Heritage

Mahayana Square Stupa of Anuradhapura Abhayagiri Monastery (අභයගිරි භූමියේ සතරැස් ස්තුපය)

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One of the two square stupas in the Abhayagiri Monastery which is hidden from the public eye
Photo by : Ramakrishna Behera

Square-shaped stupas were popular in the ancient past in countries such as Thailand where Mahayana Buddhism was popular. Although Sri Lanka was predominantly a Theravada Buddhist country throughout its history, Mahayana Buddhism was spread in pockets but never took permanent root. There are 4 known square-shaped stupas in Sri Lanka. The most popular and well-known is the Sathmahal Prasadaya. The rest of the 3 stupas can be found in the ancient Anuradhapura kingdom which are rarely visited by the pilgrims. The largest of these stupas is Nakha Vehera. The other 2 belong to the Abhayagiriya Monastic Complex. One is Prasada stupa which lies north of the Eth Pokuna. The other, which is this stupa, lies west of Eth Pokuna on the western border of the Abhayagiri Monastery in the area identified as the ancient “Vahadu Mula” among many other conserved structures and rarely visited by the average pilgrim.

This stupa is built on a raised platform with a brick wall. The stupa is square in shape with a side length of approx 15m at the base. Steps are built on the western side to climb to the top. These steps split into two sides halfway. A Siri Pathul Gala can be found on the right side of the stairs. The stupa has been restored up to about 3 meters. During the conservation of the stupa, a lead plaque belonging to the 7th to 9th centuries bearing Mahayana Manthra was discovered and deposited in the outer wall of the shrine.

The lead plaque was deposited in a small clay pot which was about 10 cm high. The circumference of the mouth was 11 cm. The plaque was square with 21 cm per side and was rolled and then bent into two to fit into the pot. Various mantras and designs had been etched on both sides.

It has been found that such mantra sheets were enshrined in Mahayana stupas for protection from harm and perils. This is further supported by it being deposited on the edge of the limit of the stupa, the outer wall.

However, these stupas in the Abhayagiri Complex show the extent of the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in Sri Lanka during the late Anuradhapura period.

The lead plaque found at the Kapara Mula Mahayana Stupa at the Abhayagiri Monastery

References

අභයගිරිය – ඇස්. බී. හෙට්ටිආරච්චි / ටී ජී. කුලතුංග – ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංස්කෘතික ත්‍රිකෝණය (1992)

Also See

Anuradhapura – The city of the God King

Map of Prasada Stupa (Indikatu Seya) of Anuradhapura Abhayagiri Monastery

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

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Driving Directions to Prasada Stupa (Indikatu Seya) of Anuradhapura Abhayagiri Monastery

Anuradhapura can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and through Kurunegala. Travelling from Puttalam, you will pass the scenic Wilpattu area. From Kurunegala, there are two main routes to Anuradhapura. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is through Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the most commonly used is the Kurunegala-Dambulla route (Route 2).

Route 01 from Colombo to Anuradhapura	Route 02 from Colombo to Anuradhapura
Through : Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance from Colombo : 210 km Travel time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map	Through : Katunayake Expressway – Central Expressway – Kurunegala – Dambulla Distance from Colombo : 223 km Travel Time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google maps
Route 03 from Colombo to Anuradhapura	Route from Kandy to Anuradhapura
Through : Katunayake Expressway – Narammala – Wariyapola – Padeniya – Thambuthegama Distance from Colombo :203 km Travel Time : 4.30- 5.00 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map	Through : Katugastota – Matale – Dambulla Distance from Colombo :136 km Travel Time : 3.5 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map

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