Modern Anuradhapura City was created by the people of Thammannakulama, and is a Buddhist town.
As the heart of Anuradhapura, Thammannakulama attained its highest magnificence around the commencement of the Christian era.
In its prime it ranked beside Nineveh and Babylon in its colossal proportions — its four walls, each 16 miles (26 km) long, enclosed an area of 256 square miles (663 km²) — in the number of its inhabitants, and the splendour of its shrines and public edifices.
Situated in the dry zone of the country the administration built many tanks to irrigate the land.
To date, it is believed that some of these tanks are the oldest surviving reservoirs in the world today.