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Anuradhapura, Jetavanaramaya Dagoba

Anuradhapura is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, and one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sri Lankan civilization. It was the third capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata after Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.

The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the center of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. The city lies on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

It is believed that from the 4th century BC, it was the capital of the Sinhalese 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 40 km².

The Jetavanaramaya is a stupa located in the ruins of Jetavana in Anuradhapura. Mahasena of Anuradhapura (273–301) initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of the mahavihara. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa. 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 for 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; the height of the stupa is 122 m, making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world. The structure is no longer the tallest, but it is still the largest, with a base-area of 233,000 m2. Approximately 93.3 million baked bricks were used in its construction; the engineering ingenuity behind the construction of the structure is a significant development in the history of the island. The sectarian differences between the Buddhist monks also are represented by the stupa as it was built on the premises of the destroyed mahavihara, which led to a rebellion by a minister of King Mahasena.

This stupa belongs to the Sagalika sect. 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 long, and the flights of stairs at each of the four sides of it are 9 m wide. The doorpost to the shrine, which is situated in the courtyard, is 8 m high. The stupa has a 8.5 m deep foundation, and sits on bedrock. Stone inscriptions in the courtyard give the names of people who donated to the building effort.

(sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anuradhapura and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetavanaramaya)

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Taken in: Sri Lanka / North Central / Anuradhapura (show map)

Taken on: December 23, 2009

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Anuradhapura

Jetavanaramaya Dagoba

Jetavanaramaya

dagoba

stupa

Jethawanaramaya Stupa

UNESCO world heritage list

UNESCO world heritage

UNESCO

world heritage list

world heritage

heritage

World Heritage Site

2009

capital

Theravada Buddhism

Theravada

Malvathu Oya

Mahasena

largest stupa

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Sets appears in: • Public • UNESCO World Heritage more » • UNESCO World Heritage 1998 • Sri Lanka 2009 best • 2009 • Sri Lanka « less

Camera: Canon EOS 450D, f/7.1, 1/125 sec, 18mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 450D
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Picasa 3.0
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