Stone Bridge - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The remnants of a stone bridge dating back to about the 5th century. The bridge crosses the Malwathu Oya and was part of a well established road network that connected the capital city to other areas of the island. The roads were used by carts to transport goods.

Shikra - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

This female Shikra was photographed in Anuradhapura over the weekend. It swooped down from the canopy to pick up a lizard from the ground. It then perched on a branch close to ground level to consume its prey. I was able to fire off a couple of frames before it flew off.

Abhayagiriya Complex - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

A section of the Abhayagiriya monastery which once housed over 5000 monks. The monastery complex has a number of interesting sites including the "buth oruwa", the Elephant's pond, a moonstone and the Samadhi Buddha statue. It is spread out over a large extent of land and quite often, you have the place to yourself. 

Resvehera - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The statues and paintings inside the image house at Resvehera were amazing. The temple is said to have been built by King Devanampiyatissa in around 300 BC. The temple is still in use and If i'm not mistaken, there are monks still meditating in the caves around the temple complex.

Ras Vehera - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The reclining buddha statue at the Ras Vehera complex in Anuradhapura. This was another ancient temple that we were fortunate to be able to explore on our own. It was about an hours drive from Anuradhapura and we found our way there thanks to GPS coordinates that I found in a book. It was well worth the drive!

Kaludiya Pokuna - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Most travellers tend to go up to the main Mihintale temple but don't bother visiting the other ruins in the complex. The Kaludiya pokuna is definitely worth a visit as it contains a small stupa and the ruins of an ancient monastery. Pictured above is a cave dwelling near the pond. Monks still meditate in the jungles surrounding this area.