Atamasthana
Atamasthana or Eight sacred places are a series of locations in Sri Lanka where the Buddha had visited during his three visits to the country. The sacred places are known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya , Ruwanwelisaya , Thuparamaya , Lovamahapaya , Abhayagiri Dagaba , Jetavanarama , Mirisaveti Stupa and Lankarama . They are situated in Anuradhapura , the capital of the ancient Anuradhapura Kingdom . The sacred city of Anuradhapura exerted a considerable influence on the development of architecture in the country for several centuries. The city was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, it lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in the island's North Central Province , on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya .