Abhayagiri Vihara
A sprawling ruined monastery founded around 89 BC, with a restored stupa, the Kuttam Pokuna bathing ponds and one of the best moonstones in Anuradhapura.
Sources
What Abhayagiri actually is
Abhayagiri was one of the great monasteries of the Anuradhapura kingdom. The chronicles say King Vattagamani Abhaya (Valagamba) founded it around 89 BC, after regaining his throne, on the site of a Jain monk Giri’s hermitage. It became the centre of a monastic tradition that rivalled the Mahavihara. The Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian, who visited in 412 AD, is reported to have counted about 5,000 monks there.
Most of what remains is foundations, platforms and pillars, spread over a large area. The big stupa was restored over about 15 years in a UNESCO-supported project run by the Central Cultural Fund and unveiled in 2015. The best moonstone is at the foot of the steps to the building commonly called Mahasena’s palace; the Ratnaprasada, a chapter house, produced one of the finest guardstones, showing a cobra king.
The Samadhi Buddha, a seated figure about 7 feet 6 inches tall carved from a single rock and usually dated to the 4th or 5th century, is in the Mahamevnawa park close by. Nehru is reported to have found calm in a photograph of it during his imprisonment, and he was photographed admiring the statue in 1957.
Worth your attention
Kuttam Pokuna
Two stone bathing ponds, roughly 40 by 16 metres and 28 by 16 metres, fed by a channel of about 3 kilometres. The name “twin ponds” is misleading: they differ in size and the northern one is said to be older.
The moonstone
At the foot of the steps to the Pancavasa building. The Queen’s Pavilion has a smaller one. Scholars read the carved rings as a symbol of the cycle of rebirth.
The Nagaraja guardstone
From the Ratnaprasada: a cobra-king figure, one of the finest guardstones found in Anuradhapura.
The Samadhi Buddha
A seated meditating figure carved from a single rock, calm and simple. Allow time to sit in front of it rather than photographing and leaving.
Before you go
Do this
- Start at the museum and the ticket counter, then walk the stupa platform before the heat builds.
- Spend your time at Kuttam Pokuna and the moonstone; those repay close looking more than the open foundations.
- Use a bicycle or a driver between the stupa, the ponds and the Samadhi Buddha; the site is spread out.
- Bring water; there is little shade between the sights.
- Read the museum labels first. Without them most of the ruins are foundations with no obvious story.
Know this first
- Most of the site is low ruins. If you want standing buildings, Ruwanwelisaya and Jetavana are better value.
- Dates for Kuttam Pokuna are disputed: one attribution is King Aggabodhi I (575–608), while the Central Cultural Fund dates them to the 8th or 9th century.
- At Kuttam Pokuna, most of the original ornamental pots (punkalas) were lost by the 1950s restoration and have been replaced by concrete replicas.
- The museum has a separate ticket, and the Samadhi Buddha stands in a separate park.
Getting to Abhayagiri Vihara
Most people see Abhayagiri Vihara as part of a stay around Anuradhapura. Our Anuradhapura guide covers where to stay, how long to give it and what else is nearby.
Coming straight from the airport, the relevant run is Colombo Airport to Anuradhapura — fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting inside arrivals with a name board.
Read the full Anuradhapura guideFrom Colombo Airport
Car up to 3 passengers; vans quoted on the route page. No night surcharge.
Abhayagiri Vihara — frequently asked
What is Abhayagiri Vihara?
A large ruined Buddhist monastery in Anuradhapura, traditionally founded around 89 BC by King Valagamba. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Sacred City and is covered by the main Anuradhapura ticket.
How many monks lived here?
Fa Xian reported about 5,000 monks when he visited in 412 AD. That is a traveller’s count, not a census, but it shows how large the monastery was.
What is Kuttam Pokuna?
A pair of bathing ponds with a sophisticated water system, run on a channel of about 3 km from a reservoir. Their date is disputed: either 6th century or the 8th–9th.
Where is the Samadhi Buddha?
In the Mahamevnawa park, near Abhayagiri. It is a 7.5-foot seated figure carved from a single rock, usually dated to the 4th–5th century.
Also worth stopping for around Anuradhapura
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