Jethawanaramaya

We have treasured the girdle of the Blessed One.

*Excerpt. *

Saddharmaratnakara states that part of the relic worn by the Buddha is treasured there. At that time, the height of Jetavanarayama Dagabe was 400 feet. It is the tallest stupa in the world. It is also the largest building made entirely of bricks till date. It is the 3rd largest construction in the ancient world apart from the two Great Pyramids at Giza. This thupa belonged to the Sagalika sect. Dragaba is spread over an area of ​​8 acres. The length of one side of the thupa is 576 feet. The footpaths for entry from all four sides should be about 28 feet wide. The doorpost of the altar in the courtyard is 27 feet high. The foundation of the stupa extends to a depth of 6 meters and due to its construction on the rock, no subsidence or cracks are seen. Not only this Dagaba but also other big Dagaba in Anuradhapura are made like this. You will also understand how much skill the Sinhalese architects and Sinhalese engineers had in our country at that time i.e. In the fourth century AD to make these dagabas. The names of the public who supported the building industry are recorded on a stone plaque.
AD Until the 7th century, the upper half of this stupa had a square enclosure (veta) and a chhatra at the top of the middle nave. In later times, the square fort was made into a solid one and the deity fort, Koth Kerela and Kota were built there. Since there is no evidence that it was a couple like the Abhayagiri Stupa, this Stupa has been designed according to the Mahavihara Stupa plan. On the four sides of the stupa are the ruins of four wahalkadas. There are evidences of their carvings and paintings. The stupa was built higher than the ground and stones were laid there. Excavations have revealed that there was an ivory wall around the temple. Below this is Welimama and a wall around it, and four gopuras on the four sides of the wall. The entrance gates to Salapathala are also built parallel to those gopuras.

A large brick stupa
The top of the tower had collapsed.
Is it currently being repaired?

The Jethawanaramaya Stupa, a colossal architectural marvel nestled in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, stands as a testament to the island's rich Buddhist heritage and the grandeur of ancient Sinhalese craftsmanship. This stupa, also known as Jetavana or Jethawanaramaya, is one of the largest brick structures in the world and holds profound historical and religious significance.

Built during the reign of King Mahasena in the 3rd century CE, the Jethawanaramaya Stupa was constructed on the site where the king, inspired by a dream, decided to build a massive stupa to enshrine relics of Lord Buddha. The stupa reached colossal proportions, with a diameter of approximately 95 meters (312 feet) and an original height that is believed to have exceeded 120 meters (394 feet).

The sheer scale of Jethawanaramaya reflects the advanced engineering capabilities of ancient Sri Lankan builders. The stupa was constructed using millions of bricks, and its majestic dome dominated the Anuradhapura skyline. The stupa was adorned with elaborate carvings, decorative elements, and various chambers for religious rituals.

Jethawanaramaya played a crucial role in the religious life of ancient Anuradhapura. It served as a center for Buddhist monks and devotees, with monastic buildings and structures surrounding the stupa. Pilgrims visited this sacred site to pay homage, engage in religious observances, and seek spiritual solace.

Over the centuries, the Jethawanaramaya underwent various reconstructions and renovations, and today, its impressive ruins stand as a testament to its former glory. The site, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts visitors and pilgrims from around the world who come to marvel at the remnants of this ancient wonder.

The annual Poson Poya, commemorating the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka, sees Jethawanaramaya becoming a hub of religious activities. Devotees gather to participate in ceremonies, light lamps, and pay their respects to the teachings of Lord Buddha, creating a vibrant and spiritually charged atmosphere around the stupa.

In essence, Jethawanaramaya Stupa encapsulates the grandeur of ancient Sri Lankan Buddhism and the architectural prowess of its builders. The remnants of this colossal stupa stand as a silent but powerful testament to the cultural and religious legacy of Anuradhapura, inviting visitors to contemplate the enduring spiritual heritage of the island.

Anuradhapura is the main shrine of Jethavanarama. A consumer temple. At 400 feet (120 meters) tall, it is the tallest stupa in the world. It is also the largest building ever made of bricks. The largest stupa in Sri Lanka was built for the Theravada Buddhist King Mahasen (273 - 301). It is believed that part of the relic worn by the Buddha is kept there. So this is a customer temple

This is another major site of archeology in the sacred city of Anuradhapura, North Central Province of Sri Lanka.

Eventhough almost all the stupa in Anuradhapura are restructured, this stupa is still there with the old ancient structure. The majestic look of stupa and the huge size is mesmerising. This a a living proof of the magnificent era of King in Anuradhapura. There is a huge parking lot and novel structural advancements are there to incorporate wheelchair accessibility as well. They do not charge for you to observe this beautiful architecture.

Jetavanaramaya

The Jetavanarama stupa or Jetavanaramaya (Sinhala: ජේතවනාරාමය, romanized: jētavanārāmaya) is a stupa,  .



Height:  Original height: 122 m (400 ft), Current height: 71 m (233 ft)

The good thing is, there have been no major or harmful developments done to this place yet. You can experience the heritage and experience the surrounding which could have been back in the days.

The Jetavanarama stupa or Jetavanaramaya (Sinhala: ජේතවනාරාමය, romanized: jētavanārāmaya) is a stupa, or Buddhist reliquary monument, located in the ruins of Jetavana monastery in the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. At 122 metres (400 ft), it was the world's tallest and largest stupa, and the third tallest structure in the world when it was built by King Mahasena of Anuradhapura (273–301). He initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of the Mahaviharaya of Anuradhapura. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa, and it was renovated by Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa.

