Introduction
This is called Demala Maha Saya because it was built by Tamil prisoners-of-war from
king Parakramabahu’s (1153 – 1186 A.D.) south Indian campaigns. The stupa was built
enveloping an existing hillock and is about 600 meters in circumference of its base.
The summit of the truncated dome is leveled and contains a small stupa at the center.
It is not clear whether it was left undone because of the immensity of the project
or whether it was an attempt to build a stupa of the kotavehera type.
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