Sri Lanka Day 1: Jetavanarama Dagoba, Anuradhapura

(For other entries on Sri Lanka, please visit Sri Lanka Travels)

We took a short rest at Palm Garden Village Hotel and started on our visit to Anuradhapura in the morning.  Anuradhapura is Sri Lanka 's most ancient capital city which lasted till the end of the 1st millennium AC. It remains the major Buddhist religious center for more than 2000 years.

We were supposed to meet our guide at the Jetavanarama Museum but due to some miscommunications, he was late. Meanwhile, we spent time looking at the artefacts of the museum.  It was a decent museum with basic write-up on the exhibits.  It would be great is the aircon or fan was on.



Before visiting the historical sites, foreign visitors had to purchase a day-pass costing US$25.  You could also pay in rupees which worked out cheaper on most occasions.  The authority has stopped the sale of Cultural Triangle Ticket in 2012, which was a concession ticket enabling visitors to visit the main sites in the region.

Jetavanaramaya Dagoba (or stupa) is located in the ruins of Jetavana Monastery.  King Mahasena (273-301 AD) initiated the construction of the dagoba following the destruction of Mahavihara. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa. 

It was one of the tallest structures in the ancient world, at 122 m. and was the tallest ancient stupa at that time.

A perspective of how tall this structure is.

From the old photos, the dagoba was once covered with trees.  Now the restoration is almost complete.

Visitors have to remove shoes before stepping onto the dagoba compound.  As the floor is pretty hot under the sun, please remember to wear socks.