Ruwanweli stupa is considered as the greatest stupa in Sri Lanka. It is situated in Anuradapura district in North central province.
This is also known as the Swarnamali maha stupa and it was the main Stupa belongs to Maha vihara in Anuradapura in the history. Inside there are large amount relics of load Budhdha has treasured and because of that this stupa is considered as a highly sacred place not only in Sri Lanka but also in the globe. This is the only stupa which is having that much of relics in the world and it is believed that the sleeping mode statue has been created inside.
The Ruwanweli stupa is 103m high and considered as one of the tallest stupa in the world. The diameter is 287.1m and this stupa is very attractive in its architectural structure.
History of construction of Ruwanweli stupa
In the history it has mentioned that the construction of this stupa had been forecasted by Arhant Mihindu thero in king Devanampiyathissa’s time who is an earliest king of Sri Lanka ruled from 307 BC to 267 BC. The arhant Mihindu thero has shown the location and has told that one of the grand sons of the king will construct this stupa which will be a world famous sacred place one day.
King Devanampiyathissa established an “Abhiliwith” inscription in the place mentioning this and after about 106 years of this forecast King Dutugemunu who is a grandson of King Devanam piyathissa started constructing this stupa after removing this inscription in a full moon day at an auspicious time.
King Dutugemunu
King Dutugemunu ruled the country from 161–137 BC and he was a very brave king. He defeated all harmful forces to the unity and the prosperity of the country. Since he is a fearless king he had also known as Duttagamini.
The city of Anuradhapura has built under his rule and he has contributed to the religion of Buddhism and development of the country in many ways.
Construction of the Ruwanweli stupa
King Dutugemunu commenced work on the stupa under the Visakha constellation on the full moon day of the Vesak month in May. First, it was dug to a depth of seven cubits and laid curved stones which were broken with hammers on it by soldiers. After that it was trampled by elephants. Bricks were laid on that layer of stone and on the rough mortar quartz, on the quartz an iron grid, on the iron grid fragrant clay, on the fragrant mat white stones, on the white stones shale, and on top of that were stone slabs.
A mixture of mercury, avocado pulp, and sandalwood was applied on the stone slabs and eight-inch-thick bronze sheets were established on that.
Arsenic and sesame oil were mix was applied on the bronze sheets and four inches thick silver sheets were placed on top of them.
The king thus completed the foundation of this great temple and arranged for the foundation stone to be laid on the full moon day of the Esala Poya Festival. He then decorated the city of Anuradhapura and the courtyard of the Ruwanweli Temple like a divine city.
It is said that for this, nine hundred million arahants came from India.
On the full moon day of the Esala Poya, under the constellation of Uttarasiha, he laid the foundation stone of the Maha Seya and resolved, “May the deeds I undertake for this stupa be successfully completed!! Then may the Buddharakkhita, Dhammarakkhita, Sangharakkhita and Ananda Arahants ascend from the four directions of the Maha Seya.” As he resolved, the Venerable Siddhatta, Maigala, Paduma, Seevali, Chandagutta, Indagutta, Suriyagutta, Sitthasena, Jayasena and Akala Arahants faced east and stood in front of the kotala near the entrance during the festival.
Then he installed eight large gold and eight silver pots in the center of the great temple and placed one hundred and eight punkalas around the large water pot. In this way, he placed eight gold bricks at the eight corners and placed one hundred and eight silver bricks around them.
For the construction of this stupa all the materials including clay, chemicals, silver, gold and mny more things were created and visualized in different areas of the country and people has given their labor freely.
The Death of King Dutugemunu
How ever King Dutugemunu died before the construction completion and his brother completed the rest. While the unique Ruwanweli Maha Seya was being completed with ten square towers amidst the recitation of the protective sutras by the arahants, King Dutugemunu, who had ruled Sri Lanka for twenty-four years, read the book containing the merits he had made and looked at the Maha Seya.
Reforms of the Ruwan weli stupa
In the late 19th century, Venerable Narangwita Sumanasara Thero traveled to the holy city of Anuradhapura to pay homage to the Eight Shrines. During this journey, the Venerable Thera also visited the dilapidated Ruwanweli Great Stupa, which belonged to the Eighth Temple, and was deeply moved when he saw the great Seya.
Current status
Ruwanweli stupa is considered as the greatest stupa of the country and Buddhists try to worship it at least once year and many wish to worship it every day. It is believed many gods and deities worship the stupa frequently and there are many miracles.
Every moment the Stupa premises remains filled with local and foreign pilgrims and tourists.
