The Swarnamali Vehara, now most often known as the Ruwanweliseya, lies in the sacred city of Anuradhapura and is the third-largest stupa in the country. Built by King Dutugemunu in the second century BC, it stands 338 feet tall, and enshrines relics of the Buddha. A part of the Solosmasthana, or sixteen places of veneration, it is an important site of pilgrimage for Buddhists the world over.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass