Anuradhapura

城市概覽

Anuradhapura is the most ancient city of Sri Lanka. It is where Buddhism began in the country as well as where the first kingdom was located. It is known for its ancient features such as ruins of palaces and temples. It is also home to the eight sacred places of Sri Lanka. The historic zone, northwest of the town, consists of a good variety of ruins, spread over a large area (like a mini Siem Reap) along with a number of dagobas that are still important pilgrimage sites. The majority of visitors are white-clad Sri Lankan pilgrims, rather than foreign tour groups, hence a less touristy and less harassing atmosphere than at Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa.

如何抵達

By plane As of 2025 there are no scheduled flights servicing the airport. Air Senok or Helitours may run charter flights.

1 Anuradhapura Airport (ACJ IATA), Airport Rd. (updated May 2015)

By bus Buses travel along A9 highway, you can find buses from/to Colombo in Bastian Mawatha Terminal in Fort (five hours, every half hour, until 08:30) for a non-air-conditioned public bus, costs around Rs. 350, Kandy (three hours, every hour two or more, until 18:30), Dambulla (hourly, until 18:30), Trincomalee (3½ hours, morning) and other destinations from the bus station in the Anuradhapura New Town. From Colombo, slower non-AC buses go from Central Bus Station (Find routes 4, 15, 57) and slightly quicker AC/Luxury/Private buses, going from Bastian Mawatha, terminal 3. Luxury buses costing Rs. 1600-2800 (depending on class) take between 4-5½ hours from Colombo and can be booked on the Bus Seat website.

By train There are also two train stations in and around Anuradhapura, which can take you to/from Colombo (4½ hours, 3 each day), a first class seat costs Rs 2000-2400 depending on the train, 2nd class Rs 1200. To Kandy (change at Polgahawela). Being on the northern line, trains also run direct from Mannar (one per day, 2h, Rs 2100 (1st) / 1000 (3rd)) and Jaffna (two per day, 4h, Rs 2000 (1st) / 1200 (2nd)). If you're starting your train journey in the south or central parts of the country, you will need to change trains in Colombo.

2 Anuradhapura railway station. The main station (updated Nov 2019)

By road It is possible to get to Anuradhapura on the A9 highway from Kandy 166 km away. The drive from Colombo takes approximately 4 hours.

當地交通

Tuk tuks and buses are abundant. The PickMe app is the ridesharing app of choice here, for motorbikes, tuk tuks and taxis. The New Town is relatively small, and can be walked from one end to another in half an hour. This old town is quite large, so get a tuk-tuk if you want to cover all the sights in one day (should be Rs 3,500-4,500 per tour in 2023). Alternatively, some hotels in Anuradhapura can provide you with a bicycle (Rs 1,000 per day in 2023) or motorcycle (Rs 2,000 per day in 2023), allowing you to roam around on your own. The old town is open for visiting until 17:00 while a lot of the other temples can be visited until 2100 or even later on the full moon.

必看景點

The ancient city of Anuradhapura was first settled ca. 900 BCE, and served off and on as the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom until ca. 1100 CE, when the capital moved further south. The city was quite large in its heyday, and so there is a lot of archaeology to see.

1 Bodhi Tree Temple (The Sri Maha Bodhiya). The second most sacred place in Sri Lanka, after the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) in Kandy and also part of the eight sacred places in Sri Lanka. The Bodhi Tree is allegedly a cutting from the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment, and has been continuously guarded for over 2,000 years, making it the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world. The temple complex is surrounded by walls, and is quite busy with monks and worshipers. Due to terrorist activities in the 1980s, it is not possible to drive up to the temple, and one must go through a metal detector before entering the complex. Bags will be checked. Shoes can be left near the entrance. It is polite to leave a tip. (updated Jan 2018) 2 Ruwanwelisaya. The oldest and most voluminous stupa at Anuradhapura, has been fully restored, painted white, and is a centre of worship. Walk from the Sri Maha Bodhiya, past the Brazen Palace (an ancient palace that once supported a bronze roof) to the stupa. There are several image houses at the stupa, as well as four smaller stupas in the four corners of the complex. Please be respectful of the worshippers at the site. This is also one of the eight sacred places of Sri Lanka. (updated May 2019) 3 Abhayagiri Vihāra (අභයගිරි දාගැබ, அபயகிரி விகாரை), Watawandana Rd. A monastery site of Theravada Buddhism. Archaeolgy Museum, Thuparama Mawatha (centre). Showcases many of the artifacts found at the site, from jewellery and gems to coins and pottery. The museum is more focused on religious and elite objects, although some commoner artifacts are also shown. The Folk Museum: Showcases the archaeology of Anuradhapura from a more f

體驗活動

Apart from seeing the archaeology of the ancient city, it is possible to explore the area, and to spend time in the Anuradhapura New Town. There are many shops in the New Town, as well as a market, and the interested visitor may wish to patronize some of these. There are guided city tours offered by bicycle or on foot through local tour agencies, or ask at your hotel. You can also swim in the Tissa Wewa with the locals. There are also swimming spots in the river near the Jetavanarama Dagoba.

購物

Souvenir vendors are abundant at the popular sites within the Anuradhapura old town, as well as at Mihintale. You can go to them to purchase postcards, replica artifacts, carved wooden figurines, earrings, masks and any number of other items. Vendors will also often follow you around, and will sometimes not leave you alone when you say that you are not interested. Some vendors attempt to sell authentic ancient artifacts. It is illegal to remove items older than 100 years old from the country, and you may face up to three years in Sri Lankan prisons if you are caught attempting to do so. Besides this, the looting of archaeological artifacts can lead to the destruction of archaeological sites, the loss of important artifacts, and ultimately, the loss of valuable archaeological knowledge. Please do not support looting by purchasing authentic artifacts. The vendor should confirm that they are replicas, and they should be priced as such. There are numerous shops in the Anuradhapura New Town. Apart from food markets, there are photo shops, sari shops, and several others. Essentials can be purchased from Cargills Food City or at one of several pharmacies. Zam Zams has a wide assortment of products if you forgot to bring anything.

美食

There are many hotels (Sri Lankan English for a small restaurant) in the Anuradhapura New Town, which offer an authentic Sri Lankan meal, at quite a good price. Smaller boutiques offer quick eats, such as pastries and rolls, which are also quite good and cheap. St