-1 101 Z Anuradhapura grew from a village in the 6th century BC to become the island's principal city by the 3rd century BC. After King Devanampiya Tissa and his followers were converted to Buddhism, many monasteries were established in parks around the walled city. Anuradhapura remained the island's capital almost continuously until the 11th century AD. Replaced by Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura was then rapidly swallowed up by the jungle.
# Anuradhapura - opening PW
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#CM Mahavihara
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#CM Citadel
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#CM Abhayagiri monastery
6 101 X Entrances to buildings were often flanked by a pair of guardstones, sculptured slabs depicting snake deities or dwarfs, who were regarded as benevolent guardian spirits.
#Guardstones, Guardstone
7 101 X Tissawewa, one of Anuradhapura's three huge tanks (reservoirs) on which the city depended for its domestic water supply and for irrigation. Tissawewa may originally have been built by the 4th century king, Pandukabhaya.
#Tissawewa
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#EW Gift of the Mahavihanara
9 101 X Some of the architecture at Anuradhapura and other centres, especially Mihintale, was not built but cut into the rock. Here at Isurumaniya, in the 3rd century BC Devanampiya Tissa established a rock-cut monastery beside a pool. The rocks surrounding this pool were later embellished with delightful sculptures.
#Isurumaniya monastery, 7th C AD sculptures of elephants by the pool
XX 101 X Following his successful mission to Sri Lanka in 246 BC, the Buddhist holy man Mahinda was joined by his sister Sanghamitta who brought with her a cutting of the Mahabodhi tree under which Buddha had gained enlightenment. Successfully transplanted it is said still to survive, though its surrounding shrine has gone.
#Mahabodh
XX 101 X At the heart of the first monastery, founded by King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BC, was built a stupa (relic mound), Thuparama, enshrining precious relics generously donated by the Indian emperor Ashoka: Buddha's right collar bone and his begging bowl. Rows of pillars around the stupa originally held up a wooden roof.
