Jetavanaramaya Stupa spotlighted in CNN global feature

2026-02-06 - 06:39

Sri Lanka’s iconic Jetavanaramaya stupa has gained international recognition after being prominently featured in CNN’s global travel and culture coverage. Describing the 1,700-year-old monument as a “massive megastructure built for eternity”, CNN notes that upon its completion in the early 4th century CE, Jetavanaramaya was the third-largest man-made structure in the world, surpassed only by the Great Pyramids of Giza. The feature, written from Anuradhapura, highlights the stupa’s unique status as the largest brick structure ever built by volume, constructed using over 93 million baked bricks. CNN also draws attention to the site’s living heritage, with pilgrims and monks continuing centuries-old traditions. The international spotlight is seen as a boost to Sri Lanka’s heritage tourism, reaffirming Jetavanaramaya’s place among the world’s most remarkable ancient engineering achievements.