Your base for exploring this tourist attraction is the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. For tourist information about Anuradhapura, go to Anuradhapura Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to Sri Lanka, read also the Sri Lanka Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
Jetavana Dagoba in Anuradhapura is the tallest stupa in Sri Lanka. It stands majestically at 400ft (122m) tall. And, it is also the tallest brick structure in the world. (Compare it with other brick monuments in Asia, namely the Qtub Minar in Delhi, India, and the unfinished Mingun Pagoda in Myanmar). Among the world's ancient structures, only two of the pyramids in Giza surpass it in height.
This monstrous stupa has a diameter of 367ft (113m), a testament to the engineering feat from 1,600 years ago. Archaeologists undertaking recent escavations discovered that its foundation is 252 feet deep (I previously reported it as 27 feet!), sitting on the bedrock. It stands of a square platform eight acres in extent.
The Jetavana Dagoba in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
The Jetavana Dagoba is part of the 3rd century Jetavanamaya, or Jetavana Monastery, which was the residence for 3000 monks. The monastery was founded by King Mahasena (276-303AD), the first in a line of great tank builders of ancient Lanka.
The area where the Jetavana monastery stands was once known as Nandana Pleasure Grove. It got the title Jotivana, which means "the place where the holy one made the true doctrine shine forth", because it was here that the Buddhist Saint Mahinda preached the essence of the Buddha's teachings. The name Jetavana is of course derived from the Pali Jotivana.
Finding Accommodation in Anuradhapura
If you're going to Anuradhapura, you now have the option of finding accommodation in a hotel, or look for one in hostels and guesthouses. To book a room in a star-rated hotel, use the Anuradhapura Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers. To find accommodation in a Hostel or Guesthouse, use the Anuradhapura Guide to Hostels and Guesthouses. Each link provides detailed listing of the type of accommodation you can expect in Anuradhapura. Be aware that you get what you pay for. If you need a certain degree of comfort, then a star-rated hotel may be an ideal option for you. On the other hand, if you are able to forego a bit of creature comfort, then hostels and guesthouses are clean, safe, and incredibly good value for money. For accommodation in other destinations, visit Hotel Guide for Budget Travelers or Hostels & Guesthouses Accommodation Guide.
Explore the places of interest in Anuradhapura. Click to view list.
Hotel Room Price Checker
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
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