Thuparamaya
The earliest documented Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, built when the monk Mahinda brought Buddhism to the island. Its small bell shaped stupa is ringed by slender stone pillars that once held up a roof over it.
- Where
- Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 8.3553, 80.3961
Get the Thuparamaya stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Thuparamaya. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your North Central Province volume with your photos and a note.
Near Thuparamaya
Ruwanwelisaya 0.6 km
A great white stupa built by King Dutugemunu around 140 BC, said to enshrine the largest collection of the Buddha's relics anywhere. Also called the Maha Thupa and Swarnamali Seya, it is the heart of worship in ancient Anuradhapura.
Jetavanaramaya 0.9 km
A brick stupa begun by King Mahasena in the 3rd century, which at 122 metres was the tallest in the world and the third tallest structure on earth when it was built. It rises from the ruins of the Jetavana monastery and is believed to enshrine part of the Buddha's girdle.
Lovamahapaya 1.0 km
The remains of a great building between the Ruwanweli stupa and the Sri Maha Bodhi, called the Brazen Palace because its roof was covered in bronze tiles. What survives today is a field of some 1,600 stone pillars.
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi 1.2 km
A sacred bo tree grown, by tradition, from a cutting of the tree at Bodh Gaya under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, brought here by the nun Sangamitta, daughter of Ashoka, in 236 BC. At more than 2,300 years, it is the oldest living tree planted by people with a known date.
Samadhi Buddha 1.6 km
A seated Buddha in deep meditation, carved from dolomite marble and a little over two metres tall, in Mahamevnawa Park. It may once have been gilded with jewelled eyes, and is the only one of four figures around a bodhi tree shrine to survive largely intact.
Abhayagiri Vihara 1.7 km
The ruins of a vast monastery north of ancient Anuradhapura, once a great centre of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Its humped dagaba rises above bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, and it was the first keeper of the Tooth Relic on the island.
Isurumuniya 2.4 km
A temple built against the boulders beside the Tissa Wewa in Anuradhapura, known for its stone carvings. The finest are a pair of embracing lovers, elephants carved above a pond and a group known as the Royal Family.
Mihintale 13 km
A hill near Anuradhapura where, by tradition, the monk Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa and so brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Stone stairs climb past shrines, stupas and ruins to the summit, still a place of pilgrimage.
More hidden gems in North Central Province
Questions
Where is Thuparamaya?
Thuparamaya is in Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Ruwanwelisaya (0.6 km), Jetavanaramaya (0.9 km), Lovamahapaya (1.0 km).
How do I get the Thuparamaya stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Thuparamaya and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your North Central Province volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Thuparamaya before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your North Central Province volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
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