The inscription of King Mahinda IV belonging to the tenth century is installed on the two sides of the entrance to this Vihara. The relic house is a square building.
The Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription is considered one of the 14 valuable inscriptions of the Anuradhapura Era. The pillar inscription is believed to have been placed by King Mahinda IV (956-972) and is 6 feet in height and 1.5 feet wide. 45 lines of text have been inscribed on this pillar.
Placed by King Dappula IV in the early part of the 10th century, this Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription declares a sanctuary for Animal, Plants as well as Humans in the Namal Uyana area. Even royal guards were prohibited from entering this area to apprehend criminals.
Many do not pay special attention to this pillar which is generally called “Dutugenumu Pillar” but the story behind this pillar is interesting as the construction of the Ruwanweli Seya itself. This pillar was installed by King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BCE) on the advice of Mihindu Maha Thero.
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Cemetery was initially uncovered and examined in 1896 by R. W. Levers. Subsequently, in the 1970s, Raja De Silva from the Department of Archaeology led excavations at Gurugalhinna. However, the burials at the site have not been scientifically dated.
In the Ritigala Uththupitiya Archaeological Site, there are two stupa mounds and five buildings in ruins. Most of these ruins have been destroyed by treasure hunters. There are about 10 caves with drip ledges and almost every one of these caves has a ledge inscription. In addition to this, there are parts of walls and steps. In this monastic complex, there is a rock inscription on the top of the rock above one of the caves.
Siyambaladamana Megalithic Burial Site is located in Siyambaladamana village in No. 598 Madawala Grama Sevaka division of Palugaswewa Regional Secretariat Dvision in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province. This burial site is well preserved due to its location which has not yet been affected by natural and human activities. There are about 16 burial chambers located in an area of about 03 acres.
In 2023, archaeologists discovered an ancient Stone Bridge (Gal Palama) and a Ambalama between Uththupitiya village and Ganewal Pola village on the border of Tirappane Divisional Secretariat Division and Kekirawa Divisional Secretariat Division of Anuradhapura District at the foot of the Ritigala Mountains across the origin of the Malwathu Oya.
The newly uncovered Image House is situated just south of the southeast corner of Lovamahapaya. Adjacent to its southern side, extending from the Sri Maha Bodhi courtyard, lies Dikman Road, established during the English colonial period. The section of the road near the monument, now outside the Sri Maha Bodhi courtyard, serves as the Perahara road, recently constructed utilizing cement block stones.
The 75 meter high Abhayagiri stupa was constructed in the reign of King Vattagamini Abaya (commonly known as King Valagamba) in the 1st Century BC after the defeat of the Inidan Invaders in the country.
Asokaramaya is located in a beautiful surrounding in the village of Pankuliya. This is a fairly unknown site to the average pilgrim but has one of the best carved Buddha statues in the country today. This statute equals the quality of the famous Samadhi Statue and the Tholuvila statue (which is now kept in the Colombo museum).
Nirawiya Farm in Thambuttegama is managed by Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka. The farm borders Kala Oya from the north. Ruins of an ancient stone Bridge and surrounding archaeological ruins on the borders of the farm were gazetted as ancient monuments on 1st February 2023
The Western Monastery “K” in Anuradhapura lie 800 meters on Watawandana Road from the roundabout where the Watawandana Road joins the Arippu Road. The ruins of “K” lie opposite to the Ruins J on the same road but covered in shrub jungle.
The main component of the hermitages of these monks were the padhanagaras or the meditation houses, which were beautifully built of well-proportioned and meticulously- dressed plain stone. The distinguishing feature of these monuments is that they are made up of two sections- a residential pasada or kuti at the back and an open platform or malaka in front- joined together by a relatively narrow passage or stone bridge. Its foundations were built in such a manner that a moat surrounded the platforms.
Western Monastery “J” lies hidden near the minor reservoir called Lolugas Wewa where the Watawandana Road meets Arippu Road. The ruins have been conserved but due to lack of foot traffic, the area is covered in shrubs jungle again.
The concealed Western Monastery “C” lies nestled amidst contemporary residences and overgrown shrub jungles in Anuradhapura off Arippu Road. Its secluded location makes it unlikely for any pilgrim to discover or explore. While some restoration efforts have been made in the past to revive parts of the main Padhanaghara complex, a significant portion of the area is currently dominated by shrub jungle, having fallen into disuse.
The concealed Western Monastery B lies nestled amidst contemporary residences and overgrown shrub jungles in Anuradhapura. Its secluded location makes it unlikely for any pilgrim to discover or explore. While some restoration efforts have been made in the past to revive parts of the main Padhanaghara complex, a significant portion of the area is currently dominated by shrub jungle, having fallen into disuse.
A special type of vihara complexes are found western and northwestern suburbs of the city of ancient Anuradhapura. They are variously referred to as ‘Outer Circular Road Palaces‘, ‘Western Ruins‘ or ‘Western Monasteries‘, ‘Double-platform buildings‘, ‘Tapovana Monasteries‘, ‘Padhanagara Monasteries‘ etc., The distinctive feature of these buildings are that their central structure is made up of…
The archaeological site of Wasammale is about two and a half kilometers away from the sacred Mihintale site. Paintings of 6-7 AD have been found on a 20 x 15 feet surface in a cave.
The ruins of Mihintale Puvarasankulama Anula Devi Chethiya is spread across an area of approximately 4 acres centered around a rocky pleatu spreading from south to north. At this site you find ruins of a medium sized stupa, an rock inscription and ruins of other building including a rock pond.
