Sri Lanka has a history that goes back to the times, six centuries before the birth of Christ. When the Greek empire was expanding in the Mediterranean, and other population centers were emerging from the late stone age, Sri Lanka was a country with a highly developed civilization. In the north-central region of the island there were well planned cities, like Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa, linked by an intricate road system. A marvelous irrigation system of man-made reservoirs, linked with wide canals, that are still in use today, provided the essential water to cities as well as farms.

This "Milk-White" stupa is named after its (formerly) white plaster coat, now considerably faded, that was still well-preserved as late as the 19th century, when the stupa was cleared out of the jungle. Early stupas were plastered white, as of course are the modern ones today. Kirivihara is thought to have been built by a queen of Parakramabahu, and is still important today as one of the best-preserved medieval stupas in Sri Lanka.