Ruwanweli Maha Seya - History, King Dutugamunu, Wandana Gathawa

Ruwanweliseya Dagaba Details and Information

The exact date when the construction of the Ruwanweliseya stupa began is not recorded, but it is known to have commenced after the completion of the Mirisweti dagaba around 158 BCE. King Dutugamunu, the ruler at that time, initiated the construction of the Ruwanweli stupa following his previous monumental project, the "Lowamahapaya," a nine-story monastery that was 100 cubits (1 cubit = 1.5 feet )square and high.

The building of the Ruwanwelisaya stupa spanned the remaining years of King Dutugamunu's reign. Unfortunately, the king passed away in 137 BCE, and at that point, the construction of the dagaba remained incomplete. However, his brother and immediate successor, King Saddhatissa, took charge and ensured the final stages of the construction were carried out. Thus, it can be inferred that the construction of the Ruwanweli dágaba spanned approximately twenty years from start to finish.

During this significant period, the stupa gradually took shape, becoming a testament to the remarkable vision and determination of King Dutugamunu and his successors. The completion of the Ruwanweli dagaba marked a momentous achievement, solidifying its status as a revered monument of immense religious and cultural significance. Though the specific details of its construction timeline may not be extensively documented, the enduring presence of the Ruwanweli dágaba stands as a testament to the devotion and grandeur of its creators. Its construction over two decades exemplifies not only the commitment of the ancient Sri Lankan rulers to their religious beliefs but also the remarkable architectural and engineering prowess of that era.

The significance of the site where the Ruwanweli stupa stands is mentioned in the "Mahavamsa" as a place made sacred by the presence of the four Buddhas of the present "kalpa," which refers to the duration of the world in each of its regenerations. Centuries before the construction of the dagaba, the Mihindu Thero prophesied its location to King Devanampiya Tissa. Together, they visited the spot where the magnificent Ruwanweli dágaba would later be built.

During their visit, Arhat Mihindu Thero recounted the visits of the previous Buddhas to the sites of future sacred buildings, including the spot where the Ruwanweli dágaba would stand. He addressed the king, describing it as a consecrated place by the four preceding Buddhas. He prophesied that in the future, a dagaba, named "Hemamali" or “Ruwanweli”, would be erected there. It would enshrine a "dóna" of sacred relics obtained from the body (1/8th part of relics) of Gautama Buddha, and it would reach a height of 120 cubits (180 feet).

In response to the thero's prophecy, the ruler expressed his intention to personally undertake the construction. However, Mihindu Thero advised the king that he had other important tasks to fulfill and that a descendant of his would eventually carry out the construction. The thero foretold that Yatalatissa, the son of the king's younger brother, Mahanaga, would become a ruling sovereign. Yatalatissa's son, Gothabaya, would also ascend the throne, followed by his son Kakawanna. The great monarch predicted by the thero, named Abhaya, would be a conqueror renowned as Dutugamunu, gifted with supernatural powers and wisdom. It was Abhaya who would ultimately construct the dagaba at that very site.

To commemorate the prophecy, the monarch had the words of the thero engraved on a stone and erected a monument to mark the spot. This stone monument served as a testament to the sacred significance of the location and the future fulfillment of the prophecy. The account reveals the deep spiritual connection and prophetic foresight associated with the site of the Ruwanweli dagaba. It highlights the belief that this particular place was destined to become a revered sanctuary, housing sacred relics and embodying the power and wisdom of Buddhism through the generations

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Architectural Remains -Anuradhapura-Ceylon≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈ by James.G. Smither

Stone carved Elephant figures at Ruwanweliseya Vahalkada

Brief History of Ruwanweliseya in Sinhala

රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑය ලංකාවේ වඩාත්ම වැදගත් ස්තූපය ලෙස කීර්තිමත් ස්ථානයක් දරයි. දුටුගැමුණු මහරජතුමා ( ක්‍රි.පූ. 161 - 137 ) විසින් ඉදිකරන ලද දෙවෙනිි දාගැබ වන එහි සුවිශේෂී ඉතිහාසය දිවයිනේ ඓතිහාසික වංශකතාවක් වන මහාවංශයේ පුළුල් ලෙස ලේඛනගත කර ඇත. ස්වර්ණමාලී මහා සෑය ලෙසින්ද ප්‍රසිද්ධ මෙම දාගැබ අනුරාධපුරයේ ඉදිකරන ලද ස්ථූප අතරින් විශාලතම හෝ පැරණිතම ස්තූපය නොවූවත්, වැදගත්කම අතින් ඒ සියල්ල අභිබවා යයි. මෙයට මූලික වශයෙන් හේතු වී ඇත්තේ ගෞතම බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ ද්‍රෝණයක් ධාතු එහි තැන්පත් කර තිබීමයි. රුවන්වැලි දාගැබ තුළ මෙවැනි ගෞරවනීය ධාතූන් වහන්සේලා වැඩ සිටීම නිසා එය බෞද්ධයන් අතර සුවිශේෂී පූජනීයත්වයට හා ගෞරවයට බදුන් වූ ස්ථානයක් බවට පත් වී ඇත. යුග ගණනාවක් පුරා බුදුදහමේ අධ්‍යාත්මික සාරය සංකේතවත් කරන අද්විතීය වැදගත්කමක් ඇති ස්මාරකයක් ලෙස රුවන්වැලි මහා සෑය අගය කර ඇත. අදටත් මෙම ස්ථූපය බෞද්ධ බැතිමතුන්ගේ ගෞරව භක්තියේ උතුම්ම වන්දනීය වස්තුවක් ලෙස එහි අනභිභවනීයත්වය පවත්වා ගෙන යයි

Ruwanweliseya Height and Dimensions

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