Anuradhapura, Cultural Triangle

Jetavana Monastery

Built using 93 million bricks on the site of a monastery King Mahasena had just demolished, this stupa once stood taller than every building on Earth except the pyramids of Giza.

📏 Original height: 122 m (400 ft) 📏 Current height: ~71 m 👤 Built by King Mahasena (273-301 CE) 🔞 ~93.3 million bricks used

Jetavanaramaya’s construction began not as an act of simple piety but as the aftermath of a genuine religious purge, King Mahasena’s demolition of the rival Mahavihara monastery, a decision that triggered rebellion and reflects some of the deepest doctrinal tensions in early Sri Lankan Buddhist history.

Quick Facts

Location	Eastern Anuradhapura, within the Jetavana Monastery complex
Built by	King Mahasena, reigned 273 to 301 CE
Completed by	His son, Kithsirimevan (Sirimeghavanna)
Original height	122 metres (400 ft), once the world’s tallest stupa
Current height	About 71 metres, following 12th-century restoration
Bricks used	Approximately 93.3 million

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Born From Religious Conflict

King Mahasena’s reign began under the influence of the Mahayana monk Sanghamitta, who guided the king toward a campaign against the Theravada monks of the Mahavihara, Anuradhapura‘s most established Buddhist institution. Mahasena had the Mahavihara demolished, a genuinely drastic act that provoked outrage and rebellion among a minister and much of the wider population loyal to the older monastery. Jetavanaramaya was subsequently built directly on the site of that destroyed institution, belonging to the Sagalika sect rather than the mainstream Theravada tradition, making the stupa’s very existence a physical monument to one of the sharpest sectarian conflicts in early Sri Lankan Buddhist history.

Construction, estimated to have taken around 15 years, required an almost unimaginable scale of resources and organisation: approximately 93.3 million baked bricks, laid without extensive mortar, relying instead on precise interlocking and the material’s inherent compressive strength to support a structure originally reaching 122 metres, roughly 400 feet, in height.

The World’s Third-Tallest Structure

At its completed height, achieved under Mahasena’s son and successor, Jetavanaramaya briefly ranked as the tallest stupa ever built and the third-tallest structure anywhere on Earth, surpassed only by the two great pyramids of Giza. Its base alone covers roughly 233,000 square metres, and even in its current, reduced form it remains the largest brick structure by volume anywhere in the world, a title the original full-height version has since lost to modern construction, but one the sheer mass of brick still holds today.

The monastery complex surrounding the stupa was substantial in its own right, estimated to have housed as many as 10,000 Buddhist monks at its height, a scale that underscores just how significant Jetavana became as a religious and educational centre despite, or perhaps because of, its contentious origins.

From Full Height to Restored Ruin

Jetavanaramaya never regained its original height after Anuradhapura’s political decline and the centuries of jungle encroachment that followed the Chola invasions. King Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa attempted a restoration in the 12th century, but the resulting structure, the roughly 71-metre stupa visible today, reflects that medieval intervention rather than Mahasena’s original 122-metre profile.

That gap between Jetavanaramaya’s original ambition and its present, still-impressive but reduced form mirrors the broader story of Anuradhapura itself, a city whose golden-age monuments were built at a scale that later centuries, even under motivated restoration efforts by powerful kings, simply couldn’t fully recreate. Walking the grounds today, it’s worth remembering that even this diminished structure remains one of the largest brick buildings ever constructed anywhere on Earth, a scale that would be remarkable in any era, ancient or modern.

Visiting Tips

Walk clockwise around the stupa, following traditional Buddhist practice.
Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, and remove shoes before entering sacred areas.
Combine with nearby Ruwanwelisaya, Sri Maha Bodhi and Abhayagiri Monastery, all included on the standard Anuradhapura entrance ticket.
Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to properly explore the stupa and its surrounding ruins.

Where It Sits on the Map

Jetavana Monastery, eastern Anuradhapura Open in Google Maps ↗

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Jetavanaramaya built where it was?

It was constructed on the site of the Mahavihara monastery, which King Mahasena had controversially demolished under the influence of a Mahayana monk, reflecting deep sectarian tension within Sri Lankan Buddhism.

How tall was Jetavanaramaya originally?

About 122 metres (400 ft), making it the tallest stupa in the ancient world and the third-tallest structure on Earth after the pyramids of Giza.

How tall is it today?

Around 71 metres, reflecting a 12th-century restoration by King Parakramabahu I rather than its original height.

How many bricks were used to build it?

Approximately 93.3 million, making it the largest brick structure by volume in the world.

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