Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: අනුරාධපුර මහා විහාරය) (also known as Tissarama or Mahamevna Tisaram ) was an important Buddhist monastery complex for Theravada Buddhism in ancient Sri Lanka. Most of the sacred monuments in the city including the Sri Maha Bodhiya , Ruwanweliseya , Lovamahapaya , Thuparamaya and Mirisawetiya are located within the precincts of this complex (Nicholas, 1963). Sri Lankan chronicles such as Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, Culavamsa, Nikaya Sangrahaya, Pujavaliya treat the country's history from the point of view of the Maha Viharaya (Nicholas, 1963). The Maha Viharaya area is bounded by the Thuparama to the north, Abhaya Wewa and Mirisawetiya to the west and Jetavanaramaya and Malwathu Oya to the east (Wikramagamage, 2004). The plan of the Maha Viharaya is said to have been designed to depict the posture of a lion showing bravery (Wikramagamage, 2004). Accordingly, the Sri Maha Bodhiya is located at the end of the lion's tail and the Lovamahapaya is sited near …
