Demala Maha Seya
Demala Maha Seya is a large uncompleted stupa built by King Parakramabahu the Great using tamil prisoners brought from the Soli Kingdom of South India due to his invasion. This would have been the largest Buddhist monument on the Earth but unfortunately this is not completed due to some reasons.
It believed that King Parakramabahu designed this enormous structure to be seen from India. A small Stupa was built on the unfinished semi-spherical structure with a huge circumference of 650 metres and 186 metres of height. The name stupa came because Tamil prisoners were used as labourers, “Demala” means Tamil in Sinhala is said by some. Others believe that it was called “Demahal” because it was built at two levels, which later became “Demala”.
Now this gigantic stupa looks like a hill covered by jungle, only three outer rings about 10 metres of height are seen. There is a large footpath to climb to the top of the stupa which is a little bit tough task but it’s a worthy endeavour.
