Ruwanwelisaya Facts

• The Ruwanveli Seya Restoration Society was founded in 1902 and the final crowning of the stupa took place on 17 June 1940.

• The Ruwanwelisaya is a stupa and a hemispherical structure containing relics, in Sri Lanka, considered sacred to many Buddhists all over the world.

• Ruwanwelisaya also known as “Mahathupa”, “Swarnamali Chaitya”, “Suvarnamali Mahaceti” (in Pali) and “Rathnamali Dagaba”.

• The stupa was a ruin in the 19th century. After fundraising efforts by a Sinhalese bhikkhu, it was renovated in the early 20th century.

• Ruwanwelisaya diameter of 90 meters at the base and a height of 92 meters (300 ft) and circumference of 292 meters (950 ft).

• Ruwanwelisaya Geographic coordinates 8°21′0″N 80°23′47″E.

• Ruwanwelisaya is one of the world’s tallest monuments, standing at 103 m (338 ft.)

• Built by King Dutugamunu c. 140 B.C.

Facts About Anuradhapura

1. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sinhala civilization.

2. Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District.

3. Anuradhapura was a major intellectual centre for early Theravāda Buddhism, home to revered Buddhist philosophers including Buddhaghosa.

4. Anuradhapura was the third capital of the kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.

5. Anuradhapura is a World Heritage site, was the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries.

6. Anuradhapura is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the eight World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.

7. Although according to historical records the city was founded in the 5th century BC, the archaeological data put the date as far back as the 10th century BC.

8. The Anuradhapura Kingdom appears on Ptolemy’s world map, one of the oldest maps known to man.

9. Anuradhapura has an ancient cutting from a sacred fig tree, which was brought from India to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC by Princess Sanghamitta, a Buddhist nun.

10. The estimated Population of Anuradhapura is 50,595.