Ancient City of Lanka

Anuradhapura is a city of approximately 60,000 populations, situated in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. It experiences a hot, dry climate with temperatures ranging from 29ºC to 35ºC. It gets rain almost daily during the North East monsoon, which is usually from October to March. It must not be confused with Anuradhapura District, in which it belongs, but with the District representing a much wider area, far beyond the city.

Anuradhapura City has historical significance, and it is where Buddhism found its first real home in Sri Lanka, so it’s also Sri Lanka’s most sacred city. In 1988, it was designated a World Heritage Site and is a major tourist attraction as part of the ‘Cultural Triangle’. It is estimated at 235 km from Colombo.

Anuradhapura City has two distinct parts - the “New Town” and the “Old Town”. The Old Town or Ancient City is the site of the first capital of Sri Lanka, which was the seat of the kings between the 4th Century BC and the 10th Century AD. The site was rediscovered in the 1820’s during the British colonial rule and, as work started on the ruins towards the end of the century, the New Town developed and became established. The ancient city is a fascinating place of ruins, temples, and pagoda’s and tanks (ancient reservoirs). The area is quieter than the New Town. The Old Town is also the home of the famous centuries-old boa tree, grown from a shoot of the original boa tree from India, under which the Buddha attained his enlightenment while meditating. Hence most Sri Lankans’ Buddhist make a pilgrimage to the tree at least once in their lifetime, and often after significant events like marriage, first job, birth of a child, or death of a loved one. The historic and religious significance of Anuradhapura City means that tourism, from international and local tourists and from pilgrims, is one of the main industries in the city.

The New Town, by Sri Lankan standards, is relatively modern and has many conveniences. The town supports a range of private sector professions as well as a large government sector network. It is the capital of the North Central Province and the seat of the Provincial government. The development initiatives in the surrounding area have brought in a few non-government organisations (NGOs), both international and local. It is also the site of some large and very strategic military bases (army and air force) and there is significant military presence in the city.

The city and surrounding area are almost completely populated by Sinhalese Buddhists. The civil conflict has changed the ethnicity of the area in recent years, with many Tamils leaving the area in the mid 1980’s. The area is associated with strong Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism. There are a few pockets of Sri Lankan Moslems (Tamil-speaking, though not of Tamil ethnicity) in the area, primarily displaced from the conflict areas. Although the city itself is far from the conflict area, the District borders some of the conflict locations. North of the city, towards the conflict zones, entire areas are kept off-limits by security personnel. There are some IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the area, mostly of Moslems or Sinhalese people forced to flee their homes.

The A12 highway running from Puttalam in the West to Trincomalee in the East runs through Anuradhapura city. Many Embassies and High Commissions have advised their citizens not to venture north of this highway. This has put Anuradhapura city in an ambiguous position and tourist numbers, international and local, and even pilgrims have plummeted.

Outside the city, the area is predominately rural with a few small towns in-between. The area is vast, with villages and settlements quite distant from one another. Public transportation beyond the main highways is almost non-existent so in that sense, villages are quite isolated. Most villages have electricity and telephone connections, though mobile coverage is still very limited to some remote villages. People are mainly involved in agriculture and small and medium enterprise. The main crop is paddy and people are also involved in animal husbandry and the cultivation of other crops such as chillies, onions and other Dry Zone vegetables and fruits. The Dry Zone climate means that external irrigation is required if the small scale farmers of the area are to be able to cultivate more than one crop per year. There is an ancient irrigation system of tanks and canals to store and distribute rain water. Work has been done to restore some of these, and the area is part of Sri Lanka’s massive Mahaveli river project that channels the river water into the area. Despite all this, a good monsoon is essential to restore water levels, and the area is frequently subject to drought. The economic situation of the people in the province is one of the least developed in Sri Lanka.