Jethawanaramaya Stupa

The Jetavanaramaya stupa not only has great significance for Buddhists and the history of Anuradhapura, but also exemplifies the engineering and construction skills found in Sri Lanka 2,000 years ago. Approximately 93.3 million baked bricks were used in its construction, and at the time, it was one of the tallest stupas in the ancient world: 400ft (122m) tall and with a base-area of 2,508,000sq ft (233,000sq m). The Jetavanaramaya monastery complex includes the Jethawana Image House (Patimaghara), the largest of its kind found either here or in neighbouring Pollonnaruwa. The entrance to this magnificent Anuradhapura stupa is a huge door with pillars rising to 27ft (8.3m), and it is believed that a massive Buddha statue once filled the space. The limestone statue is thought to have been 37ft (11.3) high, and the whole building would have been 50ft (15.25m) high.