b'soul-stirring journeysRuwanwelisayaThe serene face of the Buddha sets the Dagoba mood. A massive, white dome looms 300 Anuradhapura, feet high. A wall of life-sized elephant Sri Lanka sculptures guard the sacred stupa or dagoba of Ruwanwelisaya in Anuradhapura, which was Sri Lankas capital city and center of Buddhist learning for 1,300 years. Today, it is as much a holy site of pilgrimage as it is a place for curious travelers. Several other massive dagobas, some brick red, dot the landscape. The complex also has numerous monuments, ruins, stone pillars, rock-cut pools, magnificent carvings and statues.For utter calm and tranquility, spend time at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree. It is believed to have been planted in the 3rd century AD, from a cutting of the original Bodhi tree from India, under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. PIHDOET COR: EISDTITOCK.COM/MURMAKOVAS14 \x1a BE ENCHANTED'