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Thuparama
Continuing north from the Jethawana Dagaba, turn left at the
crossroads to the site's oldest dagaba to house the right
collar-bone of the Buddha. Built by Devanampiyathissa,
the 19m high dagaba has retained its beautiful bell shape, despite
restoration work, It is surrounded by concentric circles of a
graceful granite monolithic pillars of a Vatadage which was
added in the 7th Century, possibly originally design to support
an over-arching thatched cover. It is a center of active
pilgrimage, decorated with flags and light. Immediately to its
north-east was the original Dalada Maligawa where the Tooth
Relic was first enshrined when it was brought to Ceylon in AD
313. Chinese traveler monk Fahian gave a vivid description of its display, but only
the stone columns remain |