Sandagiri Stupa [Photo gallery]

The Sandagiriya or Sandagiri Stupa is part of an ancient Buddhist Monastic complex in Tissamaharama (Southern Sri Lanka) which also represents an important archaeological site. It is believed that the Sandagiri Stupa was built somewhere around the 3rd century BCE by king Mahanaga in the same village where the Ashtapala Bodhi was planted during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. The Monastic complex includes various other structures such as the Uposatha-Ghara, Bodhi-Ghara, and Jantha-Ghara. The ancient Pali book the Mahamvasa mentions that the Sandagiri Stupa was reconstructed by King Vijayabahu in the 11th or 12th century (during the Polonnaruwa period).