Rankoth Vehera

Rankoth Vehera
රන්කොත් වෙහෙර
Golden-Pinnacle Stupa
Religion
AffiliationTheravada Buddhism
Location
CountrySri Lanka
Architecture
FounderNissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa
Completedc. 1190; 834 years ago (1190)
Decorated wall of Rankoth Vehera, ancient city of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Rankoth Vehera is a stupa located in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. The stupa was built by Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa, who ruled the country from 1187 to 1196.[1] The Rankoth Vehera has been built according to the tradition of the stupas of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and bears a close resemblance to Ruwanwelisaya.[2] In fact, a stone inscription situated close to the stupa even identifies it by the name "Ruwanweli". However, it has later come to be known by the currently used name, Rankoth Vehera.[3] In Sinhalese, ran means gold, kotha is the name given to the pinnacle of a stupa, and vehera means stupa or temple. Thus, the name Rankoth Vehera can be roughly translated to English as "Gold Pinnacled Stupa".[4] Along with the Kiri Vehera, it is one of the most revered stupas in Polonnaruwa.[2]

  1. ^ Siriweera, W. I. (2004). History of Sri Lanka. Dayawansa Jayakodi & Company. p. 303. ISBN 955-551-257-4.
  2. ^ a b Sarachchandra, B. S. (1977). අපේ සංස්කෘතික උරුමය (Cultural Heritage) (in Sinhala). Silva, V. P. p. 114.
  3. ^ Amarasinghe, Malinga (1998). පොළොන්නරුවේ නටබුන් (The Ruins of Polonnaruwa) (in Sinhala). S. Godage & Brothers. pp. 75–77. ISBN 955-20-3051-X.
  4. ^ Prematilleke, P. L.; Karunaratne, L. K. (2004). Polonnaruwa - The Silver Capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo: Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs. pp. 18–19. ISBN 955-613-111-6.