Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya

Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya is a stupa located in Kotmale, Sri Lanka.

Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya
කොත්මලේ මහාසෑය
Religion
AffiliationTheravada Buddhism
Location
CountrySri Lanka
Location in Sri Lanka
Geographic coordinates7°04′10.5″N 80°36′16.5″E
Architecture
FounderGamini Dissanayake
Completed1983

History

The stupa came from an idea by the former Minister of Mahaweli Development and then Leader of the Opposition, Gamini Dissanayake.

The stupa was built in commemoration of over 50 submerged temples and the people who lost their properties as a consequence of the Mahaweli Development programme in the early 1980s.[1] The Mahaweli Development Project was the largest development project conducted in Sri Lanka after the country obtained independence.

The foundation stone was laid by President J. R. Jayewardene on 20 March 1983.[2] The work was completed and the stupa was opened by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe on 20 June 2016.[3][4]

The stupa is 88 m (289 ft) tall, making it the second-largest stupa in Sri Lanka, second to Ruwanweli Maha Seya in Anuradhapura,[2] built in 140 BC. Its structure was designed by Vidya-Jyothi Dr. A.N.S. Kulasinghe.[5]

References
  1. "President Opens Mahaweli Maha Seya for Devotees". News.lk. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. "Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya bestowed to the Buddha Sasana - Newsfirst". Newsfirst.lk. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  3. "Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya unveiled". Adaderana.lk. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  4. Gamini Gunaratna (20 March 1983). "Sri Lanka : President Opens Mahaweli Maha Seya of Kotmale for Public". Colombopage.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  5. "The Mahaweli Maha Seya in Kotmale, Kandy, Sri Lanka". Masvilla.com. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
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