Beauti of Sri Lanka

Ruwanveliseya

Anuradapura has some of the most famous pagodas(Dagaba) of the country. Ruwanveliseya is one of the best known pagodas in Anuradhapura. It was built in the 2^nd Century BC. This was the last work of King Dutugemunu who did not live to see it completed. It is said that thousands of people participated willingly to construct this Dagaba. However the King did not get their services free. He provided them with food, clothing and other necessary items in return. While the Dagaba was being constructed King Dutugemunu fell seriously ill. The King lay at the point of death and the Dagaba was still under construction. Then, to satisfy the King’s desire to see the monument in complete form his brother Tissa had it temporarily finished. He caused a spire to be made out of bamboo and got it covered with white cloth. Kinf Dutugemunu was carried in a palanquin in procession around the Thupa. In this manner he was taken round the Thupa. In this manner he was taken round the Thupa three times. Thus the King was content imagining how the Dagaba would look like when it is completed. He asked Tissa to proceed with the work on the Thupa and later passed away peacefully. Tissa became his successor and completed the Thupa which was named Ruwanveliseya. It is also known as Mahathupa or the Great stupa.

Dalada Maligawa

According to Mandarampura Puwata, the Kandyan Kingdom was established after king Vimaladarmasuriya ascendent to the throne defeating Yamasinha Bandara in 1592 AD.

The king immediately embraced Buddhism and brought the sacred Tooth Relic to Kandy then known as Senkadagalapura and later came to be known Sri Wardhanapura (meaning the city that increases her beauty) from Delgamuva and built the present Dalada Maligava.

The temple was originally built in two storeys by king Vimaladarmasuriya and subsequently erected a three storeyed building to house the tooth relic. The Pattirippuva or the octagon with the moat in front was added later by the last king of Kandy. Along the moat runs a brick wall, the Diyaweli Bemma or the "Waveswell wall". In the main building the first chamber is called the pallemale and upper chamber is called Uda Male or Vedahitina Maligava where the tooth relic resides.