Anuradhapura Gedige
Anuradhapura Gedige is an old building close to Abhayagiri but lying within the citadel, is a building that had been destroyed by the Cholas in the year 948 AD and rebuilt by King Mahinda IV during his reign from 956 to 972 AD. This was said to have been the building that was used to house the sacred book, Dhammadatu, which had been brought to Lanka in the sixth century. But recently, as a result of painstaking efforts, the building was renamed 'The Temple of the Tooth' by the Archaeological Department. This is the sacred relic of the Buddha which was brought to the Island in the 4th century AD and first housed in the Abhayagiri Monastery.
while many of these buildings get their share of attention, and strenuous efforts have been made to unravel the mysteries hidden in their stones or bricks, others do not. A small crumbling structure made of bricks, situated east of the Temple of the Tooth Relic and north east of King Vijayabahu's palace, lies decrepit, reduced to a pathetic pile of cracked blocks. Even though its position within the citadel - close to the palace and the Temple of the Tooth - should have aroused interest, no one knows its history.
The size of this Gedige is 34 x 34 feet and it is made entirely out of bricks. Another building of similar size and shape, also built with bricks, lies adjacent to the Gedige. Both appear to have had semi-domed roofs, but in its ruinous state the height of its elevation can only be guessed at. These structures, or what remains of them, are the only known image houses built entirely out of bricks in Anuradhapura. Only the window frames and the entrance door have been built with granite.
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Sri Maha BodhiyaJaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sacred bo tree in the Mahamewna Gardens, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is the southern branch from the historical Sri Maha Bodhi at Buddha Gaya in India under which Buddha attained Enlightenment. It was planted in 288 BC, and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.
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RuwanweliseyaThe Ruwanweli Maha Seya, also known as the Mahathupa (the Great Thupa) is a stupa (a hemispherical structure containing relics) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Two quarts or one Dona of the Buddha's relics are enshrined in the stupa, making it the largest collection of his relics anywhere. It was built by Sinhalese King Dutugemunu in c. 140 B.C., who became king of Sri Lanka after a war in which the Chola King Elāra (Ellalan) was defeated.
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ThuparamayaThuparamaya is the first Buddhist temple that was constructed, after the arrival of mahinda thero(mahindagamanaya) in Sri Lanka. Located in the sacred area of Mahamewna park, the Thuparamaya Stupa is the earliest Dagoba to be constructed in the island, dating back to the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (247-207 BC). The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka.
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LovamahapayaLovamahapaya is a building situated between Ruwanweliseya and Sri Mahabodiya in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is also known as the Brazen Palace or Lohaprasadaya because the roof was covered with bronze tiles. In ancient times, the building included the refectory and the uposathagara (Uposatha house).
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Abhayagiri StupaAbhayagiri Vihāra was a major monastery site of Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhism that was situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities in the nation.
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JetavanaramayaThe 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. 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).
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Mirisawetiya StupaThe Mirisaweti Stupa is a memorial building, a stupa, situated in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. King Dutugamunu (161 BC to 137 BC) built the Mirisaveti Stupa after defeating King Elara. After placing the Buddha relics in the sceptre, he had gone to Tissa Wewa for a bath leaving the sceptre.
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LankaramaLankarama is a stupa built by King Valagamba, in an ancient place at Galhebakada in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Nothing is known about the ancient form of the stupa, and later this was renovated. The ruins show that there are rows of stone pillars and it is no doubt that there has been a house built encircling the stupa (vatadage) to cover it.
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IsurumuniyaIsurumuniya is a Buddhist temple situated near to the Tissa Wewa (Tisa tank) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. There are four carvings of special interest in this Vihara. They are the Isurumuniya Lovers, Elephant Pond and The Royal Family. The ancient Meghagiri Vihara or Meygiri Vihara is presently identified as the Isurumuni Vihara.
