'Kuttam pokuna' - Twin decorative water tanks, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Abheyagiri Dagoba, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

King Vattagamini Abheya 89-87 BC, constructed this Dagoba, 350 feet high, at Anuradhapura the then capital of Sri Lanka. It reportedly contains some of the relics of Lord Buddha, in a chamber decorated with gems. The relics were enshrined inside a golden vessel shaped like a bull. The Abheyagiri was vandalised for being part of a heretic 'vaithulyavada' sect it is said on instigation by members of the Maha Vihara. Abheyagiri Dagoba is being restored now. Fa Hsien, the Chinese traveller of the 5th century AD refers to this place. Abheyagiri had a good library and Fa Hsien took copies of valuable documents from here to China for translation. They may still be available in Buddhist monasteries in China, and could be valuable material for research. Photo by Charaka Wickremasinghe.

Ruwanvelisaaya, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Ruwanvelisaaya was a project started by King Dutta Gamini around 150 BC. It along with the Sri Maha Bodhi - the sacred Bo tree grown from a sapling of the tree of Enlightenment at Buddha Gaya in India - are objects of foremost veneration for pilgrims going to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It contains the sacred relics of Lord Buddha. Photo by Charaka Wickremasinghe.

Mount Lavinia Hotel, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture of Mount Lavinia Hotel, Sri Lanka at around 9 pm. It is said that this former British Governor's mansion, got the name Lavinia from the Governor's daughter. The picture shows the entrance to the hotel.

A stone trough, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

"Kandha-oruwa' - a stone trough at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This stone trough was reputedly used to hold rice gruel for 5000 monks at a time, as part of a 'dhana'. There were two such troughs at Anuradhapura. Photo by Charaka Wickremasinghe.