Mihintala
Legend has it that the sacred mountain of Mihintale, situated 13 kilometres east of Anuradhapura, was sanctified by the Buddha. Therefore it is considered one of the 16 holy places - solos mastana - in the island. It was here in the year 247 BC that the Sage Mahinda, son of Emperor Asoka of India, converted King Devanampiyatissa to Buddhism.
Asoka's son headed his mission to Lanka to meet King Devanampiyatissa (307 - 247 BC), who is considered to have been the first consecrated Sinhala king. Performed according to Indian customs, Devanampiyatissa's consecration marked the beginning of a new era in the political and spiritual life of the island. Situated 217 kilometers from Colombo is the base for Buddhism to spread in Sri Lanka, Mihintale. This destinationa that could only be accessed by bus takes 4 to 4 and half hours drive and an hour from Anuradhapura, the ancient city of the then Ceylon.
The story goes that Devanampiyatissa, while on a hunting expedition in the forests around the Mihintale mountain (then known as Mishrakakanda), came across a deer, and being the sportsman that he was, warned the animal of his presence by twanging his bowstring. Moments after giving chase, the king was amazed to see that the deer mysteriously changed into a personage in yellow robes. It was Sage Mahinda, who introduced himself as a disciple of the Buddha and said he had come on a special mission to Lanka with his followers. Sage Mahinda, wishing to gauge the intellect of the King, posed him several riddles. Sage Mahinda was duly impressed with the manner in which the king solved the riddles and believed that Devanampiyatissa was a man who could comprehend the teachings of the Enlightened One.
The king was so inspired by the new doctrine that he, his queen and his followers were converted to Buddhism. Mahinda was 32-years-old when he came to Lanka, since that time the mountain has been known as Mihintale, or the Plain of Mahindu, the Sinhala name by which the Sage was known. Mihintale soon became a great monastic city encompassing the three main summits that comprise the mountain range. These are Ambastala, Plateau of the Mango, Rajagiri, Mountain of the Kings and Anaikutti, Mountain of the Elephant.
On the road leading to the main stairway is a modest museum containing some of the archaeological finds made at Mihintale, such as bronze figurines, shards of pottery, fragments of frescoes, and hospital tubs. In addition, there is a magnificent 9th century gold-plated ola leaf manuscript. At the foot of Mihintale are the ruins of a hospital. The ground plan indicates that the building consisted of separate cells in rows. At one end of the building there is a stone medicinal trough (beth oruva), carved in the shape of a human form, in which patients were immersed in herbal oils. Among the ruins are some circular stones used for grinding medicinal herbs. Excavations have unearthed Persian clay urns for storing medicines. These demonstrate the links between the island and other ancient civilizations. Inscriptions have revealed that the hospital had its specialists. For instance, there are references to a manduva, a bone and muscle specialist, and to a puhundu vedek, a leech specialist. The ruins of this hospital are significant as they indicate the social values of the Sinhalese and the advanced state of medical knowledge of the time.
The climb to the summits of Mihintale is made by taking the remarkable main stairway through the shadows of the spreading temple-trees (araliya). The 1,840 stone steps that make up this stairway, arranged in three flights, were laid by King Bhathika Abhaya (22BC - 7AD).
The first flight of steps, which is the widest and shallowest, comes to a small plateau. Here there is a smaller flight leading to a plateau on the top of a hill. At this site are some cave dwellings and the remarkably well-preserved Kantaka Chaitiya, which was not excavated until 1934. Although the excavated portion is 12 metres high, the structure was originally over 30 metres tall.
The Kantaka Chaitiya is of archaeological importance as it displays some of the finest architecture of the early Anuradhapura period. Four stone flower altars stand at the cardinal points, which in traditional sculptural work are represented by specific animals: an elephant on the east, a horse on the west, a lion on the north, and a bull on the south. The second flight continues until it reaches a larger plateau, on which are found the remains of monastic buildings such as the relic house, near which there are two stone tablets inscribed and erected during the reign of King Mahinda 1V (975 - 991 AD). These tablets refer, among other things, to the regulations of the relic house.
There are the remains of the assembly hall, which was an integral part of a Buddhist monastery. This was where monks met to discuss the Buddha's teachings and matters of spiritual importance. At one end of the plateau are situated the remains of the monk's refectory. A significant feature of this building is the central courtyard, beyond which are two enormous stone rice troughs of different sizes, popularly referred to as bat oru, or rice canoes. There are water spouts on some of the over 60 pillars that once supported the roof. Below the monk's refectory is the small Sinha Pokuna, the Lion Pond, which is surmounted by a 2-metre water-spout in the guise of a leaping lion. It was used for drinking purposes by placing one hand on each paw of the lion. In this position the jet of water from the lion's mouth would be directed into the person's mouth.
The final stairway, narrow and steep compared to earlier flights, leads to the Ambastale Dagoba, where Sage Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa met and talked. The name Ambastale, meaning mango-tree, refers to the subject of one of the riddles posed by Mahinda. This charming dagoba may have been built shortly after the death of King Devanampiyatissa. However, it appears that it underwent conversion to the vatadage style in the 3rd century AD. The spot on which the king stood when the sage addressed him is today covered with a slab of stone, popularly known as candrakanti pashana. The rock on which Mahinda delivered his discourse - Aradhana Gala, the Rock of Convocation - is nearby.
There is a path from the Ambastale Dagoba that leads up to the Maha Seya Dagoba, occupying the summit of Mihintale. This dagoba is said to enshrine a hair relic of the Buddha. From here there is an excellent view of Anuradhapura and its dagobas in the distance. Another path from this dagoba to a cave created by an arched boulder - known as Mahindu Guha or Mahinda's Cave - which has a commanding view of the surrounding jungle, where the Sage spent most of his time in meditation. Inside the cave there is a smooth, rectangular slab, which is referred to as Mahinda's Bed.
One of the main sources of water at Mihintale in its heyday was the Naga Pokuna, the Pond of the Serpent called because of the seven-headed cobra carved from the rock on the back wall, whose tail is said to reach right to the bottom of the pool. Visitors will notice that the motif of the cobra is common at archaeological sites, especially on guardstones that flank entrances. At the foot of the Anaikutti mountain one kilometre southwest of Mihintale is an associated monastic complex around the Kaludiya Pokuna, the Pool of Dark Water. This is an artificial pool carefully constructed to look as if it was formed by natural means. The artificial moats running through some of the edifices, the bath-houses, the toilets within buildings, demonstrate the advancements achieved 2,000 years ago.
