Jetavanaramaya: Sri Lanka’s Ancient Brick Wonder Still Standing

While the Great Pyramids of Giza have long captivated the global imagination, a similarly awe-inspiring marvel of ancient engineering remains relatively obscured by the mists of time in South Asia. Nestled within the sacred city of Anuradhapura—the spiritual "teardrop of India"—the Jetavanaramaya Stupa stands as a testament to religious devotion and architectural brilliance. Completed in 301 AD, this colossal monument has remained upright for over 1,700 years, weathering the elements of tropical Sri Lanka.

A Rival to the Pyramids

Anuradhapura holds the distinction of being Sri Lanka’s first major capital and serves as one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Buddhists worldwide. It was here that the island’s inhabitants first embraced Buddhism outside of India.

The comparison to the Pyramids is not merely hyperbole; it is a matter of historical record. Upon its completion in the 4th century, Jetavanaramaya was the third-tallest man-made structure in the world, eclipsed only by the two tallest Giza pyramids. At its peak, it soared to a height of 400 feet, though natural erosion and the passage of centuries have brought its current stature to a still-imposing 233 feet.

The Grandeur of Baked Earth

What truly baffles modern engineers is the choice of material. Unlike the stone-hewn pyramids, Jetavanaramaya is constructed entirely of brick. An estimated 93.3 million terracotta bricks were utilised in its assembly. To put this staggering figure into perspective, if these bricks were laid out to form a wall three feet high, it would stretch approximately 600 kilometres—spanning the distance from New York City to Pittsburgh.

The stupa was the centrepiece of the Jetavana Vihara, a sprawling monastery. Godamune Pannaseha, a senior archaeological officer in Anuradhapura, notes that the monastery housed roughly 3,000 monks (though some records suggest a smaller core community of 200 seniors). The architecture was intentionally designed so that the towering stupa was the first sight to greet a monk upon exiting his living quarters.

Engineering Against the Odds

Commissioned by King Mahasena, the project was a monumental communal effort. History suggests a workforce comprising local residents, devotees, and even prisoners captured during Mahasena’s Indian campaigns. Experts believe that elephants and bullock carts were the primary "heavy machinery" used to transport the millions of bricks, following the logistical blueprint established by the Ruwanwelisaya stupa centuries earlier.

Professor Anura Manatunga of the University of Kelaniya highlights the precision required for such a feat. "Bricks are far more susceptible to erosion than stone," he explains. "To have billions—or rather, tens of millions—of bricks remain structurally sound for nearly two millennia requires a level of manufacturing and placement perfection that was never replicated on this scale in Southeast Asia again."

Today, Jetavanaramaya remains not just a relic of the past, but a living symbol of faith, standing as the largest brick structure ever built in human history.