Alms Hall

Anuradhapura


To the southwest of the Abhayagiri Dagoba this small site has a 19m-long stone batnava (or rice canoe) that would have been filled daily with cooked rice to feed Abhayagiri's thousands of monks. To the west are the remains of a kitchen and a smaller stone canoe used for curry.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Anuradhapura attractions

1. Abhayagiri Dagoba

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Dating back to the 1st century BC, this colossal dagoba was the ceremonial focus of the 5000-strong Abhayagiri Monastery. Originally over 100m high, it…

2. Ratnaprasada

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Most of the 8th-century Ratnaprasada or 'Jewel Palace' lies in ruins today, though it was originally seven storeys high with a graceful, tiered roof. The…

3. Abhayagiri Museum

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This museum, south of the Abhayagiri Dagoba, is arguably the most interesting in Anuradhapura and contains a collection of squatting plates, jewellery,…

4. Moonstone

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5. Samadhi Buddha

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6. Eth Pokuna

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Surrounded by forest, this huge body of water is thought to have acted as an ancient water storage tank for the Abhayagiri monastery rather than as a pool…

7. Lankarama Dagoba

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To the south of the Ratnaprasada is this whitewashed 1st-century-BC dagoba.

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