Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura අනුරාධපුරය அனுராதபுரம்
Anuradhapura අනුරාධපුරය அனுராதபுரம் Coordinates: 8 ° 20 '  N , 80 ° 25'  E
State :	Sri Lanka
Province :	Northern Central Province
Surface:	7.179 km²
Founding:	approx. 400 BC Chr
Residents:	56,632
Sri Mahabodhi , the oldest tree, the history of which is fully documented

Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba in Anuradhapura

Jethawana Dagoba

Anuradhapura ( Sinhala : අනුරාධපුරය Anurādhapuraya [ anuˈraːd̪əˌpurəjə ], Tamil : அனுராதபுரம் Aṉurātapuram [ ˈanuraːd̪əpurʌm ]) is the capital of the north-central province of Sri Lanka . It was the center of various Sinhalese royal dynasties for over a thousand years .

geography

Near Anuradhapura is Mihintale , the cradle of Sinhala Theravada Buddhism. The historic Anuradhapura is a pilgrimage destination for many Buddhists as well as an important archaeological excavation site. The modern city of Anuradhapura is a few kilometers away as the original city was sacked and destroyed in 993 after an invasion by the Chola dynasty.

history

Anuradhapura was founded in the 4th century BC. It was founded in the vicinity of the Sri Mahabodhi tree and was the first capital of Sri Lanka. In the year 100 AD, the city was about the ninth largest in the world (see list of the largest cities in the world (historical) ). Ultimately, Anuradhapura could not withstand the pressure of the Chola dynasty, but did not finally fall into their hands until 993. Before that, Anaradhapura was a political and religious center for over 1300 years. After the Chola invasion, the city was abandoned and hidden in the jungle for many years. After major excavations of palaces, monasteries and monuments, it is again an important center in Sri Lanka today.

The first European to see Anuradhapura was the British navigator Robert Knox : he came to the place in 1679 while fleeing from Rajasinha II , who had held him prisoner for 19½ years.

On January 14, 1923, there was a serious railway accident near Anuradhapura in which a steam locomotive , its tender and a passenger car fell into a river and 39 people died.

World heritage status

In 1982 the site was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Criteria were the influence on the development of local architecture over several centuries, the importance of the site for Sinhala culture and the importance of the Buddhist shrine in the site.

Attractions

The most important pilgrimage site in Anuradhapura is the Sri Mahabodhi. According to tradition, this poplar fig grew out of a branch of that tree in Bodhgaya (northern India), under which Siddhartha Gautama , the Buddha , is said to have achieved enlightenment . In the 3rd century BC The branch came to Sri Lanka as part of King Ashoka's Buddhist missions .

In addition, there are several large Dagobas ( stupas ) in the city and the surrounding region , namely Ruwanwelisaya (also Ruvanveli-Dagoba, Ruvanvæli Sǣya , founded at the beginning of the 1st century BC), Abhayagiri , Jethawana and Thupārāma .

population

Ethnicity	number	% of the total population
Sinhalese	51,775	91.42
Moors	3,825	6.75
Sri Lankan Tamils	850	1.50
India Tamils	45	0.08
Others ( Malay , Burgher etc.)	137	0.24
total	56,632	100

Climate table

Anuradhapura
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     79   30th 21st     55   32 21st     69   34 23     152   34 24     84   33 25th     9.4   33 25th     27   33 25th     40   33 24     74   33 24     255   32 23     230   30th 23     211   29 22nd Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka

Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Anuradhapura Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 29.6 31.7 33.8 34.3 32.9 32.7 33.0 33.2 33.1 32.0 30.3 29.1 O 32.1 Min. Temperature (° C) 20.9 21.3 22.9 24.1 24.8 24.9 24.5 24.4 24.1 23.3 22.5 21.9 O 23.3 Precipitation ( mm ) 79.2 55.4 68.7 151.6 84.3 9.4 27.1 39.8 74.0 254.5 229.7 210.9 Σ 1,284.6 Rainy days ( d ) 6th 4th 5 12 6th 2 3 3 6th 14th 16 14th Σ 91 Source: Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka

Web links

Commons : Anuradhapura  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Anuradhapura  - travel guide

• Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• The world heritage site in Sri Lanka - Anuradhapura
• James Ricalton: The City of the Sacred Bo-Tree. Anuradhapura. Scribner's magacine, Vol. X, No. 3. pp. 319-335. New York 1891

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , pp. 64, 73.
2. ↑ ^{a b} UNESCO World Heritage Center: Sacred City of Anuradhapura. Retrieved on August 24, 2017 . 
3. ↑ Diran Kavork Dohanian: The “Elephant Wall” of the Ruvanveli Dāgoba in Anurādhapura. In: Ars Orientalis, Volume 8, 1970, pp. 139-146
4. ↑ http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/Population/p9p8%20Ethnicity.pdf