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Atamasthana In Sri Lanka

Name Of Atamasthana

Atamasthana (අටමස්ථානය) or Eight sacred places are a series of locations in Sri Lanka where the Buddha had visited during his three visits to the country. The sacred places are known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya, Ruwanwelisaya, Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagaba, Jetavanarama, Mirisaveti Stupa and Lankarama.

       

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC and is said to be the southern branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi Bodhgaya India, also the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The sacred tree brought by the Ven. Sangamitta, th

The area around the Sri Maha Bodhi, the Brazen Palace and Ruvanvelisaya dageba was once probably part of the Maha Vihara (Great Temple). The sacred bodhi tree is the oldest historically authenticated tree in the world, for it has been tended by an uninterrupted succession of guardians for over 2000 years, even during the periods of Indian occupation

Ruwanwelisaya

Built nearly 2500 years ago,accomplishing a prediction made by Lord Buddha himself, Ruwanweli Seya or the pagoda of golden dust, was one of the largest structures in the ancient world, standing 103 m tall with a circumference of 290 m.

Thuparamaya

Thuparamaya is a dageba in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist sacred place of veneration. Thera Mahinda, an envoy sent by King Ashoka himself introduced Theravada Buddhism and also chetiya worship to Sri Lanka. At his request, King Devanampiyatissa built Thuparamaya in which the collarbone of the Buddha was enshrined. It is considered to be the first dagaba built in Sri Lanka following the introduction of Buddhism. This is considered the earliest monument, the construction of which was chronicled in Sri Lanka. The name Thuparamaya comes from "stupa" and "aramaya" which is a residential complex for monks.

 

Thuparama dageba is the oldest dageba in Sri Lanka – indeed, probably the oldest visible dageba in the world. It was constructed by Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BC and is said to contain the right collarbone of the Buddha. Its ‘heap-of-paddy-rice’ shape was restored in 1862 in a more conventional bell shape and to a height of 19m.

 

 

Lovamahapaya

Lovamahapaya is a building situated between Ruvanveliseya and Sri Mahabodiya in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is also known as the Brazen Palace or Lohaprasadaya because the roof was covered with bronze tiles.

It was originally built by King Dutugemunu more than 2,000 years ago, but throughout the ages, it was rebuilt many times, each time a little less grandiosely. There are remains of 1600 columns all that is left of this huge palace, Archaeological evidence said to have had nine storeys and could accommodate around 1000 monks and attendants.

Abhayagiri Dagaba

The Abhayagiri Dagaba is situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It was built during the reign of King Wattagamini Abhaya (commonly known as King Valagamba). It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities. Historically it was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories, roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colours. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood "Abhayagiri", one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major viharas. Surrounding the humped dagaba, Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern Monastery or Utta Vihara

Jetavanaramaya

The Jetavanaramaya is a stupa, located in the ruins of Jetavana Monastery in the sacred world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. King Mahasena initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of Mahavihara, and his son Meghavanna resumed the construction work of the stupa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.

The archaeologists believe it may have an original height of over 100m, but today is about 70m, and this was a similar height to the Abhayagiri as well. When it was built, it was the third-tallest monument in the world, the first two being Egyptian pyramids. A British guidebook from the early 20th century calculated that there were enough bricks in the dageba's brick core to make a 3m-high wall stretching from London to Edinburgh.

Mirisaveti Stupa

The Mirisaveti Stupa is situated in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.King Dutugamunu built the Mirisaveti Stupa after defeating King Elara. After placing the Buddha relics in the sceptre, he had gone to Tisawewa for a bath leaving the sceptre. After the bath, he returned to the place where the sceptre was placed, and it was said that it could not be moved. The stupa was built in the place where the sceptre stood. It is also said that he remembered that he partook in a chilly curry without offering it to the sangha. In order to punish himself he built the Mirisavetiya Dagaba. The extent of this land is about 50 acres (20 hectares). Although the king Kasyapa I and Kasyapa V renovated this, from time to time it was dilapidated. What stands today is the renovation done by the Cultural Triangle Fund.

Lankarama

Lankarama is a stupa built by King Valagamba, in an ancient place at Galhebakada in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Nothing is known about the ancient form of the stupa, and later this was renovated. The ruins show that there are rows of stone pillars and it is no doubt that there has been a house built encircling the stupa (Vatadage) to cover it.The round courtyard of the stupa seems to be 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground. The diameter of the stupa is 45 feet (14 m). The courtyard is circular in shape and the diameter is 1,332 feet (406 m)