Lovamahapaya
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Lovamahapaya and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles49 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
16
Average
11
Poor
5
Terrible
0

Titus D
Sri Lanka6,908 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018 • Friends
Lovamahapaya is located in the Anurdhapura holy city. It’s a place with a historical value which built before the 21st century. According to Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, Lovamahapaya was a massive nine storied building with a height of 150 ft (47 meters) and each side with a 150 feet (46 meters) length. The building was supported by 40 rows of stone pillars with 40 pillars which totaled 1600 pillars. In each level there were 1000 rooms and 100 windows. Its roof was covered with copper-bronze plates.

This was supposedly a refectory of the old city and was a huge building with the roof covered with bronze tiles. What is left now are the pillars of the building , many standing erect.
This was Built more than 21 centuries ago. Situated between the Sri maha bodiya and Ruwanweli Seya. Entrance is free but cant go in to the house. This is some-thing you have to see.
History says its a 9 storey building built for the monks by the king Dutugemunu. There are about 1500 stone pillars and would assume it was the foundation of this huge building. We wonder how the humans then made these stuff when there was no machinery or advance technologies existed.
These ruins are believed to be the living quarters of Buddhist monks during Anuradhapura Era. Folklore is that it has been a multi storied building. What remains is large number of stone pillars.
No doubt that it would have been an engineering There is no evidence of any holes/ grooves to fix any wooden or stone floor above the remaining stone pillars to support the multi-story theory.
Lovamahapaya was a 9 story building which had a rock base and upper floors were made by wood. This has destroyed by foreign invasions, but the base of it still can be seen.
The king Devamnampiyatissa, the first Buddhist king of the country build a chapter house in this location on the instructions Mahinda Thero who brought Buddhism to the country. A century later king Dutugamunu (161-131 BC) built a massive structure of which the remains you see today.
This is one of the amazing ruins showing how advance the ancient technology with limited mechanization prevailed in that era. Unfortunately this is invisible to many as this gigantic structure is hidden between two most popular temples and sometimes the story of the building has not been communicated enough
This was well preserved. I think government should keep the places like this well preserved. We went there at night, and it was beautifully lit up. What we could see were stone pillars that were erected but some slanting presently. I recommend you to see it. Evening visit is more convenient because of the warm weather.
Written 12 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kenneth S
Mirissa, Sri Lanka173 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2017 • Family
Built more than 21 centuries ago. Situated between the Sri maha bodiya and Ruwanweli Seya. Evening visit is more convenient because of the warm weather.
Written 18 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gimhani Kavindya Baduge
Colombo, Sri Lanka293 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015
The king Devamnampiyatissa, the first Buddhist king of the country build a chapter house in this location on the instructions Mahinda Thero who brought Buddhism to the country. A century later king Dutugamunu (161-131 BC) built a massive structure of which the remains you see today.According to Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, Lovamahapaya was a massive nine storied building with a height of 150 ft (47 meters) and each side with a 150 feet (46 meters) length. The building was supported by 40 rows of stone pillars with 40 pillars which totaled 1600 pillars. In each level there were 1000 rooms and 100 windows. The building of Lovamahapaya was adorned with corals and precious stones. Its roof was covered with copper-bronze plates. Although this description may be a little exaggerated, this would have been a very impressive building at that time looking at what remains today.
Written 2 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DilrukshiH
Colombo, Sri Lanka2,679 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Couples
This is only the ruins of another architectural wonder of ancient Sri-Lanka, its amazing how these high rise buildings were constructed when everything was done manually.

Well worth visiting this place to realize what advanced technology the ancient people in Sri-Lanka had.
Written 25 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DilrukshiH
Colombo, Sri Lanka2,679 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2013 • Couples
One is amazed at the technology that prevailed many centuries ago, unfortunately only the ruins remain, a must see for any one interested in archaeology.
Written 25 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sujeewa W
Colombo, Sri Lanka739 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Family
This is an amazing work of old Sri Lankan civil engineers . Still it shows its glory and must see place in Anuradhapura.
Written 16 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter M
Melbourne, Australia1,293 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2023 • Friends
this in Anuradhapura. It is also known as the Brazen Palace, as the roof was covered with bronze tiles
Written 17 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Phanuwat_Jonil
Bangkok, Thailand116 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
As i have ever learnt that there are three Lovamahapaya in the world. (one in India - has been destroyed and definitely disappeared, another one in Thailand - , and the last one in Sri Lanka which only some parts of structure are remained. This really attracted me to examine the complete structure before collapsed. The ruined with 1600 pillars can lead me to image how big it had ever been.
Written 31 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ruwan W
Ratmalana, Sri Lanka365 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
Lovamahapaya is a building situated between Ruwanweliseya and Sri Mahabodiya in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura.
The famous Lovamahapaya built by King Dutugemunu, described as an edifice of nine stories. One side of the building was 400 ft (120 m) in length. There are 40 rows, each row consisting of 40 stone pillars, for a total of 1600 pillars. It is believed that it took six years for the construction of the building and the plan was brought from the heavens. The building was completely destroyed during the reign of King Saddhatissa.
Written 11 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dakles
Southampton, UK1,304 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Couples
There is an impressive collection of standing stone columns but little else. All locked up when we were there so you could only look through the fence.
Written 12 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 29
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Lovamahapaya - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Anuradhapura HotelsAnuradhapura Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Anuradhapura
All things to do in Anuradhapura
Day Trips in Anuradhapura
Things to do near Lovamahapaya
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars