It also includes the sacred Bo Tree 2,000-year-old.  According to legend, a cutting from the tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Buddha himself achieved enlightenment, created this much-venerated symbol. Anuradhapura's ancient metropolis is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, surrounded by monasteries occupying an area of more than sixteen square miles. It has also been one of the most stable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia for many decades.

Today, in the center of this iconic place, the town ruins are maintained with excellent care and attention to ancient and historical details. Most of them consist of three building classes: stupas, monastic houses, and ponds.  Stupas are stone-built structures that contain Buddhist relics, including Buddhist monks ' ashes, as well as treasures and valuables. They conform to seven classic forms, vary in size from a few feet to a circumference of more than 1,100 ft (340 m), and are discovered throughout Anuradhapura. One of the most famous of the monastic structures is the Lovamahapaya, or Brazen Palace. Originally 150 feet elevated and backed by 1,600 pillars of stone, its roof was coated with bronze-copper plates. There were 1,000 rooms in the building, and corals and precious stones were covered.

Ponds are discovered everywhere, or stone-built pools used for bathing and drinking water. They include the Kalu Diya Pokuna, or Natural Black Water Pond, and are thought to have been component of an impressive network of rivers and irrigation channels. They are believed to have also created beautiful private formal gardens where the kings would relax and entertain. Sri Lanka possesses, according to historical records, the biggest quantity of Buddha's relics that have so far been uncovered from any country. Due to the biggest amount of relics to be discovered there, Anuradhapura is considered the most important religious place.