Arahant Mahinda brings Buddhism to Sri Lanka
King Devanampiya Tissa, ruler of Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC (Before Christ) is out hunting in the vicinity of the royal capital Anuradhapura. He suddenly hears someone calling “Tissa, Tissa.”
Arrival of Arahant Mahinda by artist D. G. Somapala
‘Who is it that calls me by my name,’ he wonders. No one dare address the king in that fashion. Looking up from where his name is heard, he sees five persons clad in yellow robes on a rock watching “How did you come,” the king asks.
“Not by land nor by water,” is the answer. The king then realises they had come by air. The king drops his bow and arrow which he carries on his pleasure hunt. The yellow robed monks come down. The leader decides to test the king on his intelligence by asking him a riddle:
“What is the name of this tree, Oh King?”
“It is a mango tree.”
“Are there any other mango tree besides this?”
“Yes, there are many mango trees.”
“Are there other trees apart from this mango and the other mango trees?”
“There are many trees, but they are not mangoes.”
“Besides those mango trees and the trees that are not mango, are there any other trees?”
“There is this mango tree, Sir.”
He is happy with the answers given
by the king.
The day was Poson Poya Day —
the full moon day in the month of May — June. The yellow robed monks came from Jambudwipa — as India was then known. Emperor Asoka, the ruling monarch of India, having converted himself to Buddhism was keen to spread Buddhism in the countries around India.
King Devanampiya Tissa had been in contact with Emperor Asoka and he decided to send his son Arahant Mahinda to Sri Lanka. Arahant Mahinda was the one who had called the king by his name and he later explained their mission.
Their place of arrival was named after him and came to be known as Mihintale. The place they met the king had a lot of mango trees and was called Ambastala. (‘Amba’ is the Pali word for mangoes).
A stupa was built at the spot they met and it is one of the most significant places of worship.
View from ‘Mihindu Guhava’
First sermon
Being satisfied that the king was intelligent enough to understand Buddhism, Arahant Mahinda delivered a Dhamma sermon to the king and his retinue. The first sermon marking the introduction of Buddhism in Sri Lanka was the ‘Chulahaththipadopama Sutta’.
The sermon contains almost all the principal teachings of the Buddha.
At the end of sermon, the king and his followers embraced Buddhism.
The following morning, Arahant Mahinda came to the city of Anuradhapura on the invitation of the king, who offered the royal pavilion in the Mahamegha Park (Mahamevuna Uyana) from where he delivered sermons for several days. Thousands of men and women gladly accepted the faith.
The king also prepared caves at Mihintale for Arahant Mahinda and the other monks to spend the rainy season (‘vas’) in a quiet environment. The cave Arahant Mahinda stayed known as ‘Mihindu Guhava’ — the abode of Mahinda, is maintained as a place of worship to this day.
Kantaka Chaitya is one of the most elaborately designed stupas. There are several other places to visit in and around. Steps have been cut to climb to the top of the rock — it is named ‘Aradhana Gala’ — where Arahant Mahinda was seen first.
‘Aradhana Gala’ where Arahant Mahinda appeared
Being a mountain, there is a fair amount of climbing to be done to visit the places of worship at Mihintale. There are nearly two thousand steps at the start itself. They are easy to climb because of the close proximity from one to the other. The ‘araliya’ trees on either side of the steps provide shade — so it’s a very pleasant climb.
Devotees flock to Mihintale during the Poson Poya to commemorate the historic event of the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Because of its close proximity, invariably they move to Anuradhapura too to visit the places of worship. It is a sea of heads wherever one moves during the Poson season.