About Yatala Vehera

Yatala Vehera is an ancient Buddhist stupa dating back to the 3rd Century B.C, located in Deberawewa - Thissamaharama in Hambantota District of Sri Lanka. The stupa is built on a stage made of large flat granite stones and has a surrounding wall of sculpted elephant heads, a moat and a large moonstone. It is believed that the stupa was built 2300 years ago by regional king Yatala Thissa of Ruhuna to commemorate the place where he was born. However some believe that the stupa was built by regional king Mahanaga, father of Yatala Thissa to mark the birth of his son.
Abayagiri Dageba, Sri Lanka

Buddhist Stupas in Sri Lanka – The tallest pre-modern structures

, also called dagobas and cetiyas, are considered an outstanding type of architectural creation of ancient Sri Lanka. Stupas were built in Sri Lanka soon after Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura converted to Buddhism. The first stupa to be built was the Thuparamaya. Later, many more were built over the years, some like the Jetavanaramaya in Anuradhapura, being one of the tallest ancient structures in the world. Under the influence of Buddhism, there were several changes in .