Mirisavaeti stupa in Anuradhapura

As in the case of many other Sinhala terms, there are various transliteration of the name of this stupa, e.g. Mirisaweti or Mirisawatiya. Why do we choose „Mirisavaeti“? This is the spelling that comes closest to the correct spelling. The „ae“ is a typical Sinhala vowel, it’s a sound similar to the „a“ in English „share“ or „bear“.  Transliterations of foreign words with „ae“ are well-known in English, if those words are of Greek or Latin origin, for example haemoglobine or archaeology. So why not use the „ae“ for transcribing a Sinhala word? But it has to be conceded, this is not a common of spelling Sinhala terms in English.

The Mirisavaeti stupa in Anuradhapura is still one of the largest ancient stupas in Sri Lanka, it was the record-holder when built

The Mirisavaeti stupa, belonging to a temple complex, is one of the largest ancient stupas in Sri Lanka. However, it is usually overseen, as the nearby Ruvanvaeliseya (another „ae“) is much larger indeed. However, Mirisavaeti was a kind of prototype for the much more famous white dagoba of Anuradhapura. In fact, it was built by the same king, who was no less than Dutugaemunu (one more „ae“). This king, known as Dutthagamani in the ancient chronicles written in the Pali language, built Mirisavaeti at the beginning and Ruvanvaeliseya at the end of his reign in Anuradhapura. When Mirisavaeti was completed, it was the largest stupa dome of ancient Asia, however, only for a couple of years until Ruvanvaeliseya was built. In later centuries, both stupas from Dutugaemunu's reign were surpassed in size by the historical monuments now known as Abhayagiri stupa and Jetavanarama stupa. Ever since, Mirisavaeti, Anuradhapura's first giant stupa, has been the fourth largest monument of the city.

In a way, Mirisavaeti was built to commemorate the capture of Anuradhapura by King Dutugaemunu, who previouslyy had ruled only over the southern part of Sri Lanka. When he took a refreshing bath after his victory, he placed his royal lance with Buddhist relics at the site of the later dagoba. The relics were given to him by Buddhist monks to ensure his victory and the reconquest of Anuradhapura and reestablishment of Buddhist rule in the Sinhalese capital. Returning from his bath, the king could not not move his lance any more. This was taken as an indication that the relics had decided where to be kept finally. Accordingly, the stupa was errected at the spot to enshrine them here.