Thuparamaya is the oldest dagoba in Sri Lanka and one of the most historically significant Buddhist monuments on the island. It was built by King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BC, shortly after Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka, and is said to contain the right collarbone of the Buddha — a relic brought from India by the missionary monk Mahinda.
The stupa itself is small compared to the great dagobas of Anuradhapura, but it sits within a striking ring of slender, irregular stone pillars, the remains of a roof structure (the vatadage) that once sheltered it. The aesthetic is more delicate and intimate than the imposing scale of Ruwanwelisaya or Jetavanarama, and the site is often less crowded.