Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)
An ancient royal pleasure garden of ponds, rock-cut baths and boulders between Tissa Wewa and Isurumuniya, home to the mysterious carved chart known as the Stargate.
Below the eastern bund of Tissa Wewa, close to Isurumuniya temple, a 40 acre ancient pleasure garden sits quietly among Anuradhapura's grander monuments, easy to overlook yet genuinely remarkable in its own right. Ranmasu Uyana, meaning Royal Goldfish Park, traces its origins back to the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BCE, established as a royal garden after earlier pleasure parks across the city, including Mahamegha Park, had been donated to the Buddhist Sangha following Arahant Mahinda's arrival and the introduction of Buddhism to the island. The park's name comes from a 10th century inscription left by King Mahinda IV at nearby Vessagiriya, which specifically identifies the site as Ranmasu Uyana, the habitat of goldfish.
Local legend ties the garden to one of Anuradhapura's most enduring romantic stories, scholars including S. Paranavitana have suggested this was the very spot where Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu, first met Asokamala, the low caste woman he would eventually give up his claim to the throne to marry, the same couple believed depicted in the famous Isurumuniya Lovers carving nearby. Beyond the romance, Ranmasu Uyana holds genuine engineering significance too, its ponds and rock cut bathing pools fed by a sophisticated system channeling water from Tissa Wewa, later releasing it onward to irrigate surrounding rice paddies, a design reflecting the same hydraulic mastery seen throughout ancient Anuradhapura.
The park's most genuinely mysterious feature sits within cave number 34, a carved circular chart known as the Sakwala Chakraya, or Star Gate, roughly 1.8 meters in diameter and depicting concentric rings of aquatic creatures, fish, crabs, turtles and seahorses, swimming around a central quadrangle marked with seven circles and various geometric shapes. No firm consensus exists on the carving's exact purpose or meaning, and that lingering mystery, combined with the garden's quiet, tree shaded setting and genuine romantic legend, makes Ranmasu Uyana one of Anuradhapura's more underrated stops, a place locals and scholars alike still describe as amazing precisely because it resists easy explanation.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Covered by the Anuradhapura sacred city ticket, around USD 25
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes
- Best time: Late afternoon
Getting there
Beside Isurumuniya on the southern edge of the sacred city.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)?
- Covered by the Anuradhapura sacred city ticket, around USD 25.
- What are the opening hours at Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)?
- Daylight hours.
- How long should I spend at Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)?
- Plan for 30 to 45 minutes.
- When is the best time to visit Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)?
- Late afternoon.
- How do I get to Ranmasu Uyana (Royal Park)?
- Beside Isurumuniya on the southern edge of the sacred city.