Anuradhapura

King Devanampiya Tissa built the country’s first stupa (this one) here, the Thuparama, in the 4th century BC.

	The sacred City of Anuradhapura is a World Heritage Site — one of 8 in Sri Lanka. It was established around a cutting from the ‘tree of enlightenment’, the Buddha’s fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital founded in the 5th century BC flourished for 1,300 years and abandoned after an invasion in 993. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again. We arrived in the city around noon after a 5 hour train ride from Colombo and did not heavily explore the historical part of the city until the following day. We rented bicycles at our guest house (the Montana Rest) to explore the 16 square km or Anuradhapura’s stupas and temples. It is almost too much to take in during a single day. I found myself awestruck when we departed the sacred city just before sunset, but more because of its otherworldly aesthetic than its important history, which was largely lost on me.
	The historic area has a very impressive array of macaques. North Americans normally see monkeys in zoos but Sri Lanka is one of those locales where they may outnumber people.
	We stayed in a guesthouse, the Montana Rest — we rated it the best accommodations in SL as far as breakfast and cleanliness. An impressive mansion made of wood with a good location about a 5 minute walk to the main drag — Wi-Fi, mosquito nets, SriLankan or western breakfast on the outside veranda.