Stupas in Sri Lanka
Stupas, also called dagebas and cetiyas, are considered an outstanding type of architectural creation of ancient Sri Lanka.
[1] Stupas designed and constructed in Sri Lanka are the largest brick structures known to the pre-modern world.
The earliest monument found in Sri Lanka is the Stupa, which is described as a hemispherical dome surmounted with a spire (kota).
Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara in Mahiyangana, Uva Province is regarded as the first stupa of ancient Sri Lanka[3] The first historical stupa constructed after the arrival of Mahinda in Sri Lanka is Thuparamaya, which was built during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa.
[5] There are two recorded instances regarding the construction of stupas in Sri Lanka in the lifetime of Gautama Buddha.
The other instance is the construction of a stupa at Tiriyaya enshrining the Hair Relics presented to the tradesman brothers Tapussa and Bhallika from Okkalapa (present-day Yangon).
King Devanam Piya Tissa built the Thuparamaya to enshrine this relic, the right collarbone of the Buddha.
[6] The stupas were covered with a coating of lime plaster, plaster combinations changed with the requirements of the design, items used included lime, clay, sand, pebbles, crushed seashells, sugar syrup, white of egg, coconut water, plant resin, drying oil, glues and saliva of white ants.
[6] The fine plaster at Kiri Vehera used small pebbles, crushed seashells mixed with lime and sand were used in the stupas from the fifth to twelfth centuries.
There is evidence to show that such chambers were erected to shelter the small stupas built during the early years.
Buddhist literature mentions six types of stupas differing according to the shape of the dome or body of a dagaba.
King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) built the Mirisaveti which has a diameter of 168 feet (51 m) at the base and the most venerated ‘stupa’ - Ruvanvali Mahaseya, also known as Ratnamali Mahathupa.
When the Abhyayagiri dagaba was originally built by King Vattagamani (Valagamba - 103 BC) it was not very large but later enlargements made it larger than the Mahathupa.
Large stupas were also built at Mihintale at the site where Arahat Mahinda met the king, Magama, Dighavapi (near Ampara), Kataragama and other places.
The builders of ‘stupas’ in Sri Lanka had closely followed the designs of such monuments built in Sanchi and other places in India.
Examining the building of the foundation of a stupa to suit its size, one can get an idea of the application of the knowledge of science and geometry prevalent in ancient times.
The Jetavana excavations conducted recently confirm that the construction of the platform or base on which a stupa stands has been very solid and strong.
The skill shown by the craftsmen in maintaining the shape of the stupa reveals the advanced state of technology prevalent at the time.
