Lankaramaya

           

           Lankaramaya is a small stupa of the size of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. An ancient stupa, known as the Lankaramaya, is not heard. Therefore, many scholars believe that this was later applied. Just like the bhikkhuni monastery of the Thuparamaya Maha Vihara which belonged to the Mahavihara, the Lankaramaya or the Manisomaramaya was the Bhikkuni monastery of Abhayagiri. Both the Parker and the Gruger who used to pay attention to this Dagoba, using the stories of the Mahavamsa, today call the Lankaramaya as the oldest stone motif.

          The Mahavamsa mentions that King Walagamba (103 BC and 89 - 77 BC) fled the area and crossed the stone pillar and built a stupa once he became king. According to its description, the stupa was located north of the great stupa. According to legends, the unidentified stupa north of the stupa is due to the Lankaramaya. It is said that when King Somadevi and his men escaped from the vehicle due to the invasion of the Dravidian princes, a gem belonging to the Goddess Soma Devi was found in the stone stupa named Soma Devi.

          It is mentioned in the Mahavamsa that King Kanittiyatissa performed a chetiya at the Manisoma Viharaya and that it was repaired by King Gotabhaya. The plan of the Lankaramaya is largely an imitation of Thuparama. The dagaba is about 10 feet high and is not very large. There are stone pillars around the stupa. This is a classic example of the ancient stupas that had been built around them. It is smaller than Thuparamaya and currently contains 34 pillars. The courtyard surrounding the stupa is about 132 feet in diameter. There are three rows of stone pillars around the stupa. The tower heads are similar to the tower heads of Thuparama. The monumental ruins surrounding the stupa seem to have been a monastery unit when it came to focusing on the self. It is believed that the nearby Lankaramaya may have been involved with the emergence of the Abhayagiriya opposite the Maha Vihara.