Sri Lanka contains Anuradhapura, an ancient city that served as a former capital.
Anuradhapura was established as a major political and religious center around the fourth century BCE and remained Sri Lanka’s capital for roughly 1,300 years. It became one of the most important centers of Theravada Buddhism in the ancient world.
The city is famous for enormous stupas, reservoirs, monasteries, and the Sri Maha Bodhi tree. The sacred tree is traditionally grown from a sapling of the Bodhi tree in India under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment. It was brought to Sri Lanka in the third century BCE by Sanghamitta, according to Buddhist tradition.
Anuradhapura declined after invasions and political changes shifted power to other capitals. UNESCO designated the Sacred City of Anuradhapura a World Heritage Site in 1982. The ruins remain an active pilgrimage destination as well as an archaeological landscape.