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Puwarasankulama Chethiyagiri Rajamaha Viharaya (පුවරසන්කුලම චේතියගිරි රජමහා විහාරය)

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Puwarasankulama Chethiyagiri Rajamaha Viharaya

Hidden by paddy fields near Anuradhapura, Chethiyagiri Rajamaha Viharaya reveals a silent world of ancient stonework and sacred art. Its weathered stupas, inscriptions, and rare footprint stones whisper stories from the 1st century CE—echoes of a monastery that once flourished on Sri Lanka’s timeless plains.

Chethiyagiri Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient temple located on the banks of the Puwarasankulama Wewa reservoir, approximately 15 kilometers from Anuradhapura. The surrounding area is sparsely populated and primarily consists of paddy fields.

Monastic Ruins and Archaeological Features

The ancient monastery was built around a stone plateau extending in a north–south direction, together with the adjoining land. Many monastic ruins—including inscriptions, remains of stupas, pohoyage houses, Buddha statues, statue bases, stone seats, and siripathul gal (footprint stones) are scattered across an area of about 5 to 6 acres (2 to 2.4 hectares).

The Stupa

The stupa is constructed on a natural rock outcrop. A short, square brick base has been built on the rock slab, upon which the stupa rises.

A stone staircase on the southern side of the stupa ascends about 3 meters (10 feet) from ground level to the courtyard, showing that the stupa’s base was built to that height. Fragments of bricks and stone of various sizes are scattered across the site.

The ruined stupa, now standing about 6 meters high, has a circumference of approximately 110 meters. Several pesa valalu (basal rings) are visible where the structure has collapsed. Although the upper portion of the stupa’s dome (garbhaya) cannot be reconstructed, fragments of a yupa gala—a stone pillar placed atop stupas during the early Anuradhapura period—have been discovered.

The Yupa Gala

The lower part of this yupa gala is square, while the upper section is octagonal. The octagonal upper section of the Puwarasankulama yupa gala had fallen into the stupa courtyard and was later moved near the Pohoya Geya (Chapter House). The pillar measures 1.85 meters in length, and the width of its octagonal face is 13 centimeters.

Entrances to the Dagoba

The main entrances to the dagoba were situated on the northern and southern sides. Evidence of a stone staircase remains clearly visible on the southern approach. One surviving step measures about 6 meters in length, 20 centimeters in height, and 28 centimeters in width. Approximately 22 similar stones are visible today.

The Chapter House and Inscriptions

Inscriptional evidence from the Puwarasankulama Pohoya Geya (Chapter House) suggests that it dates back to the 1st century CE. The ruins indicate that it was a remarkably large construction for its time.

The Siripathul Gala (Footprint Stone)

A siripathul gala made of crystalline limestone can also be found at this site. It rests on a pedestal measuring 75 × 70 × 40 centimeters (length × width × height). The upper and lower sections of the pedestal are adorned with elegant moldings, and the toes of the footprint are carved to uniform length and width. Presently, this siripathul gala lies displaced within the temple grounds, but it likely once stood on one of the four sides of the stupa, as seen at other sites in the region.

Symbolic Art and Early Buddhist Worship

Before the depiction of the Buddha in human form, devotees expressed reverence through symbolic representations. Archaeological evidence from Chethiyagiri Rajamaha Viharaya confirms that ancient Sri Lankan artists frequently used siripathul gal (footprint stones) and asana (seats or thrones) as symbols of worship.

References

Samarathunga, P. N. M. (2018). අනුරාධපුර, පුවරසන්කුලම ඓතිහාසික චේතියගිරි විහාරය පිළිබඳ අධ්‍යයනයක්. Puraweeda, 3, 93–98.
Dissanayake, S. B. (2024). 2016 වර්ෂය සඳහා පුරාවිද්‍යා අධ්‍යක්‍ෂක ජනරාල්ගේ පාලන වාර්තාව. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.

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