- Who
- Jetavanaramaya
- What
- 122 metre(s)
- Where
- Sri Lanka (Jetavana)
- When
- 301
The world’s largest stupa from the ancient world is the Jetavanaramaya at Jetavana in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, with a base area of 233,000 m² and reaching 70.4 m high. When completed in 301 with its original spire (now destroyed), it was even taller, at 122 m, making Jetavanaramaya one of the tallest buildings in the world, beaten only by two Egyptian pyramids. Built by the Sagalika sect as part of what is now one of the principal shrines of Buddhism, it uses around 93 million bricks that have been covered in lime plaster. It stands on bedrock and massive 8.5-m-deep stone foundations, which during construction were compressed by elephants wearing leather bindings on their feet.
A stupa is a dome-shaped Buddhist building used for meditation, and normally containing śarīra relics.
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