Mihintalava Website

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Mihintalava

Archaeological Sites

Aloka Puja

Mihintalava Mountain, the rocky citadel of Buddhism,
is situated 13 km east of the city of Anuradhapura,
or 226 km from Colombo.

The launching of this Web-site is a National venture
that Lake House undertook to promote Mihintalava among
the international Buddhist community

Mihintalava Today

This rocky citadel is an important place of pilgrimage for the Buddhist, who ascend the picturesque line of stone steps leading to the hallowed 'aradhana-gala' at the summit. These steps, numbering 1,084, so splendidly carved with great skill, indicate the work of superb constructional engineering. Seeing this line of steps a European once remarked "So wonderful to look at, it appears as if leading to Heaven".

Poson brings pleasant recollections of the heyday of Buddhism in Anuradhapura the capital of Devanampiyatissa and in Pataliputra, the capital of Asoka. Asoka's son Mahinda had given up a promising career in the Royal court of his father and joined the Order of Bhikkhu Sangha. His father's brother had done the same. Asoka's daughter Sanghamitta had made a similar decision to join the Order of Bhikkhunis.

Buddhist Art

Arahat Mahinda introduced art and architecture into the island along with Sangharamas and Cetiyas.

Monuments

Monuments of
Mihintalava witness
the rich civilization
introduced with the
advent of
Arhat Mahinda
who met
the island's king
at the
Missaka Pabbata

Aloka Puja

The ANCL
has been consecutively organizing
the Aloka Puja
for the past
45 years

Poson

The birth of the
new civilization
took place on a Poson Day
2315 years ago
with the historic meeting between Arhat Mahinda
and King Tissa
on the plains of Mihintalava