'Ruwanweliseya', Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura

'The construction of Ruwanweliseya was prophesied by the great Buddhist missionary Maha Thera Arhath Mahinda, who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka from India during the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (250-210 BC).

Having heard of the prophesy of Maha Thera Mahinda to the effect that a great Stupa would be built by a great king at a certain location at Anurdhapura, King Devanampiya Tissa had an inscription pillar planted at the said location narrating the prophesy.

A little more than a century later, the inscription pillar was destined to be found by a fitting hero: King Dutugamunu (101-77 B.C.), who rescued the Sinhalese Buddhist nation from the Dravidian invader. “The Hero of the Nation” wasted no time and commenced the construction of Ruwanweliseya also named Maha Stupa or Ratnapali Stupa or Swarnamali stupa.

Following the declaration of the king that no work at the great stupa should go unrewarded, a streak of luck dawned on the pious king: a rich vein of Silver was discovered at a village subsequently renamed Ridigama meaning Village of Silver in Sinhala. The construction of stupa cost the king 6.4 million coins in wages alone.

At a circumference of 370 feet and a height of 180 feet, Ruwanweliseya, the third largest stupa of Sri Lanka, is the focal point of the Maha Vihara, the first monastery of Sri Lanka. It is believed a considerable amount of relics of Buddha is enshrined in this glorious stupa, built in replicating the shape of a bubble of water. At the eastern entrance to the stupa is a statue of King Dutugamaunu. According to the records made by Fa Hsien, the Chinese Buddhist monk, who toured Sri Lanka in the 5th century CE, Maha Vihara monastery housed no less than 3000 Buddhist monks.

Since the death of King Dutugamunu, “The Hero of the Nation”, the great stupa had been renovated by a succession of Sinhalese king till King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196 AC). By the 19th century, Anurdahapura, once the greatest monastic city of the world, also named Anurogrammon, by the Greek cartographer Claudius Ptolemy (90-168 AD) was deserted; Ruwanweliseya was in ruins.

In the year 1893, a patriotic and pious Buddhist monk called Naranvita Sumanasara Thera supported by a community of humble villagers in the region, took upon the Herculean task of reconstructing the great stupa. The community resulted in forming a society called Ratnamali Chaityawardhana Society.'

http://placessrilanka.blogspot.com/2012/06/ruwanweliseya-in-anuradhapura.html

Satellite pictures of ‘Ruwanveli Saeya’:-

http://www.warunasat.com/showthread.php?tid=1986

The 'Alms hall',Mahavihara, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

Ruins of the 'Alms hall'.

The entrance to the hall

Stone 'wash basin'?

A colonial bilding of the last century.

The 'Alms Hall', Mahavihara, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

The 'ruins of the 'Alms Hall'.

The representation of foot-prints on stone which was the focal point of the assembly of monks in the hall. 

The stylized 'foot-print' with an umbrella over it, chiseled in stone formed the center of worship in the alms hall.

Since Lord Buddha attained 'Nibbana' - nothingness, followers of Lord Buddha's teaching did not have a statue of him in early Buddhism. He was represented by a figure of a 'Bo tree', foot-prints, an umbrella, an empty chair or a 'chamara'. The statue or 'Pratima' came into use after the second century AD. Thus you see this symbol being used in the Mahavihara 'Alms Hall'.

The city of Anuradha was founded in the 5th century BCE and remained the capital of Sri Lanka for 1400 years. The city is surrounded by four large reservoirs the largest of which is the Nuvaravava. The Tissavava now provides the modern city of Anuradhapura with its drinking water. All the reservoirs are fed by a channel constructed in the 4th century CE which leads water from the Kalavapi River about 50 miles from the city. Like Lhasa, Kyoto, Xian and several other ancient Buddhist capitals, Anuradhapura was a city surrounded by and to some degree dwarfed by a number of huge monasteries and several other smaller ones. The history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka up to the 13th century is to a very large extent the history of Anuradhapura's three great monasteries: the Mahavihara, the Abhayagiri and the Jetavana. The Mahavihara or Great Monastery was founded by Venerable Mahinda himself and Theravadins in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia even today subscribe to the Mahavihara's interpretation of the Pali Tipitaka.

