Jetavana Monastery
Jetavana Monastery at Anuradhapura one of the major Buddhist Monasteries of Sri Lanka was founded by King Mahasena (276-303 AC). His reputation as a builder of great monasteries was somewhat tarnished by his grave misdeeds against the Mahavihara Monastery. Though following his repentance and restoration of Mahavihara Monastery saved the name of the great king in the annals of history of Sri Lanka, today he was remembered as one of the greatest builders of tanks(rainwater reservoirs) of Sri Lanka. Such was the glory of the king following the construction of vast Minneriya tank, the king, following his death, was elevated the statues of deity named ‘Minneriya Deviyo” in the legends of Sri Lanka.
Jetavana Monastery was built in the Nandana Pleasure Garden, where the great Buddhist missionary Thera Mahinda, the son of Emperor Asoka of India, preached the Buddhism for seven consecutive days. Following the historical event the Garden was named “Jotivana” meaning “the place where the holy one made the true doctrine shine forth”. According to the historians, Thera Mahinda was known by the title of Dipajotaka meaning “Light of Lanka”. It is also said that the great monk and his associate monks were cremated herein following their death.The present monastery complex covering an area of 48 hectares was a result of gradual expansion of at least six centuries since its establishment in the 3rd century A.C.
The layout of Jetavana Monastery in Sri Lanka is identical to that of the Abhayagiri monastery though smaller in dimensions. All the components within the monastery too are to a large extent similar to those of Abhayagiri monastery: the stupa, the image house (pilimage), Bo tree Shrine (Bodhigara), the chapter house (uposathagara), the assembly hall (sannipatasala) and the residential complex of the Buddhist monks ( pannasala). The buildings were set up around the stupa in relation to the cardinal points: image house to the west, Bo-tree Shrine (Bodhigara) and chapter house to the south, and the refactery to the east. Around the stupa ran a belt of residential colleges of the monks with the entances to them facing the stupa. The refectory reveals the monastery is home to about 3000 resident Buddhist monks.
Museum at the Jetavana monastery
The museum is of great service revealing the artefacts discovered within the monastery during excavations. The numerous artefacts discovered is of such a volume, today these were called Jetavanana Treasure. Most of the artefacts were found deposited in the thick clay layer between the basal platform and a brick upper platform built during the original construction of the stupa by King Mahasena. The artefacts were dated between second century BC and the last quarter of the third century AC based on the contextual and stylistic grounds.
Among the artefacts displayed at the museum are imported and local ceramics; Roman, Indian and other coins, more than 300,000 beads made of clay, glass, stone, crystal, agate, carnelian, ivory, bone, shell, gold and silver, and also bronze; Buddhist and Hindu
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Sri Maha BodhiyaJaya Sri Maha Bodhi es un árbol bo sagrado ubicado en los Jardines Mahamewna, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Es la rama sur del histórico Sri Maha Bodhi en Buddha Gaya, India, bajo el cual Buda alcanzó la Iluminación. Fue plantado en el año 288 a. C. y es el árbol vivo plantado por el hombre más antiguo del mundo con fecha de plantación conocida.
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RuwanweliseyaLa Ruwanweli Maha Seya, también conocida como Mahathupa (la Gran Thupa), es una estupa (estructura hemisférica que contiene reliquias) ubicada en Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Dos cuartos o un dona de las reliquias de Buda se encuentran en ella, lo que la convierte en la mayor colección de sus reliquias del mundo. Fue construida por el rey cingalés Dutugemunu alrededor del año 140 a. C., quien se convirtió en rey de Sri Lanka tras una guerra en la que el rey Chola Elāra (Ellalan) fue derrotado.
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ThuparamayaThuparamaya es el primer templo budista construido tras la llegada de Mahinda Thero (Mahindagamanaya) a Sri Lanka. Ubicada en la zona sagrada del parque Mahamewna, la estupa Thuparamaya es la dagoba más antigua construida en la isla, y data del reinado del rey Devanampiya Tissa (247-207 a. C.). El templo ha sido reconocido oficialmente por el Gobierno como sitio arqueológico de Sri Lanka.
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LovamahapayaLovamahapaya es un edificio situado entre Ruwanweliseya y Sri Mahabodiya en la antigua ciudad de Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. También se le conoce como el Palacio de Bronce o Lohaprasadaya porque su tejado estaba cubierto de tejas de bronce. En la antigüedad, el edificio incluía el refectorio y el uposathagara (casa Uposatha).
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Dagoba AbhayagiriAbhayagiri Vihāra fue un importante monasterio de budismo Mahayana, Theravada y Vajrayana situado en Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Es una de las ruinas más extensas del mundo y una de las ciudades de peregrinación budista más sagradas del país.
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JetavanaramayaLa estupa Jetavanarama o Jetavanaramaya es una estupa, o monumento relicario budista, ubicada en las ruinas del monasterio de Jetavana, en Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, ciudad declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO. Con 122 metros (400 pies), era la estupa más alta del mundo y la tercera estructura más alta del mundo cuando fue construida por el rey Mahasena de Anuradhapura (273-301).
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Estupa MirisawetiyaThe Mirisaweti Stupa is a memorial building, a stupa, situated in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. King Dutugamunu (161 BC to 137 BC) built the Mirisaveti Stupa after defeating King Elara. After placing the Buddha relics in the sceptre, he had gone to Tissa Wewa for a bath leaving the sceptre.
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LankaramaLankarama es una estupa construida por el rey Valagamba en un antiguo lugar de Galhebakada, en el antiguo reino de Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. No se sabe nada sobre la forma antigua de la estupa, ya que fue renovada posteriormente. Las ruinas muestran hileras de pilares de piedra y es indudable que se construyó una casa alrededor de la estupa (vatadage) para cubrirla.
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IsurumuniyaIsurumuniya es un templo budista situado cerca de Tissa Wewa (tanque de Tisa) en Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Hay cuatro tallas de especial interés en este vihara: los Amantes de Isurumuniya, el Estanque de Elefantes y la Familia Real. El antiguo Meghagiri Vihara o Meygiri Vihara se conoce actualmente como el Isurumuni Vihara.
