Places to visit in North Central Province, Sri Lanka
20 places to visit in North Central Province, Sri Lanka, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Jetavanaramaya, Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your North Central Province volume.
2 UNESCO World Heritage sites · 2 Famous places to visit · 16 Hidden gems
UNESCO World Heritage sites in North Central Province (2)
-
Jetavanaramaya
A brick stupa begun by King Mahasena in the 3rd century, which at 122 metres was the tallest in the world and the third tallest structure on earth when it was built. It rises from the ruins of the Jetavana monastery and is believed to enshrine part of the Buddha's girdle.
-
Polonnaruwa Vatadage
A circular relic house in ancient Polonnaruwa, the best preserved of its kind in the country. It was built either by Parakramabahu I for the Tooth Relic or by Nissanka Malla for the Buddha's alms bowl, and four seated Buddhas face its four entrances.
Famous places to visit in North Central Province (2)
-
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
A sacred bo tree grown, by tradition, from a cutting of the tree at Bodh Gaya under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, brought here by the nun Sangamitta, daughter of Ashoka, in 236 BC. At more than 2,300 years, it is the oldest living tree planted by people with a known date.
-
Ruwanwelisaya
A great white stupa built by King Dutugemunu around 140 BC, said to enshrine the largest collection of the Buddha's relics anywhere. Also called the Maha Thupa and Swarnamali Seya, it is the heart of worship in ancient Anuradhapura.
Hidden gems in North Central Province (16)
-
Abhayagiri Vihara
The ruins of a vast monastery north of ancient Anuradhapura, once a great centre of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Its humped dagaba rises above bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, and it was the first keeper of the Tooth Relic on the island.
-
Avukana Buddha
A standing Buddha more than 14 metres tall near Kekirawa, one hand raised in a gesture of reassurance. It is counted among the finest standing statues made in ancient Sri Lanka.
-
Gal Vihara
Four Buddhas cut into one granite rock face for King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century: a large seated figure, a smaller one in a carved cave, a standing figure and a reclining one. They are among the finest works of ancient Sinhalese sculpture and the most visited sight in Polonnaruwa.
-
Hatadage
A relic shrine built by King Nissanka Malla to hold the Tooth Relic of the Buddha, in the sacred quadrangle of Polonnaruwa. Only its brick and stone walls survive, and in a chamber inside stand three Buddhas carved from granite.
-
Isurumuniya
A temple built against the boulders beside the Tissa Wewa in Anuradhapura, known for its stone carvings. The finest are a pair of embracing lovers, elephants carved above a pond and a group known as the Royal Family.
-
Kaudulla National Park
A park around the Kaudulla tank, declared in 2002 as the 15th national park on the island. With Minneriya and Girithale it forms an Important Bird Area, and elephants come to graze at the water's edge.
-
Lovamahapaya
The remains of a great building between the Ruwanweli stupa and the Sri Maha Bodhi, called the Brazen Palace because its roof was covered in bronze tiles. What survives today is a field of some 1,600 stone pillars.
-
Medirigiriya Vatadage
A circular relic house on a rock in the village of Medirigiriya, north of Polonnaruwa, with rings of slender stone pillars around a central stupa. It is protected by the government as an archaeological monument.
-
Mihintale
A hill near Anuradhapura where, by tradition, the monk Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa and so brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Stone stairs climb past shrines, stupas and ruins to the summit, still a place of pilgrimage.
-
Minneriya National Park
A park around the ancient Minneriya tank, built by King Mahasen in the 3rd century AD. In the dry season elephants from the forests of Matale, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee gather on its shrinking shores to feed.
-
Parakrama Samudra
A vast, shallow reservoir beside Polonnaruwa, made of five separate tanks joined by narrow channels. It takes its name, the sea of Parakrama, from King Parakramabahu I, who built it.
-
Rankoth Vehera
A large stupa built by King Nissanka Malla, who ruled from 1187 to 1196, closely modelled on the Ruwanweli stupa of Anuradhapura. Its name means gold pinnacled stupa, and with the Kiri Vehera it is one of the two most revered in Polonnaruwa.
-
Ritigala
A forested mountain in central Sri Lanka, 43 km from Anuradhapura, that hides the ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery. Its rock inscriptions date back to the 1st century BCE, and stone paths and platforms lie scattered under the trees.
-
Samadhi Buddha
A seated Buddha in deep meditation, carved from dolomite marble and a little over two metres tall, in Mahamevnawa Park. It may once have been gilded with jewelled eyes, and is the only one of four figures around a bodhi tree shrine to survive largely intact.
-
Somawathiya Chaitya
An ancient Buddhist stupa and temple in the plains near the border of the Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts. It is said to enshrine a tooth relic of the Buddha and draws pilgrims across the Mahaweli flood plain.
-
Thuparamaya
The earliest documented Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, built when the monk Mahinda brought Buddhism to the island. Its small bell shaped stupa is ringed by slender stone pillars that once held up a roof over it.
Collecting in North Central Province
What are the best places to visit in North Central Province?
LOQAH lists 20 places in North Central Province. The best known include Jetavanaramaya, Polonnaruwa Vatadage, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanwelisaya and Abhayagiri Vihara. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in North Central Province?
20, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in North Central Province?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in North Central Province before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose North Central Province and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
More in Sri Lanka
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.