Thuparamaya is located in the sacred area of Mahamevana Park, the Tuparamaya Stupa is the oldest dagoba and the first Buddhist temple built in the country. It dates back to King Devanampiya Tissa (247-207 BC). Mahinda Thera who introduced Buddhism and Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Ambassador Ashoka himself. At his request King Devanampiya Tissa built the Tuparamaya and placed the right collar bone of the Buddha in it. This is the first monument and the first monument built in Sri Lanka after the introduction of Buddhism. The name Tuparama came from “Stupa” and “Aramaya”, a residential complex for monks.
According to the Palumekichava inscription, a tank called Madmanaka (Palumekichava Veva) in the Upala Vibhajka area was built at a cost of 5,000 Kahuanas and donated to the monks living in the Thuparama Kovil. It further states that the harvest obtained from the paddy fields around the tank was presented to the monks at the temple. This inscription is one of the oldest carvings on the Tuparama Devalaya and is said to have belonged to King Gajabahu (114-136 A.D.).
The stone pillars around the stupa show a conical roof and stupa in the center of the house. There are four stone pillars around the stupa. Most of the inner circles are low in height and have a spherical shaped roof over the stupa. The stupa had 176 towers, and in 1896 the capital had 31 towers. This round was air-conditioned in the first century. The Tuparamaya Dagoba was built in the shape of a bell. These dagobas were destroyed from time to time. It was completely destroyed during the reign of King Agbo II and the king restored it. Current AD In 1842 the construction work was carried out at Dagoba. Today, after several repairs, the base of the monument is 59 feet (18 m) in diameter. 11 feet (3.45 m) from the ground, 164 1⁄2 in diameter (50.1 m). The compound is made of stone and has two rows of stone pillars around the dagaba.
Tuparamaya is an archaeological site by the Government of Sri Lanka and the government gives it special care and protection. This stupa is today one of the most revered places for Buddhists in and outside Sri Lanka.
