Historical record
What happened
On 14 May 1985, armed Tamil militants entered Anuradhapura and attacked civilians. Human Rights Watch's historical documentation describes attackers using a bus to enter the area before opening fire on pedestrians and moving toward the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi. The attack killed 146 Buddhist pilgrims and other civilians according to the cited Human Rights Watch account. The incident became one of the most significant attacks on civilians and a Buddhist sacred site during the early period of the conflict.
Photo archive
Places & remembrance
Video archive
Recorded history
Primary documentation
Human Rights Watch – Communal Violence and Human Rights