Kiri Vehera

Kiri Vehera ("The Milk Stupa") is one of the most striking and best-preserved monuments in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. Unlike many other ruins that are exposed brick, Kiri Vehera is famous for maintaining a significant portion of its original white lime plaster, giving it the appearance of a "milky" white structure even after 900 years.

This was built during the Polonnaruwa Kingdom era and is a calm, quiet place—ideal for peaceful reflection or meditation. It is located within the sacred city of ancient Polonnaruwa.

As per my knowledge, this is the second largest stupa in Polonnaruwa, Situated next to world famous Lankathilakaya. Around Kiri Vehera there are many restored smaller stupas. These have been identified as burial chambers of high priests and royals. Many of these including Kiri Vehera stupa has been attacked by treasure hunters and their valuables looted. Also it is the only stupa to survive the 900 years of forces of nature and still is in the original condition. When I visited there, it was painting, otherwise it can seen in milky white.

Stupa The 28.5 meters tall Stupa is considered the best-preserved Stupa among the others found in the ancient city . It has a diameter of about 88 ft at the base at the ground level and is surrounded by four frontispieces at the cardinal points ). On either side of the front pieces are small rectangular Buddha shrines with brick roofs . The bubble-shaped dome rises upward from a base of three receding terraces and the original lime plaster is still visible on the dome. The present name probably derives from the fact that its well-preserved lime plaster. The ancient name or the builder of this Stupa is not known yet. But it is speculated that this Stupa was either built by King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186 A.D.) in memory of his consort Queen Subhadra or it was built by Queen Subhadra herself

This large stupa was said to be built by a queen ( “Subadra”) of the king Parakramabahu the great. This one is considered to be the second-largest stupa in Polonnaruwa area. the height is about 80 feet and the diameter is about 88 feet. there are small shrine houses can also be seen in the vicinity.

This is a pagoda you can see when you stop your vehicle to visit Gal Viharaya. There are a couple of souvenir shops, king coconut vendors, and good-quality toilets 🚽 for tourists, costing 50 LKR per person as of June 2024. My personal preference is that these places should not allow worship using flowers and oil lamps 🪔 , as they destroy their spiritual natural beauty.

This large stupa known as the Kiri Vehera of Polonnaruwa, lying north of Lankathilaka Pilima Ge is said to be built by a queen of King Parakramabahu. The original name of this has been “Rupavathi Stupa” and this too is a part of Alahana Privena and stands 80 feet in height today.

This stupa is one of the largest stupas in Polonnaruwa, second only to Rankoth Vehera, which is also part of the Alahana Pirivena. Despite being over 900 years old, it has survived the forces of nature and remains in its original condition. These stupas give us an idea of the components of a stupa during the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras. According to an article by Paranavithana, the stupa has a well-preserved cylinder above Hathras Kotuwa. This cylinder measures 9 feet 6 inches in diameter and 7 feet 8 inches in height. The cylindrical surfaces are divided into eight parts with pilasters, and between the pilasters are figures of deities with hands in the attitude of adoration. This cylindrical component between the Hatharas Kotuwa and the Koth Kerella is called Devatha Kotuwa, which means ‘Enclosure of Deities’. Kiri Vehera Vehera is one of the best-preserved Devatha Kotuwa and had 16 relief telamons supporting the pseudo-entablature, which was badly weathered. However, the relief sculptures of the deities are not present on the Stupa today.