Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

During our trip to Anuradhapura in July I decided to head out early morning to photograph some of the main stupas in the area. I first visited Thuparamaya and then walked around the complex in the general direction of Ruwanweliseya. At 6.00 AM you pretty much have the whole area to yourself as it is way too early in the morning for tourists and pilgrims. The light being at it's best is an added bonus.

More photographs inside.

Ruwanweliseya from the Thuparamaya complex - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

After spending sometime wandering around the Thuparamaya complex I drove along the the bund of the Basawakkulama tank (Sri Lankans use the word tank to refer to man made lakes which are found throughout the dry zone of the island) taking in the views. I was able to use the trees along the bund in an number of different compositions.

Ruwanweliseya across Basawakkulama - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The area surrounding the Abhayagiriya complex was my last stop for the morning. Ruwanweliseya is a massive stupa and it towers above the trees and other buildings in the area. It is clearly visible form a number of locations around Anuradhapura. I caught a glimpse of it across some paddy fields close to Abhayagiriya and hopped out to take a few photographs. I was fortunate to be there as some farmers started their days work and included them in the foreground of the image. I personally think they add another layer of foreground interest to this photograph.

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

All photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and the 24-105mm lens. I think I should have used a graduated ND filter but unfortunately it didn't cross my mind at the time.