5/5 Anuja R. 1 year ago on Google
Abhayagiri
stupa
belongs
to
the
aramic
complex
of
Abhayagiriya
Viharaya
which
was
constructed
in
the
reign
of
King
Vattagamini
Abaya
(commonly
known
as
King
Valagamba)
in
the
1st
Century
BC.
Today,
the
main
attraction
of
this
aramaic
complex
is
the
massive
Abayagiri
Stupa
which
stands
at
74.98
meters
to
the
tip
of
the
damaged
spire.
It
is
the
second
largest
stupa
in
the
island
today.
According
to
the
5th
century
traveler
Chinese
monk
Fa-Hsien’s
descriptions,
this
stupa
has
been
400
feet
(122
meters)
in
height
and
has
been
decorated
with
gold
and
silver
and
studded
with
all
kinds
of
jewels.
There
also
has
been
a
20
foot
(6.1
meters)
high
Buddha
statue
made
out
of
green
jade.
This
monument
is
carries
a
special
importance
in
ancient
Sri
Lankan
Stupas
as
the
top
portions
of
the
original
stupa
(known
the
“hatharas
kotuwa”)
still
survives
after
thousand
years
of
negligence,
giving
a
glimpse
to
what
it
would
have
looked
like
thousand
years
ago.
The
British
erroneously
identified
Jethawanaramaya
as
Abhayagiriya
between
1873
AC
to
1874
AC
(Seneviratna,
1994).
Therefore
when
older
documents
are
referred,
this
fact
needs
to
be
kept
in
mind.
Today
there
is
a
massive
effort
by
the
archeological
department
to
restore
this
stupa
to
its
original
glory
without
destroying
the
archeological
value.
The
work
has
been
painstakingly
slow
due
to
the
lack
of
funds.
As
you
can
see
in
the
pictures,
the
stupa
is
still
covered
by
grass
and
trees
grown
on
it
which
more
like
a
mound
of
earth.