A weathered brick mound south of Ruwanwelisaya that was for centuries assumed to be the tomb of King Elara, the South Indian Chola ruler who controlled Anuradhapura for several decades before being defeated by Dutugemunu in single combat. Twentieth-century excavations and the discovery of a 3rd-century inscription identified it instead as the Dakkhina Stupa of the Dakini Vihara.
It is one of the smaller and less restored stupas in the city, half-overgrown and very atmospheric. The brick has been left exposed rather than re-plastered, which gives a clearer sense of the construction technique used in the great dagobas. Visit it for the contrast — a quiet, weathered ruin among the gleaming whitewashed monuments nearby.