4 101 X Mahagama was the capital of Ruhuna, a small kingdom often subject to Anuradhapura. Home of Dutthagamani in the 2nd century BC, it provided the springboard for his campaign to wrest control of the island from the usurping Tamils. Monasteries scattered round the town underline the importance of Buddhism to Sri Lankan kings.
#Mahagama
5 101 X Mahanagahula (modern Ambalantota) was an important and substantial settlement from Early Historic times onward.
#Mahanagahula
6 101 X The town of Mantai (ancient Mahatittha or Matota) was for many centuries a port of vital importance in the trade networks operating between the west and South-East Asia, and between the east and west coasts of India. Abundant imports have been found here, such as Roman coins.
#Mantai
7 101 X A 4 acre megalithic cemetery, Pomparippu contained some 8,000 urn burials. Pit burials, cists (box-like slab coffins) and cairns are known at other megalithic sites on the island.
#Pomparippu
8 101 X This coastal site is reputed to have been the place where Prince Vijaya landed in 486 BC. Excavated settlement debris here dates back to the 5th century; later material here includes a great number of exports.
#Kantarodai
9 102 A A monastic centre composed of rock-cut cells, 6 miles (10 km) from Anuradhapura, where the Buddhist holy man, Mahinda, was said first to have met King Devanampiya Tissa and where, after firmly establishing Buddhism in the island, he retired to meditate for the rest of his long life.
#Mihintale, CS to supply
10 0 21 4
#IW Buddhism and Monasticism in Sri Lanka
11 0 21 3
#IW Dutthagamani and the Tamils
12 13 21 3
#CM Anuradhapura
13 101 X Irrigation, developing from the late centuries BC, brought agricultural prosperity to Sri Lanka. The island also benefited from its strategic location for trade with both East and West. A mission sent in the 3rd century BC by the Indian emperor Ashoka introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka, where it took a strong hold. By the 5th century AD, Buddhist pilgrims from China were visiting shrines here. Much of the island's history has involved conflict with its mainly Hindu neighbours in southern India.
