Anuradhapura was also the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries and has been a major Buddhist pilgrimage site with ruins of many ancient Buddhist temples, including the famous Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest still-living, documented, planted tree in the world[1] and that is believed to have originally been a branch of the sacred fig tree at Bodh Gaya (Bihar, India), under which the Buddha attained enlightenment.

These vast networks of ancient temples and monasteries now cover over 100 square kilometers (40 sq mi) of area of the city today.

[2] Although several attempts were made by later Sinhalese kings to return the capital to Anuradhapura, it was not reestablished as a major population centre of the island until the British colonial era in the 19th century CE.

Despite its political decline, Anuradhapura remained a vital pilgrimage site for Buddhists throughout the medieval period and continues to be an important spiritual destination to this day.

The contemporary city, much of which was moved during the mid-20th century to preserve the site of the ancient capital, is a major road junction of northern Sri Lanka and lies along a railway line.

[5] Significant milestones in the development of the name Anuradhapura is the best representation of the beginnings of pre-modern urbanization in Sri Lanka.

Irrigable and fertile land surround the city, strategically situated with major ports northwest and northeast of the island.

[11] Details of city's development in this early historic period, spanning from 500 to 250 BCE can be found in Sinhalese Chronicles.

[14] Anuradhapura was a major intellectual centre for early Theravada Buddhism, home to revered Buddhist philosophers including Buddhaghosa.

[15] During the reign of Dhatusena (455-473) a redaction of the Theravada Buddhist canon took place while at the same time 18 new vihara (temple complexes) were built and a statue erected for Mahinda, the Indian prince-monk who introduced Buddhism to the island.

[16] During the late Anuradhapura period, the royal family and nobility of Sri Lanka strongly supported Buddhism.

In Robert Knox's 1681 An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, he wrote: "At this City of Anurodgburro is a Watch kept, beyond which are no more people that yield obedience to the King of Kandy".

[12] In 1821, John Davy wrote that: "Anooradapoora, so long the capital of Ceylon, is now a small mean village, in the midst of a desert.

While in Anuradhapura, he unveiled a memorial for H. R. Freeman, a popular British Government Agent who later was elected by the people of the district to represent them in the 1st State Council of Ceylon.

A striking feature of Wijeyeratne's Anuradhapura days was his great ability to see the bigger picture and focus on the key issues, and delegate responsibilities to his staff officers.