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This stupa has been built by king Parakramabahu the Great ( 1153-1186) as a memorial on the location he was born.
In 1070 prince Vijayabahu defeated the Chola invaders who ruled Polonnaruwa and brought the country under a single ruler. While he made his capital Polonaruwa, his sister Mitta’s son Manabharana was appointed as a sub-king in Ruhuna. His wife Ratnavali was the daughter of King Vijayabahu I. Later a prince called Veerabahu invaded the Ruhuna region and Manabharana escaped to Dedigama then called Punkagama. Manabharana then ruled the Maya Region with Dedigama as the administrative capital.
This royal couple had 2 daughters ( some believe that they had 3 daughters) and the prince Manabharana was worried not having a son and sought spiritual guidance to have an heir. At one of the temples he had a dream of a visit from a daity who told him that he is destined to have a son who will one day become a great leader. It is said that the It is here when the queen Rathnavali delivered the baby boy who later became the Parakramabahu the Great ( 1153-1186).
This stupa has not being subject to any major renovation but during excavations it has been found that the stupa is built on top of another smaller stupa. The smaller stupa was found closer to the pesa walalu on the eastern side. This was 36 feet in diameter. It has been found that that both these stupas has been built around the same time.
It is believed that the smaller stupa has been built on the exact place there the birth took place and and then a bigger stupa was built around it. The diameter of the bigger stupa is 256 feet and it is 47 feet high. The top of the stupa is flat and covers about 26,000 square feet.
Although it is unknown what relic was enshrined in this stupa, a massive amount of relics have been recovered in it 10 relic chambers. Out of these, the the most significant is the Ingenious Elephant Lamp.
Also See
Map of Dedigama Kota Vehera
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
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Driving Directions to Dedigama Kota Vehera
Turn to right at the Nelumdeniya junction at the 41st mile post on the Colombo Kandy Road. The stupa can be reached by traveling about 2 1/2 kilometres on this road.
| Route from Colombo to Dedigama Kota Vehera | Route from Kandy to Dedigama Kota Vehera |
| Though : Colombo – Kandy Road distance : 75 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Though : Kandy – Colombo Road distance : 55 km Travel time : 1 hour Driving directions : see on google map |
