Famed Mihintale - remembered with joy; change regretted

Thus spake Thera Mahinda to the King of Lanka after he had called out to him: “Tissa, Tissa.” King Devanampiyatissa (307-287 BC) stopped in his tracks, annoyed at this familiar manner of addressing him.

- By NAN

Looking up he saw on a high rock a yellow clad monk with three others similarly robed, an ascetic and a very young lay person. The saintly graciousness of the monk so impressed the king that he dropped his bow and arrow and bent low to the monk. This meeting took place (circa) on the full moon day in June 247 BC, 236 years after the death of the Buddha. The monk arrived in Sri Lanka at age 32 with the Teaching of the Buddha to preach to the king and people of the land. The day being festive, the king had gone deer hunting to Missakha-pabbatha (now named Mihintale) 12 km north east of the capital city, Anuradhapura.

Mahinda Thera was invited to reside in Anuradhapura for which purpose a garden was created - the Mahamegha Uyana, in which, later, the Bo sapling was planted, still living as the world's oldest historical tree. The monk however, preferred to live in Mihintale and thus the wonderful site with its ruins. He gave to the King and country the Theravada Canon of orthodox Buddhism which had come down the years in the oral tradition. In addition, his visit and conversion of the country to Buddhism ushered in a peaceful socio-religious revolution which also introduced a new culture. Lanka reputedly had a degree of civilization when Thera Mahinda arrived and Buddhism would have been practiced since contact with India was present. Consequent to the religion taking root in the country with the king's approval, art, painting and sculpture flourished producing rock temples, huge statues hewn out of solid rock and massive stupas or dagobas.

Historical Mihintale

The very ambience of Mihintale is arresting; one of sanctity and historical import. At the foot of the climb is a stone trough for immersing patients in medicines in the believed-to-be first hospital in the world (885-887 AD). Then come the frangipani trees with their large white flowers that line the sides of 1840 rock hewn steps.