'Built For Eternity' - CNN Hails Jetavanaramaya as a 1,700‑Year‑Old Engineering Marvel

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s iconic Jetavanaramaya stupa, one of the largest brick structures ever built in human history, has captured international attention after being prominently featured in CNN’s global travel and culture coverage, positioning the 1,700‑year‑old monument back onto the world stage.

In its extensive feature, CNN describes Jetavanaramaya as a “massive megastructure built for eternity”, noting that when it was completed in the early 4th century CE, it ranked as the third‑largest man‑made structure on Earth, behind only the Great Pyramids of Giza.

The CNN article, written from Anuradhapura, vividly portrays the sacred city’s living heritage, pilgrims in white, chanting monks, and visitors who continue traditions uninterrupted for more than 2,000 years, while placing Jetavanaramaya at the centre of this ancient yet vibrant landscape.

The stupa originally soared to around 122 metres (400 feet) and was constructed using an astonishing 93.3 million baked bricks. Although today the monument stands at roughly 71 metres, CNN emphasises that it still remains the largest brick structure by volume ever built.

The global network also highlights a compelling archaeological estimate: the sheer number of Jetavanaramaya’s bricks could build a three-foot-high wall stretching from London to Edinburgh, or from New York City to Pittsburgh.

CNN’s feature further notes that, unlike the pyramids, Jetavanaramaya remained hidden from world memory for centuries due to overgrowth, and periods of neglect, making its rediscovery and scholarly resurgence all the more remarkable.

With millions of international readers, CNN’s spotlight marks a significant moment for Sri Lanka’s heritage tourism, placing Jetavanaramaya alongside the world’s most iconic ancient megastructures and reaffirming its status as one of humanity’s greatest feats of engineering.