Silumini Seya or Silumina Seya (Sinhala: අරලගංවිල සිළුමිණි සෑය, සිළුමිණසෑය) is a ruined Buddhist monastery situated in Aralaganwila in Polonnaruwa District, Sri Lanka.
History
This ruined monastery is said to have been used by monks of the Dhammaruchi sect, as its Stupa belongs to the Abhayagiri School (Wikramagamage, 2004). The Stupa is believed to have been constructed in the pre-Christian era but available archaeological evidence suggests that this Stupa and its monastery were reconstructed during the reign of King Aggabodhi VII (781-787 A.D.).
The Stupa
The Department of Archeology has recently restored and preserved the ruined stupa at this site. According to a line drawing that had been prepared before the renovation of the Stupa, there was a Yupa and a Chatra stone (a stone umbrella) on the top of it (Wikramagamage, 2004). However, presently they are not found on the top of the Stupa but parts of them are seen around it (Wikramagamage, 2004). Of them, the stone umbrella is said to be the largest one of its kind so far discovered in the country. A few stone slabs with carved Siri Pathula (the sacred footprint of the Buddha) are also found around the Stupa.
The Stupa has been built on an elevated terrace which can be accessed through four gateways.
References
1) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural
and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp.257-258.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 17 March 2022