5/5 anushka s. 4 years ago on Google
The Ruwanwelisaya is
a stupa and
a
hemispherical
structure
containing
relics,
in Sri
Lanka,
considered
sacred
to
many Buddhists all
over
the
world.[1] It
was
built
by King
Dutugemunu[2] c.
140
B.C.,
who
became
King
of
all
Sri
Lanka
after
a
war
in
which
the Chola King Elāra (Ellalan)
was
defeated.
It
is
also
known
as
"Mahathupa",
"Swarnamali
Chaitya",
"Suvarnamali
Mahaceti"
(in Pali)
and
"Rathnamali
Dagaba".
Two
quarts
or
one
Drona
of
the
Gothama
Buddha's
relics
are
enshrined
in
the
stupa,
which
is
the
largest
collection
of
his
relics
anywhere.
This
is
one
of
the
"Solosmasthana"
(the
16
places
of
veneration)
and
the
"Atamasthana"
(the
8
places
of
veneration
in
the
ancient
sacred
city
of
Anuradhapura).
The
stupa
is
one
of
the
world's
tallest
ancient
monuments,
standing
at
103 m
(338 ft)
and
with
a
circumference
of
290 m
(951 ft).
The
original
stupa
had
been
about
55 m
(180 ft)
in
height
and
was
renovated
by
many
kings.[3]The Kaunghmudaw
Pagoda in Sagaing, Myanmar is
modelled
after
this
stupa.[4] The Mahavamsa contains
a
detailed
account
on
the
construction
and
the
opening
ceremony
of
the
stupa.
The
stupa
was
a
ruin
in
the
19th
century.
After
fundraising
efforts
by
a
Sinhalese bhikkhu,
it
was
renovated
in
the
early
20th
century.[5] The
Ruwanveli
Seya
Restoration
Society
was
founded
in
1902
and
the
final
crowning
of
the
stupa
took
place
on
17
June
1940.[5]