Jethawanaramaya

Its the Tallest Dagaba on the Palnet......and was built by King Mahasen (Mahasena). In the respect to The Great King Mahasen and this Giant Stupa... No any other King tried to beat its Height...(even they were quite capable of doing so..). The height of this giant pagoda is more than 400 feet and this had been the largest brick building in the world at the time....... Even now it is among the largest brick buildings in the South Asia. It was dedicated to the monks of Sagalaika Nikaya (Sagalika chapter.) .Still we can see the ponds and the wells used by the monks at the time. Recently a valuable treasure of ruins and golden statues uncovered from here by the Department of Archeology. It was Built in 3rd centaury. A.D. by king Mahasen (Mahasena). Originally it was about 400 feet high.

Jethawanaramaya is the tallest building made out of brick. The only dagaba situated outside the Mahamewna Uyana garden. It is situated in Nandana Uyana garden. There are several opinions to the creation of the Name Jethawanaramaya. Part of the robe wore by Lord Buddha is kept inside the dagaba as a relic. There were 4 entrances to the dagaba. Unfortunately they have been partially collapsed. There are beautiful stone carving in these entrances. The dagaba is being reconstructed under the Cultural Triangle Project. King Mahasen has donated the temple to Sagalika sect. Inside ‘budu ge’ (worship house for Lord Buddha) there are 3 statues of Lord Buddha and few statues of kings. The first statue among them is the statue of king Mahasen who build the temple. the ongoing construction work........

u can join it too.....just visit it.......and be a part of the rebuilding of the Giant..

Pictures - Oldest great city at Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura attained its highest magnificence about the commencement of the Christian era. The city had some of the most complex irrigation systems of the ancient world, situated in the dry zone of the country the administration
built many tanks to
irrigate the land.
Most of these tanks
still survive.

Lankaramaya

This has been a ‘Vatadage’ ( a dagaba covered under a circular building ) constructed by King Valagmaba( 89 – 77 BCE). King Valagamab called it ‘Seelapobbhandaka’. The building and the roof over the Dagaba cannot be seen now. They have got destroyed over time. However three of the pillars which supported the building at that time could be seen even now. This is a small dagaba with a diameter of 45 ft built on the ‘Maluwa’ of a diameter of 132 ft.

In this you can see a stone image of the Buddha in Amarawathie style and four images of the Buddha in the seated disposition. There had been a stone ‘ Wathura Peella’ in the shape of a ‘Makara’ ( dragon) with beautiful carvings in these premises.

Sri Maha Bodhiya

Sacred Bo Tree - After the fall of Anuradhapura, the kings moved the capital to Polonnaruwa, and the once magnificent city was left to the will of the dry zone tropical jungle for about eight hundred years. During this time, only the sacred "Bo" Tree, started from a sapling of the ficus religiosa under which Siddhartha Gauthama attained enlightenment, was continually cared for. This sacred "Bo" tree is the oldest historically documented tree on earth. This tree has been tended devotedly for nearly 23 centuries, even after the city came under the rule of north Indian Dravidian conquerors

The branches of this sacred "Bo" tree, with a recorded history of more than 2,100 years, seems very slight and fragile. For this reason the branches are supported with iron crutches to prevent any mishaps during heavy rains or strong wind storms. The tree stands among other younger trees, on a special platform, protected by a gold plated railing. It is believed that most of the older Bo trees in Sri Lanka and some in other Buddhist countries are descendants of this sacred tree.

Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.

The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya.

From the 4th century BC, it was the capital of Sri Lanka until the beginning of the 11th century AD. During this period it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen square miles (40 km²).