Discover the Sacred City of Anuradhapura

Being a person in whose veins wanderlust flows along with blood, it becomes quite hard to remain in a single place for long. So this winter, I packed my stuff and took a flight to Sri Lanka. Yeah, I know you would be wondering why Sri Lanka among all other places. But trust me folks; it is one of the best places I have ever visited. And I won’t mind going back again to relive those moments. Before starting with the whole booking process, while I was researching about the various places that I can scribble down in my travel diary, I stumbled upon a city named Anuradhapura and I decided to make this beautiful place my next destination.

Anuradhapura - Where do I even begin to talk about this magical place! It seems that the city has kept its ancient jewels hidden from the prying eyes of visitors and travellers for decades with the rich, green foliage. Suffused in a legacy of luxuriant history, every nook and corner of this city have a story to be told. This place is full of ruins of ancient temples, monasteries, and museums. What makes this city stand apart from rest of the heritage place is easy accessibility. You can easily rent a car in Sri Lanka to reach Anuradhapura from the capital city of Colombo. Kings Rent A Car is one of the few car rental companies that allowed me to do a real-time online booking, so I quickly locked in my reservation for my three-day stay in Anuradhapura.

1. Sri Maha Bodhi: This place actually deserves the number one spot on the list, as your trip to Anuradhapura is incomplete without paying homage to the 2000 years old, sacred tree. It is an offspring of a tree whose cutting was brought from the Indian soils. This place not only offers spiritual peace but also physical relaxation.  
2. Abhayagiri Dagoba: Abhayagiri Dagoba or Fearless Hill is one of the largest structures of the ancient world with the Pyramids of Giza as its only companion when it comes to the size and vastness. The very first view of this place left me with awe; a giant brick structure of bricks playing peekaboo with you in the green forest is simply stunning. 
3. Reservoirs: The city is an adobe of three large reservoirs; the oldest being constructed approximately around 4th century BC. The reservoir on the east side or popularly known as Nuwara Wewa is the largest one. Tissa Wewa - the reservoir on the south side, is spread over a sprawling area of 160 hectares. The oldest one is Basawakkulama and is situated on the north side. These reservoirs are a sight to behold and can be easily approached by car.
4. Archaeological Museum:  Rent a car in Sri Lanka and visit the famous archaeological museum in Anuradhapura. The variety of carvings, artworks and daily household items of ancient times that were collected from ancient sites would definitely leave your mouth open in surprise.  This place houses some of the most interesting artefacts that include a relic chamber and intricately carved squatting plates.  

When you are at a place like Anuradhapura, explaining your experiences actually becomes difficult. This place keeps you on your toes and you are not in a position to complain as it opens you to a whole new realm of wonders. So take out your travel diary and add Anuradhapura on your bucket list!