Author(s)

M.P. Ranaweera

Abstract

Abhayagiri Stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, built in the first century BC and subsequently enlarged, is a solid brick structure which had reached a height of 83 m at its heyday. Presently the Stupa is in ruins and is overgrown with vegetation, and a programme to conserve it is in progress. This paper presents results of an analytical study to find stresses in the Stupa and identify critical areas which need special attention in its conservation. Analyses of the Stupa, under its self weight, were done by the finite element method. The dome of the Stupa was modelled as an axi-symmetric problem and its square chamber was analyzed as a three dimensional problem. The latter was analyzed with three configurations for a reinforced concrete ring beam at its top. The results showed that the stresses in the dome and

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