Ancient Architecture of Sri lanka/ Thuparamaya and Apayakiri

Anurathapura Period's Stubas

01.Thuparamaya
Thuparamaya is the first Dagaba to be built in Anuradhapura during the reign of King Devanmpiyatissa (3rd century BC) enshrining the right collarbone of the Buddha, His alms bowl and other relics. The original Dagaba, which was much smaller in size, was renovated and rebuilt several times and the last restoration had been in 1862 in it its present form. The concentric rows of stone columns around the Dagaba had at one time held a wooden roof in position over it.
In 245 BC, the Oldest Surviving monument in South Asia, Thuparamaya Dagaba was built enshrining the Buddha's right collarbone.
The four circles of the strong pillars, that we can see today, around the Dagaba, were once holding the giant golden domed roof of the complex. It is still solid and almost perfect even after so many invasions, destructions, after 2500 years. Even today, the ruins of this complex cover over 3.5 acres, indicating how giant the original complex had been. It is regarded as the most exquisite Dagaba in Lanka. Dagaba was made of brick and earth. On the advice of the Mahinda Thero, the clay taken from the bed of the Abaya Weva, were laid and layers of bricks were laid on top of that to build this Dagaba.

On the opening day itself, 2500 youngmen became student monks in the new monastery. 956 AD - The Golden Dome and the famous Golden Doors of the Thuparamaya, are restored:
The giant Golden Dome (The Umbrella), famous Gold doors, Silver and Gold decorations (all of which were looted and destroyed by the invaders) were re-installed during the reign of Mahinda-4.
The restoration in 1862 AD changed its shape from Danyagara(Paddy-heap) to Ghantakara(Bell) shape and was much smaller than the original Dagaba.

02. Apayagiri

The Abhayagiri Dagaba is 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. Historically it was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories, roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colors. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood "Abhayagiri", one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major Viharas. Surrounding the humped dagaba, Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern Monastery, or Uttara Vihara.
In 86 BC, when this was built, it was the third tallest monument in the world. In 86 BC, two Dagabas in Sri Lanka, Ruvanweli Maha Seya and Abhayagiriya, were taller than the third tallest Pyramid in Egypt. Both of them were second only to the two tallest Pyramids in height. In 412 AD, Chinese Buddhist monk recorded that the Dagaba was over 400 feet in height.

In the years to come, they would still be taller than the St.Pauls Cathedral in UK, and St.Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican, the tallest in the western world.After the destruction caused by the invaders, 113 meter Abhayagiriya Dagaba has been restored to a height of only 76 meters (235 Feet) and 310 feet in diameter. Today it still nearly matches the height of the St.Peters cathedral in Vatican and taller than the St.Paul's cathedral in London. Even today it is the second largest monument in Sri Lanka.88 BC - The 3rd tallest building in the world, Abhayagiri Dagaba, was built by the Lankan King Valagambha after demolishing the building from where the unpatriotic traitor Giri, a naked ascetic, insulted him while the invaders were chasing him. King Valagambha built a huge Buddhist University complex there. This university complex was second only to the Mahaviharaya in size and had 12 faculties (Pirivenas) covering over 500 acres of land. The beautiful artistic masterpieces, carved out of sheer rock, that had survived the ravages of time and the barbarians, are a living proof of the standards of the glorious Sinhalese civilization in Sri