The Jetavanarama stupa or Jetavanaramaya (Sinhala: ජේතවනාරාමය, romanized: jētavanārāmaya) is a stupa, or Buddhist reliquary monument, located in the ruins of Jetavana monastery in the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. At 122 metres (400 ft), it was the world's tallest stupa, and the third tallest structure in the world when it was built by King Mahasena of Anuradhapura (273–301). He initiated the construction of the stupa:  49  following the destruction of the Mahaviharaya of Anuradhapura. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa, and it was renovated by Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.
The structure is significant in the island's history as it represents the tensions within the Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhism; it is also significant in recorded history as one of the tallest structures in the ancient world;and the tallest non-pyramidal building; the height of the stupa was 122 metres (400 ft), making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world. With the destruction and abandonment of Anuradhapura kingdom in the 11th century, the stupa with others was covered by jungle. King Parakramabahu in 12th century tried to renovate this stupa and it was rebuilt to the current height, a reduction from the original height. Today it stands at 71 metres (233 ft).

The compound covers approximately 5.6 hectares and is estimated to have housed 10,000 Buddhist monks. One side of the stupa is 176 m (576 ft) long, and the flights of stairs at each of the four sides of it are 9 m (28 ft) wide. The doorpost to the shrine, which is situated in the courtyard, is 8 m (27 ft) high. The stupa has a 8.5 m (28 ft) deep foundation, and sits on bedrock.

අනුරාධපුරයේ පිහිටා ඇති ප්‍රධාන දාගැබවේ. පාරිභෝගික චෛත්‍යයකි. අඩි 400 ක් (මීටර් 120) උසින් යුතු එය ලෝකයේ උසම ස්ථූපයයි. එමෙන්ම මේ දක්වා ගඩොලින් පමණක් නිර්මාණය කරන ලද විශාලතම ගොඩනැගිල්ලවේ. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ විශාලතම ස්ථූපය ඉදිකරවූවේ ථේරවාද බෞද්ධ මහසෙන් රජු   (273 - 301) යි. බුදුන් වහන්සේ පැළඳි පටී ධාතුවේ කොටසක් එහි නිදන් කර ඇතැයි විශ්වාස කෙරේ. එබැවින් මෙය පාරිභෝගික චෛත්‍යක් වේ.

Ruwanweli seya, is not as attractive to the public as Sri Maha Bodhi, but it is a very important historical place of worship

Jetavanaramaya

Monastery in Anuradhapura

Description

The Jetavanarama stupa or Jetavanaramaya is a stupa, or Buddhist reliquary monument, located in the ruins of Jetavana monastery in the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.  Wikipedia

Height:  122 m

Architect:  Mahasena of Anuradhapura

ජේතවනාරාමය දාගැබකි. අඩි 269 ක් (මීටර් 120) උසින් යුතු එය ලෝකයේ උසම ස්ථූපයයි. එමෙන්ම මේ දක්වා ගඩොලින් පමණක් නිර්මාණය කරන ලද විශාලතම ගොඩනැගිල්ල වේ. (නමුත් වර්තමානයේ දී රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑය විශාලම ස්ථූපය ලෙස සලකයි. ජේතවනාරාමයේ කොතෙන් කොටසක් කඩා වැටී තිබුණත් එය ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ නොකරන්නේ සම්බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේගේ ද්‍රෝණයක් ධාතූන් වහන්සේලා රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑයේ තැන්පත් කර ඇති බැවිනි.) ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ විශාලතම ස්ථූපය ඉදි කරවූවේ මහායාන බෞද්ධ මහසෙන් (273 - 301) රජුයි. බුදුන් වහන්සේ පැළඳි පටී ධාතුවේ කොටසක් එහි නිධන් කර ඇතැයි විශ්වාස කෙරේ. එබැවින් මෙය පාරිභෝගික චෛත්‍යයක් වේ.

The Jetavanarama stupa or Jetavanaramaya  (Sinhala:  ජේතවනාරාමය,  romanized:  jētavanārāmaya) is a stupa, or Buddhist reliquary monument, located in the ruins of Jetavana monastery in the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura,  Sri Lanka. At 122 metres (400 ft), it was the world's tallest stupa, and the third tallest structure in the world when it was built by King Mahasena of Anuradhapura  (273–301). He initiated the construction of the stupa:  49  following the destruction of the Mahaviharaya of Anuradhapura. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa, and it was renovated by Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.

ஜேத்தவனராமயா  (Jetavanaramaya),  இலங்கையின் அனுராதபுரம் நகரத்தின் சிதலமடைந்த ஜேத்தவனத்தின் மகாவிகாரையில் அமைந்த பௌத்த தூபி ஆகும். இது பன்னாட்டு பௌத்த யாத்திரை தலங்களில் ஒன்றாகும்.

Here’s the biggest of them all! “Jetavanaramaya” one of the tallest and biggest buildings in the ancient world, beaten only by two Egyptian pyramids.

Jethawanaramaya is a huge construction of King Mahasena, Anuradhapura. This is the tallest stupa in Sri Lanka & has a great historical value. There is a long story related to Jethawanaramaya and Abhayagiriya Stupa. You can get to know about that by visiting Jethawanaramaya.

Visited during in 2020 December 25. A very few handful of people due to pandemic situation.

Situated in the UNESCO world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It was recorded in the history as one of the tallest stupa.

Jethawanaramaya (Stupa) is the tallest Stupa in the world; its Height is 400 feet. Jethawanarama Stupa is also known as the third-tallest structure in the world. This Stupa was built by King Mahasena around 276 - 303 AC. Jethawana Stupa is not famous for Buddhist rituals, but people visit the blessings. The premise has a path for wheelchair devotees.