The ruins of the Mahavihara consist of a collection of 13 complexes covering a wide area. Unfortunately in the 19th century the town of Anuradhapura was built mainly over these ruins and many of them were damaged. In about the year 249 a new teaching from India called the Vetullavada was being enthusiastically advocated at the Abhayagiri. Some 300 of its monks disagreed so strongly with certain of the principles of this new teaching that they broke away and formed themselves into a new sect called the Sagalikas after their leader Sagala, a renowned scholar. King Mahasena appropriated some land owned by the Mahavihara and built these monks a monastery which was named Jetavana after the famous monastery in Savatthi where the Buddha used to live. The Jetavana stupa was the biggest ever built anywhere and their image house was the most impressive ever built in Sri Lanka. It seems that the Sagalikas were more liberal that the Mahaviharans but not as radical as the Abhayagiri. 

The Refectory
Leaving the Brazen Palace and proceeding north along the path the pilgrim will see the foundations of a building off to the right. This is the remains of one of the Mahavihara's several refectories. With so many monks around Anuradhapura it was simply impossible for them all to be sustained by begging for alms so each monastery usually had huge dining rooms like this one below. Monks who were entitled to eat in such places were issued with wooden ration tickets.

A rice boat in the refectory

The main entrance leads to a large paved rectangular courtyard which was originally surrounded by a pillared verandah under which monks used to sit, probably on mats on the floor or on wooden benches. Note the drains where there would have been facilities for the monks to wash their bowls and their hands after their meals. Against the east wall of the refectory is a huge stone trough made of several pieces of stone so finally finished that they fit together perfectly. In the Mahavamsa such troughs are called rice boats. Steaming rice was tipped into these troughs and then doled out to monks as they lined up and walked passed with their bowls. It has been calculated that this particular trough would have held enough rice to fill 3,800 bowls.

http://www.buddhanet.net/sacred-island/anuradhapura.html

'Sri Maha Bodhi', Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

The old entrance to the 'Sri Maha Bodhi', Anuradhapura.

Monkeys upsetting the litter bin.

The road leading to the 'Ruwanweli Saeya'.

'Sri Maha Bodhi', Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

The 'Sri Maha Bodhi', Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The branch supported by gold posts is the branch from the original tree at Buddha Gaya, India, brought to Sri Lanka by Theri Sanghamitta more than 2000 years ago.

The 'Dolosmahe pahane' (the 12 month lamp). Devotees pour small amounts of coconut oil into a funnel on the side. This oil falls into the lamp and is collected below it. This oil is used to keep the lamp burning for the twelve months of the year.

A tree trimmed of a branch at the site.

An ancient building in the premises. Note the pillars made out of cut granite at a time when concrete was unheard of. Note also the stairway with the two 'Guard-stones'.

The 'Sacred Bodhi Tree' at Buddha Gaya, India, under which Lord Buddha had Enlightenement had many vicissitudes in its lifetime. During its lifetime, a fruit from it was taken and given to the
Ven. Anandha by Lord Buddha. It produced a sapling which was planted at Sravasthy, India, during Lord Buddha's life time. It is called the 'Ananda Bo tree' and is still in existence. A branch of the original Bo tree was brought to Sri Lanka by Theri Sanghamittha in the 2nd Century BC. This is the one now existing at Anuradhapura. It had many saplings produced in its lifetime. One of the earliest now in existence is at 'Thanthrimale'. With present day techniques, DNA studies on this plant and making comparisons with the 'Ananda Bo tree' at Srawasthy and the Bo tree standing now at Buddha Gaya, India, could give us valuable historical data.