temples from the Kurune ̈gala period that still stand
near the city of Gampola, are famous for their archi-
tectural features and intricate carvings.
Some of the important architectural structures and
features from the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruva pe-
riods include the STUPAor dagäba(symbolic burial
mounds of the Buddha with relics enshrined),
bodhighara(bodhi tree shrines), asanaghara(shrines
enclosing huge rectangular stone slabs that symbolize
the throne of the Buddha), vatadage (circular relic
shrines), and chetiyaghara (circular shrines built
around stupas, sheltering the monument).
The sacred bodhi tree shrine from Anuradhapura,
one of Sri Lanka’s most venerated Buddhist sites, has
a long history dating back to the third century B.C.E.
According to the Sri Lankan chronicles, the Buddhist
nun San ̇ghamitta, who was the daughter of Emperor
AS ́OKA(mid-third century B.C.E.), brought a sapling of
the original bodhi tree from BODHGAYAand planted
it in this location at Anuradhapura. There are both lit-
erary and inscriptional references to bodhi tree shrines
in Sri Lanka from the early Anuradhapura period on-
ward. A well-preserved structure of a bodhi tree shrine
dating from the Anuradhapura period still stands at
Nillakgama in the Kurune ̈gala district. The structure
includes two square stone walls with an entrance on
one side, demarcating the shrine, which was inside.
Famous examples of circular relic shrines include
those at Thuparama (Anuradhapura), Medirigiriya
(Polonnaruva), and Tiriyayi (Trincomalee), all dating
to the seventh to tenth centuries. In Pulukunavi (Bat-
ticaloa district) there are remains of an early asanaghara,
an architectural feature referred to in ancient literature
and inscriptions. The remains of the largest chapter
house for Buddhist monks stand in the ancient city of
Anuradhapura. Such chapter houses, of which nu-
merous ruins have been found throughout Sri Lanka,
were called Uposathaghara in the ancient literature and
Pohotaghara in inscriptions.
Before the introduction of BUDDHA IMAGES, wor-
ship of the Buddha using aniconic symbols was com-
mon in Sri Lanka from about the third century B.C.E.
to the second century C.E., as it was in contemporary
India. A large number of stone footprints of the Bud-
dha have been found in Buddhist monasteries from
the early common era. A considerable number of
bodhigharasand asanagharasfrom the Anuradhapura
period are also evidence of a tradition dating back to
an aniconic phase of Buddhism.
Early Sri Lankan artists appear to have been influ-
enced by three main Indian artistic traditions:
Amaravati (or Andhra), Gupta, and Pallava. Of these,
the Amaravati school of art from the Andhra region of
India was the earliest and the most influential. Almost
all surviving art in Sri Lanka beginning in about the
first century C.E. shows the strong impact of the Ama-
ravati style. During the fifth to sixth centuries and sixth
to seventh centuries, styles deriving from Gupta and
Pallava, respectively, begin to appear in Sri Lanka.
The unique early art of Sri Lanka includes numer-
ous seated and standing buddha images, including
some monumental buddha statues. There are also gi-
gantic stupas, some with highly ornate frontispieces
called vahalkada,which consist of four rectangular ar-
chitectural projections at the base of the stupa facing
the four cardinal directions. Further early Sri Lankan
art includes sandakadapahana(moonstones), dvara-
pala(guardstones), and the renowned Sigiriya paint-
ings of beautiful damsels from the fifth century C.E.
The earliest Buddhist edifices in Sri Lanka are nat-
ural rock shelters prepared and dedicated by lay devo-
tees from the third century B.C.E. to the first century
C.E. as residences for Buddhist monks during the ear-
liest phase of Buddhist monastic activity in the region.
Most of these CAVE SANCTUARIESinclude short for-
mulaic dedicatory inscriptions declaring the donation.
These rock shelters are devoid of any carvings, sculp-
tures, or paintings; if there once were paintings, rain
and weathering washed them away long ago.
The eminent Sri Lankan archaeologist and epigraphist
Senarat Paranavitana (1896–1972) published more
than one thousand of these early Brahmlcave inscrip-
tions from almost three hundred early monastic sites
scattered throughout Sri Lanka. Using the number of
caves with inscriptions as an index, the largest of these
early Buddhist rock monasteries are Mihintale, with 75
inscriptions (Anuradhapura district, North-Central
province); Situlpavvuwa, with 59 inscriptions (Ham-
bantota district, Southern province); Rajagala, with 46
inscriptions, (Ampara district, Eastern province);
Periya Puliyankulama, with 34 inscriptions (Vavuniya
district, Northern province); and Ritigala, with 33 in-
scriptions (Anuradhapura district, North-Central
province).
Stupas or dagäbabegin to appear from about the
second century B.C.E. onward, simultaneous with the
earliest phase of Buddhist cave construction. Early Sri
Lankan stupas are of gigantic proportions. The three
largest are from Anuradhapura, the earliest capital ofSRILANKA, BUDDHISTART IN