'The last of the holy sites
of Atamasthana (Eight Holy Places) is the little known stupa, Lankaramaya. It
is believed this stupa was built by King Vattagamini Abaya (Valagamba) in the
1st century BC.
According
to some sources, the ancient name of the stupa and the surrounding temple
complex was 'Silasobbha Khandaka Cetiya.' The legend says King Valagamba was
hiding in a place called Silasobbha Khandaka during South Indian Chola
invasions. After defeating the invaders and regaining power in Anuradhapura, the
King had built a stupa at the place where he was hiding and named it
'Silasobbha Khandaka Cetiya.'
However,
very little is known about the original form or how it came to be known as
Lankarama Stupa. According to archaeological evidence, the stupa had undergone
a series of renovations and the present day stupa is quite similar in form and
structure to Thuparama, the first stupa built in Sri Lanka after Buddhism was
introduced here.
Lankarama
too has evidence of a magnificent vatadage (house built encircling the stupa)
and there are indications that there were 88 stone pillars supporting the roof
of the vatadage. However, today, only a few of those pillars are remaining.
The
stupa is quite small in size when compared to giants in Anuradhapura such as
Jetavanaramaya, Abhayagiriya or Ruwanvelisaya, with only a diameter of 45 feet
(14 metres).
The
stupa is standing on a circular courtyard, raised 10 feet (3 metres) above
ground, and with a diameter of 1,332 feet (406 metres).'
