · The sacred Bodhi tree

   Mahinda's sister, Theri Sanghamitta, brings a branch of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Planted in Anuradhapura, it grew into the Sri Maha Bodhi — still worshipped today and regarded as the oldest living tree planted by humans with a known history. She also founded the order of Buddhist nuns on the island.

4. ERA4

   2nd century BCE · The great stupa

   King Dutugemunu builds the Ruwanwelisaya, one of the most revered stupas in the Buddhist world.

5. ERA5

   1st century BCE · The teachings are written down

   King Vattagamani Abhaya founds the Abhayagiri monastery. In the same period, monks at Aluvihara near Matale write the Pali Canon down on palm leaves for the first time — until then it had been passed on by memory.

6. ERA6

   3rd century CE · Jetavana

   King Mahasena builds the Jetavanaramaya, one of the tallest structures in the ancient world. The three great monasteries — Mahavihara, Abhayagiri and Jetavana — shape the island's Buddhism for centuries.

7. ERA7

   5th century CE · Scholars and pilgrims

   The Chinese monk Faxian lives at Abhayagiri for about two years and records the city in his travel writings. At the Mahavihara, the scholar-monk Buddhaghosa writes the Visuddhimagga and commentaries on the Pali texts, still studied today.

8. ERA8

   11th century CE · The forest returns

   After invasion from South India, the capital moves to Polonnaruwa. Anuradhapura is slowly reclaimed by the jungle, until its ruins are cleared and restored from the 19th century onwards.

From Sri Lanka, the Theravada tradition later spread to Southeast Asia, and monks from Myanmar and Thailand came to the island to receive ordination. This is why Anuradhapura matters not only to Sri Lankans, but to Theravada Buddhists everywhere.

Visiting Anuradhapura Respectfully

Anuradhapura is a living place of worship, not only an archaeological site. A few simple customs make a visit more comfortable and respectful:

• Wear white or light, modest clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.
• Remove shoes and hats inside temple grounds. Carry socks — the stone and sand get very hot by midday.
• Never pose with your back to a Buddha statue, and don't touch or climb on monuments.
• Walk around stupas clockwise, keeping the stupa on your right.
• On Poya (full moon) days, the city fills with pilgrims dressed in white — a beautiful time to visit, but busier.