The sacred footprint
Excavations by the Cultural Triangle revealed a Sacred Foot Print on the terrace of the stupa. The carving of the footprint has been done in such away that the foot print dose not protrude out of the stone as is conventional, put is concave as if impressed on soft clay, making it appear realistic like a natural foot print of a parson. Before the introduction of the Buddha image, the Master was represented by symbols like the Dharma Cakra, the Sacred Foot Print, and Throne etc. Here the foot print dose not seems to have been carven out for this purpose. It would have been of the purpose of indicating that Lord Buddha visited this please and left his footprint here. Fahsien too has recorded a belief prevailing at the time that the Abhayagiri stupa was built at the please where Lord Buddha left his footprint during His Visit to Sri Lanka
The Bodhighara with Samadhi Buddha Image
There are three other Bodhi Tree Shrines found at the Abhayagiri site. The first Bodighara is the one with the famous Samadhi Buddha image. This image is considered to be one of the best images in Sri Lanka and belongs to the 3rd – 4th centuries AD. It is said that Sri Jawaharlal Nehru the late Prime Minister of India, when the was imprisoned by the British used to meditate keeping a photograph of this image in front of him, in order to find solace and draw inspiration. This image made of dolomite marble has it nosed broken. It was Longhurst who was the Archaeological Commissioner in the 1930 s who repaired the nose. There is evidence to show that the eyes were embedded with precious stones and the image was painted.
The Alms Hall
The Alms Hall mentioned in the inscription of Kasyapa V in the 10th century AD., lay buried under a road built during the British rule. Now unearthed by the Abhayagiri project, it shows four phases of construction. An inscription belonging to the 1st century AD has been found from the earliest phase of construction. Fa-xian says that 5000 monks dwelt at the Abhayagiri monastery. The stone canoe found here is 19 meters long and has the capacity to hold food sufficient for over 5000 monks. (Over 5000 bowls of food) This canoe on its right was used to serve curries. On the western side is a kitchen with grinding stones. There is a compound at a lower level paved with stones. Subterranean pipes brought watyer to this compound, which was used to wash the feet of monks who arrived for alms. Used water was diverted out through under ground pipes. Low seats attached to stone walls were available on the central floor of the hall. On the eastern compound, one can see a sundial belonging to the last phase of the Anuradhapura period.
Bronze tiles plated with gold were unearthed from this site. In the eastern direction, outside the alms hall, is a small building built of stone slabs where bowls were left in the sun to dry.
The Elephant Pond(Ath Pokuna)
The Elephant Pond is six-time lager than a modern olympic swimming pool. Three conduits bring water in to the ponds from tanks in close proximity. The northern banks has two conduits which operate even today when the Bulankulama and the Perimiyankulama tanks (ancient Gaminivapi) are full. The pond 160m long and 54m wide, has four entrances and flights of steps to enter the water.
The Twin ponds (Kuttam Pokuna)
The Twin Ponds surpass all other ponds in Anuradhapura in terms of there high level of technical and artistic workmanship and are the most outstanding among ponds in Sri Lanka. The two ponds are constructed one behind the other each measuring 40 X 17 and 28 X 17 meters respectively. Believed to have been built during the times of king Akbo I (567-591 AD), the ponds were used by the monks of the Kaparamula.
Eleganyly carved (Pun-Kalas) pots of plenty on pedestals indicates the entrance to the ponds. Flights of steps with balustrades and broken in to four stages lead to the water. The larger pond has three entrance, while the small one has only two. The banks are built in four receding tiers. The ponds complex has to be reached by decending flights of steps from a higher level. There were underground conduits for bringing water in to them as well as to empty them. There is a silt trap in to which the water flows and is filtered in three different compartments before entering the smaller pond in the rear through well executed cobra hooded spouts.
Figures of a frog, a tortoise, a crab, a pair of fish, a conch shell and a female from, all cast in bronze were found at the bottom of the pond deposited in a metal box specialy made for the purpose. This is now displayed among other object at the archaeological museum at Anuradhapura. It appears that there had been a ritual belief that the deposit of such objects connected with water would ensure that the ponds always remain full.
This pond was conserved during the time when Prof. Paranawithana was the commissioner of archaeology.
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