Jetavanarama

Jetavanaramaya
ජේතවනාරාමය
Jetavanaramaya
Former names	Denanaka and Denavehera
General information
Type	Temple
Location	Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Height	122 m (400 ft)
Dimensions
Other dimensions	233,000 m2 (2,508,000 sq ft)
Technical details
Floor area	5.6 Hectares

Coordinates: 8°21′06″N 80°24′13″E / 8.35167°N 80.40361°E / 8.35167; 80.40361

The Jetavanaramaya is a stupa located in the ruins of Jetavana in the sacred world heritage city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Mahasena of Anuradhapura (273–301) initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of the mahavihara. His son Maghavanna I completed the construction of the stupa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.

The structure is significant in the island's history for it represents the tensions within the Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhism; it is also significant in recorded history as one of the tallest structures in the ancient world; and the second tallest non-pyramidal buildings after Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria; the height of the stupa is 400 feet (122 m), making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world. The structure is no longer the tallest, but it is still the largest, with a base-area of 233,000 m² (2,508,000 sq ft). Approximately 93.3 million baked bricks were used in its construction; the engineering ingenuity behind the construction of the structure is a significant development in the history of the island. The sectarian differences between the Buddhist monks also are represented by the stupa as it was built on the premises of the destroyed mahavihara, which led to a rebellion by a minister of King Mahasena.