Comprehending genius loci, towards spiritual sustainability: lessons from Buddhist heritage city Anuradhapura

Abstract

The world heritage city Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, significant for spiritually cherished spatial orientation manifests in the city; reflecting ‘spiritual sustainability’, that integrates nature, natural elements, topography, built elements with the performances of people. This research examines comprehending ‘genius loci’ in heritage city Anuradhapura, and how this occurrence relates to spiritual sustainability. It explores in-depth dimensions of the place, related to ‘spiritual orientation’; a novel approach for understanding heritage sites. This paper proposes an original interdisciplinary study and method to examine ‘spiritual sustainability’ of the place and meanings by employing contextual concepts, and generalised concepts. It utilises Buddhist concepts, to explore in-depth meanings of the place, attached with the locus, vision, and cultural/religious views. Further, it discusses how these meanings shape and sustain the heritage city between divine/mundane dimensions. The same universal concept flourished upon architecture, landscape, villages and cities, from pre-history to the Buddhist city Anuradhapura, gathered in the same locus comprehending ‘genius loci’, established ‘spiritual sustainability’. In conclusion, the Buddhist heritage city sustains between physical and non-physical dimensions, a dynamic process, reveal more in-depth meanings of the place. This study presents a new insight to value heritage places and a new perspective for sustainable developments.