Anuradhapura
History
It all started in Anuradhapura in the 4th century B.C. when Anuradha, a follower of Prince Vijaya, the founder of the Sinhala race first settled here. Around 380 B.C King Pandukabhaya made Anuradhapura the first capital of Sri Lanka. According to the Mahavamsa, the city grew into a model of planning with demarcated areas for hunters, scavengers, heretics and foreigners.
There was an entire range of religious and secular buildings including hospitals, hostels, cemeteries, temples, palaces and irrigation tanks.
Due to its location in the north of the country Anuradhapura was susceptible to attacks from south Indian kings and eventually, these pressures coupled with internecine struggles and denudation of surrounding forests led to its abandonment for more secure areas. But not before great monarchs like Gamini, Valagam Bahu and Mahasena had stamped it with their signature.
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